top door hinge on 54 Hornet

[Deleted User]
[Deleted User]
edited May 2012 in HUDSON
Just finished painting all the doors and started to install the drivers door .I had to replace the top henge with a used one and it appears that it is bent about 1/16 of an inch as it rests on the body,thus making the door low at the other end by the striker side. Is this common to this car and did the factory adjust this vertical aliment by bending the hinges.Everyday I learn something new about Hudson's,ha If I do not get some good advise will have to take it off the door and bend it straight which will destroy my new paint.

Also I readjusted the transmission throttle rod to the tranny as per the book and it will know almost idle in gear ,but it needs just a bit more of something to get it right. Any ideas.Thanks to Ken for the tip on this issue as this did improve the idling in gear.

Comments

  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    hotrodman-

    If you do not wish to ruin fresh paint, then you can shim your way out of a sagging door. Put a shim behind the outer edge of your topmost hinge. Basically, you are making the hinge sit at a different angle than it would laying flat against the A-post. This will pull the top of the door towards the A-post and subsequently lifting the strike edge of the door. You can also shim the entire lower hinge if it doesn't push the door too far into the B-post, i.e., there is room without binding. This will also jack up the strike side of the door. If you have the patience, you can actually manipulate these doors to reside exactly where you wish them to live to within a few thousands of an inch, if that is your desire.
  • 54SuperWasp
    54SuperWasp Expert Adviser
    Thanks for the pics hotrodman201. Looks like you already did a prety good job on your 54. Michel
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Yes you are correct In one of the manuals you will see a tool for bending the hinge on a stepdown. Right now I dont recall where,
    Roger
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Chilton,I will try the shim first and see where it gets me. at this stage of the game every fix or reassembly requires time and slow going,Less I mess things up.Tearing the car apart was easy and fast compared to making things fit back.This is where I see a lot of builders loose interest and then the car gets put up and stored.Ha

    Super Wasp, It looks real good in a photo, but trust me my painting skills are lacking and my eyes missed much on some hail dents and dent repair,also I sprayed it with the $10.00 Harbor Freight spray gun. One stage paint Urethane paint . 70 Cadillac color. This body work and painting started in June of 2010.Never the less I need to get it on the road and can work on fine tuning the paint as time evolves.The color tends to change hues in sun light and shadow and is why I wanted this 70 GM paint that I remember from my younger days. soon in a few months hope to have you look it over for feed-back.

    Tallent R,I noticed the manual mentioned this and was thinking the doors were factory adjusted one car at a time by hand, making this an issue one car to another and the cause of a replacement hinge not fitting ?

    If not for folks like this I would have a very difficult time figuring out much of what needs be done. The information available from the factory manuals reads like a British comic book and leave much information unsaid. Only the people who have been there know after all these years.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    edited May 2012
    Yes I know how you feel about the old manuals. When you read it you get the feeling they assume you have a certain level of understanding . And it seems I am allways somewhat short of that level . . .
    Roger
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    You can also bolt up the door tight, leave the door slightly open far enough to get a floor jack under the extreme outer edge with a wooden 2 x 4 on top of the jack pad and just so ever slightly apply a bit of preasure - you will be amazed at how easily this adjustment can bring the door into proper alignment with the striker plate and the body lines!

    Jerry
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    No big hammers of heat required as the shimming did the trick.all gaps are close enough for me considering all the dents I have removed .Thanks for the tip.Monday will start on the other side and they should be easy as no hinges were replaced.Thanks all...
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Looks nice to me . . .Good work ,
    Roger
  • RL Chilton
    RL Chilton Administrator, Member
    Way to go, hotrodman! Glad you got it "back".
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