DonaldSmith Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) Last Fall, I drove my 47 DeSoto Suburban out of the garage, with the right rear door open. Suicide door. Bad. The Bakelite panel was damaged, but we will leave its repair for another story. The door over-opened, creasing the fender behind the door, and throwing the door out of alignment. The door hinge was bent, as evident from comparing the swing to the left rear door, shown below, left then right. I removed the left door panel and made a made a casting of the good hinge, using Durham's Water putty and fiberglass tape. Then I removed the right door hinge. (The fourth screw was within the hinge.) The casting of the left door hinge shows where the strap of the right hinge is bent out of shape. I think I'll take the strap to a local blacksmith for some gentle adjustment. Edited June 17, 2019 by DonaldSmith photos going screwy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eneto-55 Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 I would think that that could be tweaked back into shape in a press, although the average home-shop press might not be hefty enough. But while you have that pulled apart, could you do a favor for me, and measure the diameter of the hinge pin (with a micrometer)? By the way, the hinge tongue pin bore on the one you show here looks pretty rusty, like mine were. (Except that 4 of the 6 hinge pins were twisted off on my 46 Plymouth. I am in the process of drilling mine out to 7/16, then pressing in sintered bronze bushings, so no more steel on steel. I would just like further confirmation that I have the ID correct, at 5/16.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldSmith Posted June 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 Hinge pin diameter, per my cheapo plastic dial caliper, is 0.34". That's a little fatter than 5/16", or 0.3125". Now, maybe Plymouths were different from the upper lines. Briggs would have made a zillion Plymouth bodies to the Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler bodies, so it's beau coup cheap hinges vs a good number of substantial hinges, at maybe a few pennies difference per hinge. Also, the upper hinges are made to proper dimensions for the fender curvatures, and the Plymouth bodies were subtly different from those of the upper lines.. (I bought a Dodge hinge on line, which is holding my door on for now. It's an exact fit, except that the strap seems to be bent back also. Maybe someone drove forward with the back door open.) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted June 17, 2019 Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 (edited) I suggest a shim in place to see how much of a bend it will require to place back into position....another questionable tweak could be the B-post Edited June 17, 2019 by Plymouthy Adams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldSmith Posted June 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 17, 2019 I checked between the B posts and C posts at the upper and lower hinges, with templates. That was my first investigation. Both sides are the same. No twisting at the right side. Then I noted that the degrees of swing were different. If I shimmed the hinge strap at the door, the back edge of the door would stand out too proud, and would be back too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eneto-55 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 4 minutes ago, DonaldSmith said: Hinge pin diameter, per my cheapo plastic dial caliper, is 0.34". That's a little fatter than 5/16", or 0.3125". Now, maybe Plymouths were different from the upper lines. Briggs would have made a zillion Plymouth bodies to the Dodge, DeSoto and Chrysler bodies, so it's beau coup cheap hinges vs a good number of substantial hinges, at maybe a few pennies difference per hinge. Also, the upper hinges are made to proper dimensions for the fender curvatures, and the Plymouth bodies were subtly different from those of the upper lines.. (I bought a Dodge hinge on line, which is holding my door on for now. It's an exact fit, except that the strap seems to be bent back also. Maybe someone drove forward with the back door open.) Thanks for checking that for me. That would be pretty close to the size of the two pins in mine that were not twisted off, basically 11/32" diameter. But looking inside the hinge pin hole, I thought I could see marks from it having been drilled out for over-sized pins, and the only information anyone has been able to provide indicates that the original diameter was 5/16" (in a Dodge book Plymouthy Adams has). I just thought that if someone has a hinge pin that is actually that size (or a bit smaller, from wear), it would confirm this specification. I can't say in regards to the exact shape of the bend, but your hinge tongue looks exactly like my P15 hinge tongues, in terms of how they are made. I looked in the PDF copy of the Plymouth parts book I have (downloaded from this site), but it lists only the Plymouth numbers, and some of the notes are not clear enough to be able to make out. I walked up to my shop where I have my car (almost 1/4 mile up there - pouring rain on the way back!) and copied the number off of the right rear hinge tongue. It isn't a part number, same number on the left side as well. "PAT.2235241". The left one has a larger size number stamped in as well: "57". All 4 of the front hinge tongues have "PAT.RE.21876" stamped into them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldSmith Posted June 18, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 I took the hinge strap to the blacksmith at the Smithshop in Highland Park, MI. She heated the joints and bent the strap back to profile. I know you guys could have profiled your hinge strap with a BFH or torch, but I don't have such equipment, so I had to pay to have it done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eneto-55 Posted June 18, 2019 Report Share Posted June 18, 2019 I guess I'm really too late with this, but here is a drawing I made of my Plymouth RR hinge tongue. I guess it might still be of interest to someone who happens across your thread later. It's just a pencil drawing, so I hope it shows up OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonaldSmith Posted June 19, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 I painted the hinge which the blacksmith re-profiled, and reinstalled the hinge. The door now clears the fender at the hinge edge. The latch edge of the door was riding low, so I put my floor jack and a block of wood under the door bottom, near the front edge, with the door nearly closed. I jacked up the door edge until I could see that the whole side of the car was rising. I lowered the jack, swung open the door, and gave it a push. The door swung closed and latched. Click. I did it again. Click. I would call that success. I took a look at the Dodge DeSoto Chrysler hinge that I had bought on line and had used temporarily. The profile of the strap was off only about 5 degrees. There was a shim at one of the bolt holes, I suppose to counteract this angle. The end of the strap was stamped SOSS PAT.PENDING MADE IN USA. I did not see such a stamping on my hinge.. I know of the Soss Company, from their concealed architectural hinges. I can see Ma Mopar going to Briggs, to make the bodies which Chrysler styled. Conceal the top hinge of the back door; expose the bottom hinge if you have to; but put a little cover over it. And then Briggs working with Soss to design and manufacture the hinges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James_Douglas Posted June 19, 2019 Report Share Posted June 19, 2019 Don, Call John at Big "M" Auto Salvage (530) 473-2225 as he has two limo's there. I was just up there. All had the doors on them. Same body. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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