Removing doors

[Impin']

In order to save dollars at the body shop, I plan on removing the doors myself (along with the trunk lid) and take the body and other pieces to the body shop. I've been thinking of ways to make sure I can put the doors back on with minimal adjusting, etc. when the time comes. I saw a tip on one of the shows on SPEED or SPIKE, where they suggested drilling a 1/8" hole in each hinge (all the way through), and using this as the guide when re-installing.

My questions are:
1) Has anyone else tried this?
2) Any thoughts on how this might create an area for water and future rust?
3) Did this post make any sense?

Thanks CO.

[Oldsguy]

Of course it makes sense and you idea will probably work. I don't think you would have to worry too much about corrosion or water intrusion. When you reassemble you could always plug the hole after assembly with a little dab of epoxy.

[redoldsman]

I have heard of doing that on hood hinges and don't know why it wouldn't work on door hinges. I think I would use Oldsguy's suggestion and plug it with epoxy or just some body putty and touch the paint up. Let us know how this works out. There are always some new tip we all can use.

[colby]

Getting ready to take doors off myself, I will try it and then post when I get em back on. Unless, someone out there knows why this shouldn't be done.

[Impin']

Exactly why I love this forum. Quick answers that help me keep my sanity and not waste time and money. Truly appreciated.

[bccan]

Are the hinge bushings good? Is it getting quarters? If the doors are to be totally disassembled then I would do that but leave them on the car w/ latches in. that way it is a 5 minute job to remove each door. Make sure hinges/bushings good prior to any test fitting or final alignment. I would not be moving car around - wrecker, flatbed incl without the doors on, especially if it is a convertible. Removal of all these panels is very quick & I don't see more than 1 hour of time savings in all of them combined. Disassembly of each individual panel, clean up & repair of panels, reconditioning of hdwe are the time consumers. I would remove wiring, etc so that all that needs to be done is remove 4-6 bolts & the panel is off. Sometimes it's good for the bodyman to see how things fit before they come apart - might tip him off to a potential problem or confirm one later in the resto.

[Red Delta]

I saw that tip too. I think it was on Trucks! when they were reinstalling the doors on their Chev pickup project. I don't like to drill holes in my car, so I just used a marker when I removed the hood to yank the engine.

On a side note, were did Lou Santiago go? More importantly, Stacy David could be the best host of a car show of all time.

[colby]

Thanks bccan, I was wondering if the convertible had a quite of bit more flex to the body with out a hardtop. I was once told the frame of the convertibles were built a little more rigid(extra supports and what not), but I'm not quite sure of that. I don't have a hardtop to compare to. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

[jensenracing77]

Originally Posted by colby

Thanks bccan, I was wondering if the convertible had a quite of bit more flex to the body with out a hardtop. I was once told the frame of the convertibles were built a little more rigid(extra supports and what not), but I'm not quite sure of that. I don't have a hardtop to compare to. Does anyone know if there is any truth to that?

yes, the frames are much more rigid. you have to be much more careful when doing a frame off when you do a convertible. most people weld a piece of angle iron in place of the doors before taking the body off the frame. or at least tie the front to the back in some manner.

[scrappie]

I did a 71 conv. resto a couple yrs. ago and I used the drill method. I replaced a hinge and bushings, put the doors back on an lined up with the quarter panel and rocker. I then drilled a 1/8 hole in the hinge-to-body to mark where they were. I then painted the insides of the doors and door jams. I then recruited a friend to help re-install the doors using an awl and the holes for guidance. It worked pretty good but you definetly need another set of hands to reduce any chance of scraping and chipping new paint.

[convert_crazy]

This is a great way to rehang your doors. I've done this a few times and it works well. They may need some slight tweaking. Good Luck.

[Bluevista]

I saw that show too and the hinges were mounted on the face of the inside of the door so they were easy to drill.
How do you get a drill in there to make a hole? Do it from the inside? Right angle drill?

[csstrux]

Personally I don't like the idea of punching unnecessary holes in a car...especially a classic. I wasn't going to chime in on this, but the longer I think about this the stronger I feel. Again this is just MHO and you know what they are worth.

[convert_crazy]

Yes DeWalt has an awesome 90% cordless at a reasonible price and you'll be suprised how handy it is with other projects. Take you're time as accurate drilling is a must to get the pins to fit snuggly. You might want to consider a harden spring pin, bit more difficult to remove but it will give you a snug fit if drilling is a bit wobbly.

[Bluevista]

Originally Posted by convert_crazy

Yes DeWalt has an awesome 90% cordless at a reasonible price and you'll be suprised how handy it is with other projects. Take you're time as accurate drilling is a must to get the pins to fit snuggly. You might want to consider a harden spring pin, bit more difficult to remove but it will give you a snug fit if drilling is a bit wobbly.

I'm a carpenter/contractor so I have all kinds of exotic drilling devices. Drilling through that hinge, door, and backing plate you may end up with a permanent pin if you cock that little bit at all while drilling.

[Aron Nance]

When we repainted the Silver Bullet, instructor informed me we HAD to remove doors to paint jambs! I had same question - i.e. how do you line them up? He had me use a cold chisel on both sides/and/the bottom of the hinge (at an angle so that at the same time I was marking the hinge, I was marking the body panel). Very SLOWLY done, as don't want to put too much of a dent in there. It allowed the hinge to be very close to be in the proper place, with very minor tweaking to get the line up perfect.

[BosMobile]

I thought it would work untill i looked at the angle from which you'd have to drill.I agree with BLUEVISTA,your gonna break a 1/8 bit.I use a handy snap-blade razor knife,scribe a line around it[once you've aligned it properly]Once its painted you can barely see the mark,so thats a little challenging.Definatly have a friend there,and some patience,you can do it.Good luck with it.Sounds like we all watch those shows,Huh?Later on,BO