Remove and replace doors
Thread Starter
Florida turtle advocate
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 4,280
Likes: 6
From: Gulfcoast Salvage Englewood, Fla
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Remove and replace doors
I have a 71 that has been painted purple
..I am considering changing that...In order to do a decent job the doors will have to come off. Right now they hang perfect and I was wondering how difficult it is to R&R them and readjust them..I have done many other cars but never a C3. I have noticed there are no hinge bolts showing.
..I am considering changing that...In order to do a decent job the doors will have to come off. Right now they hang perfect and I was wondering how difficult it is to R&R them and readjust them..I have done many other cars but never a C3. I have noticed there are no hinge bolts showing.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 13
From: Sudbury MA
Once you remove the inner doorpanels and the protective watershield (if it is still in place and has not been previoulsy removed) you will see two openings on the doors and the hinge bolts are inside those openings.
The doors are heavy and will need to be supported and be sure to use a folded towel or blanket on the bottom edge of the door to prevent damaging the fiberglass.
You can alos remove the hinge pin bolt that holds the two halves of the hinge together but that gets a bit trickier as you need to shape the top of the pin (which is round like a carriage bolt) into the shape of the letter "D" so that the pin will clear the fiberglass on the way out without damaging the fiberglass.
It's probably easier to just remove the bolts inside the door that attach the door to the hinge.
I have done it both ways.
Theoretically removing the pin preserves the alignment of the door since when you remove the bolts you will now have to readjust the door lines when you reassemble, something you should not have to do if just removing and reinserting the same pin.
Of course if there is looseness in the pin you will need to adjust anyway but you said they fit very well right now.
The doors are heavy and will need to be supported and be sure to use a folded towel or blanket on the bottom edge of the door to prevent damaging the fiberglass.
You can alos remove the hinge pin bolt that holds the two halves of the hinge together but that gets a bit trickier as you need to shape the top of the pin (which is round like a carriage bolt) into the shape of the letter "D" so that the pin will clear the fiberglass on the way out without damaging the fiberglass.
It's probably easier to just remove the bolts inside the door that attach the door to the hinge.
I have done it both ways.
Theoretically removing the pin preserves the alignment of the door since when you remove the bolts you will now have to readjust the door lines when you reassemble, something you should not have to do if just removing and reinserting the same pin.
Of course if there is looseness in the pin you will need to adjust anyway but you said they fit very well right now.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,136
Likes: 62
From: West Kingston RI
Have never looked at the hinges but would it be possible to drill a hole thru the inner door skin and the hinge to allow putting in alignment pins at reassembly since alignment is good now?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 2,675
Likes: 13
From: Sudbury MA
No, I wouln't do it but you may want to.
Often the marks left by the washers are sufficient to get it close but if you want it perfect and the spaces around the door to be even, you just use small shimms around the door to hold it in the exact position as you tighten the hinge bolts. You can also use a magic marker or felt tip pen to draw around the outside edge of the hinge for repositioning.
When you get the door skin off, it will become very evident how to proceed.
Hardware stores sell packages of soft wood shingles (soft pine I believe) approximately 1-2 inches wide very cheap and come in handy around the house.
Often the marks left by the washers are sufficient to get it close but if you want it perfect and the spaces around the door to be even, you just use small shimms around the door to hold it in the exact position as you tighten the hinge bolts. You can also use a magic marker or felt tip pen to draw around the outside edge of the hinge for repositioning.
When you get the door skin off, it will become very evident how to proceed.
Hardware stores sell packages of soft wood shingles (soft pine I believe) approximately 1-2 inches wide very cheap and come in handy around the house.
Last edited by ksbunting; Feb 3, 2009 at 06:10 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 216
Likes: 20
When I removed my doors, I just shot some white spraypaint over the 8 hinge bolts. During reassembly you just adjust the door until the bolts cover the original black area they previously occupied and your alignment is the same as before. Worked well for me.
