10 replies to this topic

[soopercooper]

I have a Mk2 cooper with external hinges. The door fit is not great as one might expect of a car that age, but the the door seems to have dropped a bit too much that the passenger side is now a bit stiff when opening and closing.

Any advice greatly appreciated :grin:

[Jordie]

u think thats bad, i had a door on my fiesta that dropped to floor just about.

I think u need to re-hang the door and check the hinges.

[joe90gt]

Its usually the pin thats worn, you can get replacements, check where the movement is when you lift the door , if its where it hinges the either the pin or the hole is worn or both

[soopercooper]

thanks guys, will check it out.

[dklawson]

It could be the pin or the bushings. Mini Spares sells kits which include new bushings and pins. They say this can be done on the car. That is typically not possible. Plan on removing the hinges and working on the bench. Also plan on re-painting the hinges once you've installed the kit. I don't believe it's possible to work on these without damaging the paint.

While replacing the bits isn't hard, it will percipitate a string of other things you should and/or will need to take care of. Getting the hinges off you'll likely break one or more of the 1/4-28 bolts attaching the hinges under the A-panels. Don't panic, this can be fixed. (Write if it happens). You'll need to be careful removing the door cards (these have to come out to get at the bolts for the door side of the hinge). Once you've got them out, it would be false economy to leave the window drain tubes there... you need to replace them while the door is apart.

[P91MER]

talkin bout dooors, where can you get the glass sliding things from?? took mine off the van and they were knackard.


Rich

[dklawson]

"glass sliding things"? Do you mean the channels (tracks) the glass slides in, the latches that act as handles and locks, or something else? Metal latches are only available used at high prices. The black plastic latches are available new from most parts dealers as are the window channels.

[soopercooper]

It could be the pin or the bushings. Mini Spares sells kits which include new bushings and pins. They say this can be done on the car. That is typically not possible. Plan on removing the hinges and working on the bench. Also plan on re-painting the hinges once you've installed the kit. I don't believe it's possible to work on these without damaging the paint.

While replacing the bits isn't hard, it will percipitate a string of other things you should and/or will need to take care of. Getting the hinges off you'll likely break one or more of the 1/4-28 bolts attaching the hinges under the A-panels. Don't panic, this can be fixed. (Write if it happens). You'll need to be careful removing the door cards (these have to come out to get at the bolts for the door side of the hinge). Once you've got them out, it would be false economy to leave the window drain tubes there... you need to replace them while the door is apart.

Having just replaced the door cards, I know that it's impossible to remove the door cards without ruining them...

Is it definately not possible to do the job with the door on?

If I took it to a garage (minispeed is just down trhe road from me) how much roughly would I be looking at? :sad:

[dklawson]

I admit taking door cards out of a Mk1/2 is a royal pain... but it can be done with patience.

To remove them, first remove the cardboard liner from the bottom of the door bin. This is held in with (typically) three screws. Then remove the two vertical gusset/filler panels that are stuffed against the front and rear of the door card. Remove the door lock (or at least the inside handle). Make a hooked piece of metal (or use a cotter (split) pin puller). Slip the hook behind the front edge of the door card and position it mid-span between the top of the door card and the top of the door bin. Pull out slowly, using fingers from the other hand as necessary, to bow the card out at the front edge. Once you've bowed the card enough to get your arm behind it, slowly work your arm into the gap. Push the card down and back as you continue to bow the panel out with your arm. With most of the panel bowed out, use your other hand to pull the top of the card down and out being careful to NOT tear the vinyl on the top of the door. My car has a rubber trim piece over this edge so it's not too bad.

Can you replace the pins on the car? You can try. However, what you're likely to do is damage the paint on the hinges and either the A-panel or door skin. The pins are usually rusted in really tightly. If you must try this, tape heavy card stock to the outside of the car around the hinge. Locate the portion of the existing door pin that has the knurl on it. Use a good punch/drift on the other end of the pin and a dead-blow hammer to try driving the pin out. You will chip paint off the hinge... there's no way around that, but try and keep the paint damage isolated to the hinge. Remove the old bushings and tap the new ones in. Check the new pin for fit. The bushings will likely collapse a little making it necessary to ream (or CAREFULLY) drill them out. Then drive the new pin in place. The new pin will be too long and must be filed or ground to match the curvature of the hinge's surface. Be sure to prime and repaint the damaged areas on the hinge and after a couple of days, apply a few drops of oil to the hinge.

[soopercooper]

I admit taking door cards out of a Mk1/2 is a royal pain... but it can be done with patience.

To remove them, first remove the cardboard liner from the bottom of the door bin. This is held in with (typically) three screws. Then remove the two vertical gusset/filler panels that are stuffed against the front and rear of the door card. Remove the door lock (or at least the inside handle). Make a hooked piece of metal (or use a cotter (split) pin puller). Slip the hook behind the front edge of the door card and position it mid-span between the top of the door card and the top of the door bin. Pull out slowly, using fingers from the other hand as necessary, to bow the card out at the front edge. Once you've bowed the card enough to get your arm behind it, slowly work your arm into the gap. Push the card down and back as you continue to bow the panel out with your arm. With most of the panel bowed out, use your other hand to pull the top of the card down and out being careful to NOT tear the vinyl on the top of the door. My car has a rubber trim piece over this edge so it's not too bad.

Can you replace the pins on the car? You can try. However, what you're likely to do is damage the paint on the hinges and either the A-panel or door skin. The pins are usually rusted in really tightly. If you must try this, tape heavy card stock to the outside of the car around the hinge. Locate the portion of the existing door pin that has the knurl on it. Use a good punch/drift on the other end of the pin and a dead-blow hammer to try driving the pin out. You will chip paint off the hinge... there's no way around that, but try and keep the paint damage isolated to the hinge. Remove the old bushings and tap the new ones in. Check the new pin for fit. The bushings will likely collapse a little making it necessary to ream (or CAREFULLY) drill them out. Then drive the new pin in place. The new pin will be too long and must be filed or ground to match the curvature of the hinge's surface. Be sure to prime and repaint the damaged areas on the hinge and after a couple of days, apply a few drops of oil to the hinge.

Many thanks for this info.

My car doesn't have a bit of rubber trim near the top of the door, so removing the door card often involves getting the vinyl caught on it, and usually an injury to my hand

[dklawson]

Since your car door doesn't have the bit of rubber trim on the edge of the sheet metal, you may want to consider going to a parts store for generic door edge moulding. This is extruded, U-shaped rubber or vinyl which is usually placed on the back edges of doors so they won't dent/scratch other cars. If the store has material with "glue" in the u-shaped slot, and if they have some that is "narrow" across the slot, this is a very suitable substitute. Not only will it protect the top of the door card, it also makes pulling the door shut a little easier as your fingers can't get scratched if you grab the top of the door to close it.

I still have the original BMC extrusion on my doors. I have added the generic door edge moulding to most of the opening behind the front grille. Now if my hand slips while working on the distributor or oil filter I only bruise my hand... I don't cut it on sheet metal. In general, this is just nice material for covering the sharp edges of sheet metal.