Doors
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 102
Likes: 1
From: St. Jacob IL
Doors
Hey guys and gals. I'm in the teardown phase of a fairly extensive resto-mod. As I've gotten into the doors, I am seeing that I need to replace the mirrors, latches, lock linkage, etc. I also need to get at the hinges on the inside of the door, and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to accomplish everything working through the access holes in the door. I've read a bit about debonding the outer door skin from the inner metal door skin, but I was wondering if it would be structurally compromising to cut the interior door skin to have larger access points where I could get at things to work on them. The car is going to be more track than street, and so I'm kind of working with an F40 mentality of total minimalist, so no power locks, a/c, radio, etc. I was not planning on putting stock style door panels back in and was just going to make something out of aluminum plate or cut vinyl to cover the doors like on the old Austin Healeys.
TLDR - is cutting the inside door skins a feasible workaround to debonding the doors, or do I really need to take the doors apart and then reglue them? Thanks.
TLDR - is cutting the inside door skins a feasible workaround to debonding the doors, or do I really need to take the doors apart and then reglue them? Thanks.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 4,345
Likes: 1,576
From: los altos hills california
Just a tip if you decide to take the doors off. Drill a small hole, say1/8" in each hinge. When you put the door back on, all you have to do is find each hole again with a drill or two.
Have no real experience with your other questions!
Have no real experience with your other questions!
Last edited by ignatz; Apr 3, 2020 at 05:00 PM.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 102
Likes: 1
From: St. Jacob IL
There are a few things I'm wanting to do that I think would be many times easier with the inner door frame separated from the skin. I'd like to swap the power windows out to crank windows, I'd like to rust treat the interior skin (I have some rust on the reinforcement beam) and the adjusters on my sport mirrors are shot. I'd really like to put Talbot mirrors on the doors but those bolt in from the back of the door panels, it looks like, so I have to be able to reach the mount points.
