14 replies to this topic

[minidave54]

Evening All, My car has undergone some restoration, new front end, sills and A panels.

 

Fitting the doors back on the offside one has dropped slightly and needs lifting.

 

I intend to fit some shims to do this.

 

Question is can I avoid taking the whole door off from under the wing and just unbolt the hinge from the door and fit the shim there.

 

cheers Dave

[sledgehammer]

Assuming mk3+ ...

 

The shim fits between the hinge & shell / door post

 

so sadly you will have to take the door off via inside the wing (wheel on lock , jacked up a bit)

 

wind the window down , so it easier to handle , get a cushion , to set the bottom of the door down on , otherwise it gets damaged easily

 

when you fit the extra shim , make sure the shim don't fall off the studs - I glue mine on with a blob of sealant

 

if the hinges are loose they can be a bugger to get the studs in the hole

 

when bolted back up , grease the nuts to stop em rusting

Edited by sledgehammer, 28 August 2015 - 08:24 PM.

[minidave54]

Thanks for your quick reply, the car is a 95 sprite. The door has not long been fitted and at the moment it has no glass.
So all the nuts are in good condition and only covered in stone chip spray.

I was hoping it would be possible not to remove the whole door, but looks like that is not an option.

The hinges are new so hopefully i will not have any problems lining up the studs. I'll re-spray with stone chip once fitted.

[screech]

Make some slotted shims, then loosen the nuts and slide the shim(s) down behind said hinge.

[minidave54]

Hi screech, like the idea of slotted shims.

Sounds like a much simpler and easier to get the adjustment.

Have you made some yourself and if so what metal did you use?

[peter-b]

Also, if there's no 'guts'in the door, set it high so when fitted out its a smidge high still, couple of mm's at lock end, it'll settle as hinge wears and bits resettle in.

[peter-b]

Shims are best made of steel to avoid reactions, anything is fine. Cut out of tin can side for thin ones.

[minidave54]

Thanks for your advice Pete. As simple as a tin of beans .

[sledgehammer]

Make some slotted shims, then loosen the nuts and slide the shim(s) down behind said hinge.

 

liking that idea

[peter-b]

Just don't eat too many beans then go working in small car, you might make tonight's news.
"Man gassed to death whilst working on small car"

[Ben_O]

I'm not sure you would get the shims in by slotting them. The a post and A panel would get in the way.

 

Just take the door off, it takes 5 minutes and would be so much easier than faffing for ages trying to get shims past the obsticals. Especially if you are slackening off the nuts anyway. It's only another couple of turns of each nut and they are off.

 

edit: just checked, you won't get shims in without taking off the door

[sledgehammer]

dam was going to do that 

[screech]

You really can, I had to do it last year.

I've got everything electric in my doors so removing it wasn't an option when I realised the door was rubbing on the a panel.

A bit fiddley, (but what isn't on a mini?) but it went in and it's perfect now.

[midridge2]

Buy a shim from minispares and cut it in half top to bottom and slide each half in from the top, it does work as i have been doing it since the first internal hinge minis came on the market. 

[sledgehammer]

just done the bottom one this way -

 

it works on the bottom

 

may work the other way up for the top - but gravity will be against you

 

 hinshim.jpg   57.68K   10 downloads

 

not pretty  - but saved  my back

 

doors are heavy after a while

Edited by sledgehammer, 05 September 2015 - 08:05 PM.