6 replies to this topic

[sandfly]

hi what is the easyiest or best way to remove a mini door as my pins are absoluty stuck is there a tool specialy for the jobs etc

cheers this is really annoying me

[cowboy]

the way to remove a mini door, this can be easy or a pain, but there is only 1 method i know of and this is only from the Mk3 onwards.

step 1 . open the door and remove the split pin from the door stay bracket and remove the clevis pin and washer, have an old butter container or something else at hand i always find helps to put the small small bits in

step 2 . wind down the window and close the door again

step 3 . i find it easyier to remove the front wheel, it gives you more room to see what you are doing.

step 4 . under the wheel arch you will find 4 nuts, clean these with a wire brush to remove the mud and then loosen and remove, you will find a spacer which you will need to put back on later.

step 5 . using the door handle and the window frame open the door and remove from the car, BE CAREFULL, YOU HAVE SHIMS HERE WHICH NEED TO BE PUT BACK ON THE RIGHT HINGE's WHEN YOU ARE PUTTING IT BACK TOGETHER.

then reassemble in reverse order.

some extra points to note, if you have any other electrical items connected to your door, speakers, electric windows, these wil need to be unclipped when you are doing step 1, and don't forget to put the handbrake on and use an axle stand when you are removing the front wheel..

the studs on the door hinges do have a tendancy to snap, and new hinges are hard to come by. even reconditioned ones, i know you can get the new studs to repair them, 1 of the stands at drag wars was selling them, but i don't have any info about them sorry, but the good news is, the bottom hinge is interchangeable, so will it on either side but the top isn't. if you are any good at welding you could allways remove the broken stud, and weld a new stud in its place, i have seen this done before aswell.

hope all this info is of some help to you

:wales:

[sandfly]

ah so it is a screaming t**t then oh goody somthing to brigthen up my saturday afternoon

cheers for the info i thought you could just knock out the pin

[andyps]

Clean up the studs with a wire brush and then liberally coat with WD40 every day for at least a week before you try to remove it. Probably too late to tell you this

[joe90gt]

use plus gas , WD40 is only really a water repellant and lube

[scrapy]

Col glad i found this post ive got some new doors coming soon so this will help, does anyone know of a good place to buy new door hinges from and what is the average price to pay for a full set?

[Dan]

There are three different hinges, upper left, upper right and lower which is universal fit. People don't buy many so they are fairly pricey. £20 each, but you can buy a full set of them for £70. You might get some second hand from one of the breakers (M&Ms, MegaModz) cheaper but they might not want to sell them as most people want a door with hinges fitted and they are quite hard to get off the door itself. They are held with these big chunky crosshead screws which just seem to be really hard to turn out.
What you will need even if you keep your own hinges is a supply of hinge shims to adjust the door gaps.

Thinking about it, try The Mini Door Company. They should keep a supply and will have lots of second hand ones coming in.

Edited by Dan, 21 January 2005 - 07:33 PM.