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Re: MGB door hinges needed

To: Trevor Boicey <tboicey@brit.ca>
Subject: Re: MGB door hinges needed
From: Mike Lishego <mikesl@tartan.sapc.edu>
Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 02:11:59 -0800
Trevor Boicey wrote:
> 
> I need some MGB door hinges in good condition,
> does anybody have spares?
> 
>   Or are they repairable when they get loose causing the
> door to have vertical motion that makes it hard to
> close the door?

        I would buy new ones, but if you can't handle the new price (I don't 
know what 
it is) some used ones could work.  I will warn you - if there was any welding 
done to 
the door sills, your doors might not fit correctly.  
        In my case, the doors would drag across the sills when the door opened 
or 
closed.  I tried to adjust the hinges, yet I could get them no better than they 
were 
when I bought the car.  Then I looked at the sills the PO had welded in.  On 
the 
driver's side, they are covered in a few coats of paint and primer and also 
welded in 
at an angle.  Therfore, there is a "lip" that sticks up and catches the door.  
Meanwhile, the beltline lines up perfectly, so I plan to carefully grind the 
excess 
off the sill and as much from the door as possible.  
        The passenger's side is different.  The PO put in new fenders and 
seemingly 
didn't line them up right.  This causes an irregular looking beltline, which 
sucks, 
since I don't really want to pull the fender to realign it.  However, I have 
another 
problem:  The door scrapes the B post dogleg when I shut the door.  No amount 
of 
adjustment has helped this, and yes, the PO did install new hinges.  For this 
problem, 
I have the sneaking suspicion that the car was "greasy side up" at one time, 
causing 
the misalignment.  How do I know?  My first hint would be the bad alignment of 
the A 
post on the passenger's side.  The second clue was a few holes on the back deck 
for a 
SCCA rollbar.  On the passenger's side, a few of the holes look chewed up, as 
if the 
car was rolled and the sheet metal was strained.  Can a flipped MGB be easily 
repaired?  
        Anyway Trevor, I hope that helps a little.  It's a real pain in the 
arse to 
align the doors.  My passenger's side does not scrape after adjustment, and I 
can only 
offer a few tips about adjusting the hinges.  Use plenty of penetrating liquid, 
don't 
use the blue wrench unless you can have the door repainted, and finally, use a 
floor 
jack.  Place a large block of wood on it, and slowly jack the bottom of the 
door 
upwards until it is in place, then tighten the bolts and check the fit.  Plan 
on 
spending the better part of a day to get it perfect.  Good luck - keep a few 
cold ones 
handy!
-- 
Michael S. Lishego
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Elementary Education Major,
English Minor, Class of 1999
R.A. of Winston-Salem Hall


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