Driver door removal

[Jim 793]

I am in the process of removing the driver door to repair a broken off hindge bolt and repair the rust in the bottom ofthe door.
I have some concerns. How much does the door weigh (stripped) and it appears to have a monuting plate on the inside of the door. Which the other end of the bolt is sticking out of. Does that plate come off when all three bolts are removed? Or is it welded in place?

[nomadbird]

Jim,

I'd guess the door shell probably weighs a little more than two bowling balls, 30 - 40 pounds. There are two floating nut plates inside the door that receive the six hinge bolts. Suggest you use 1/4" or 3/8" drive sockets and an extension bar. There are a couple bolt heads that don't allow sufficient clearance for a 1/2" drive.

The most painless way to remove and replace a door is to fold a couple shop towels and set them on the threshold and then swing the door into the opening where it will be supported by the towels while you work the hinge bolts. It is a pretty easy one-man procedure.

The hardest part of the job is removing the stock rivet that holds the door check arm onto the bracket on the "A" pillar.

Tom D.

[ 07-24-2003: Message edited by: nomadbird ]

[sc1956]

Then you have to realign because the weight will affect how it hangs, right?

If they hang well now, I'd take a sharpie or something and draw out where the hing hits the door now. Then, putting it back is just aligning the hinge with your marks.

That said, can't you get an EZ-out on the bolt and avoid having to remove the door?

[Jim 793]

The door in that lower corner is farly eaten up with rust. I wanted to lay it down and use some epoxy filler to try and strengthen it up. I thought about supporting the door and only removing the one hindge and trying it that way. Either way I've sprayed the door hinge and frame to mark its location for reassembly.

In the current position the door rubs on the front lower corner when shut. So I will need help figuring out how to realign anyway. Has anyone figured an easy way to complete that process out yet.

[Jim 793]

The door in that lower corner is farly eaten up with rust. I wanted to lay it down and use some epoxy filler to try and strengthen it up. I thought about supporting the door and only removing the one hindge and trying it that way. Either way I've sprayed the door hinge and frame to mark its location for reassembly.

In the current position the door rubs on the front lower corner when shut. So I will need help figuring out how to realign anyway. Has anyone figured an easy way to complete that process out yet.

[nomadbird]

Jim,

When a door drags on the lower forward corner, it may mean the hinge pivots are worn. You won't be able to adjust the door to obtain a decent fit. Rebuilt hinges are available on an exchange basis from some of the larger T-Bird parts dealers. Suggest you check the hinges because a little hinge slop translates into a lot of door mis-alignment.

You also mentioned an attempt to strengthen the door with epoxy filler? Don't bother! There is only one way to repair rust damage and that is: cut it out and replace it with good metal.
Repair panels for the door bottoms are also available from the T-Bird parts suppliers.

Strongly suggest removing the door and having it properly repaired by a competent body repair person.
Tom D.

[Jim 793]

I'm looking into rebuilding the hindges. Found a couple of parts dealers that will rebuild them.

The rust on the door is acturally on the lower inside corner of the hindge plate of the door. It isn't bad, just wanted to hear about how I can strengthen it up in that area. I found some two part machinable epoxy that I wanted to give a try first.