D-24 Coupe Door Removal

[Guest india76pd]

I am about to remove the doors from my 48 Club Coupe. The hinges are the type that slide into a slot in the body and are held with screws through the door frame. I have removed the rubber stop inside the door, but it still won't open far enough to access the screw at the leading edge of the door. I can access the screws in the door frame, but it looks like I won't be able to slide them out far enough to get the door off as the trailing edge of the front fender is in the way. Also, there isn't enough clearance to remove the top hinge pin. Do I have to remove the front fender assembly to get the doors off, or is there a trick I don't know about? About how much do the doors weigh?

Thanks in advance,

Shawn

[bob westphal]

There are one set of bolts that hold the hinges to the doors and one set on the door jam/pillar. You should be able remove the bolts on the door to remove the door. This will give plenty of access to the pillar bolts. Here's a trick to get doors to fit in the original location upon reassembly. Before you remove the hinge bolts, drill a small hole through the hinge and into the door/pillar. Upon reassembly just insert the same drill bit into the index holes and tighten down the bolts. You might need a helper for this, though.

Good luck.

Bob

[Plymouthy Adams]

Bob is correct..I know on my 41 Dodge that I removed the door first..then removed the hinges..thought I had to rebuld them but turns out one of the pins had worked its way up and thus had plenty of slop..reseated for a like new fit. Be aware that there is a screw deep within the pocket of the hinge on the A-post.

[Normspeed]

How difficult is it to replace the hinge pins, or to install bushings in the hinges? Mine are a little sloppy. I saw some replacement pins and bushings at a NAPA store recently.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I think restoration specialties sells oversize hinge pins...the ones on my dodge had a larger diameter at the top and it is this portion that locks the pin in place...the actual used section of the pin was of a smaller diameter. Oversize hinge pins will be larger than the stock pin and should be just less than the top wedge section. This wear will force you to drill the center boss (door part) and install the new pin..severe wear may require the drilling of both side of the hinge as the pin will be bigger both ends. Some hinges are bushed and require only the bush changed or drilled to next larger size..It is not a hard takd to accomplish..drill press and a drill vise is a must for a good smooth job. you can clamp the hinge in the vice with a piece of round stock sticking up and use your samll level to ensure vertical alignment.