#691
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I finished countersinking the hinge mounting surfaces. It looks pretty good but I won't be sure till I hang the doors. Hopefully if I'm off, it won't be so far that I have to cut again. I think I got it, but we'll see. (The suspense is killing me.)
I went ahead and put some epoxy primer on them. Overly confident? I started making the templates for the door frame reinforcements. These will be made from 1/8" steel plate. They might be a little overkill but it's better than being under engineered and allowing the door to flex or sag. It spreads the load out along a much larger area rather than just the footprint of the hinge. I will also be mounting the door check somewhere in this area which has an awful lot of stress focused in a very small area. I haven't decided yet whether I'll use the originals or fab up something using a gas spring. I've been thinking about some sort of gas spring set up that would mount along the bottom edge of the door going back and mounting to the floor. I need to give it some thought. If it works but looks like Frankenstein, I'll just use the originals.
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Jack Set a Goal So Big That You Can't Achieve It Until You Grow Into The Person That Can. |
#692
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Progress is slow with this part of the job but there's no getting around it. It's difficult to get accurate placement when there's so very little to measure from.I had to do some templates, some measuring and some test fitting.
First I made a couple temporary hangers from 1/8" flat stock and bent them to fit close along the contour of the rocker and screwed them in. They will hold the doors at a 1/8" gap while I'm setting up the hinges and allows me to move the door on and off quickly to work on it. I positioned the door where it belongs and marked the hinge mount areas. The upper will need to be recessed into the door frame and the lower needs to be built up about an inch. I started cutting up some 1/8" plate and some 1 x 2 tube for the mounting surfaces. I also reused the original cage nuts. Next I cut out the door frame at the upper hinge to fit the mounting plate and tacked them in.
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Jack Set a Goal So Big That You Can't Achieve It Until You Grow Into The Person That Can. |
#693
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Nicely done Jack. It's so obvious you have done this before. Thanks for sharing!
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Kerry Pinkerton |
#694
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Thanks again for sharing this. It just amazes me what you do and how much I would have to develop to do those.
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Kevin B |
#695
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Some great tips there Jack.
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Marcus aka. Gojeep Victoria, Australia http://willyshotrod.com Invention is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need. |
#696
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I was going to install the reinforcement plates inside before I closed off the top of the door jamb but my plasma cutter is not working so I can't cut the plates yet. I have a new circuit board on its way but in the meantime, I want to keep moving. I welded in the hinge mounting surfaces with the cage nuts installed. I'll have to put the reinforcements on later. I think I'll have to put them on the outside face of the door frame rather than inside. They won't interfere with the interior trim panels because the new trim panels have about 1 1/2" of clearance unlike the flush fitting originals.
SUCCESS! I test fit the door again and it works really well. Swings open and closed with ease. Smooth clean operation. It also stays in position anywhere within its range. It doesn't move open or closed on its own. There's plenty of clearance between the door edge and the quarter when opening the door and doesn't get close to the rear fender when opened to about 45 degrees, which is more than the range that the door checks will allow. I adjusted the door and it holds a nice even gap along the bottom edge and the rocker. I still have a lot more work to do on this door but the big scary monster under the bed has been evicted. The hinges are in the correct position and work well. No more worrying about having to cut them out and redoing them.
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Jack Set a Goal So Big That You Can't Achieve It Until You Grow Into The Person That Can. |
#697
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Sweet!
'''' |
#698
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Jack that is a really nice job, Hinges have been my pet hate, Don't know how many times I have fabbed hinges only to have to pull them back off due to fouling or something else. No matter how many times you try and work it out they will always need some form of mod to get them right,
And you got it one, great job. Your build is going to be boss.
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John EK Holden V8 |
#699
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Repeated the process on the right door. There's a slight tightness when closing the door in the last 2 inches of travel. I just need to loosen up the bolts holding the hinges to the body one at a time and retighten them. They will move to the position where there's no pressure on them, I think I might be slightly off on the vertical angle of the upper hinge mount surface of the door.The door moves freely through its full range with no binding at all so I'm pretty sure the adjustment needed will be minor. I'll check it out tomorrow.
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Jack Set a Goal So Big That You Can't Achieve It Until You Grow Into The Person That Can. |
#700
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Congratulations Jack! Really nice work!
Cheers Charlie
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Why does dust stick to everything, but nothing sticks to dust? |
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