Lower Door hinge shim

[wrcnav01]

Guys - need a bit of advice please . The drivers door (2 door) has dropped and I've come to the conclusion that if I put a washer behind each of the 3 bolts in the lower hinge , or insert a shim this will realign the door correctly.(having wedged a small piece of ally metal in there to test) I've loosened the bolts on both hinges , more so on the lower to the point were they can be unscrewed and removed by hand. However , I'm not sure what sort of plate is hidden behind the door frame (A post) , and I have this feeling that when I remove the last of the 3 bolts there's going to be this awful 'clunk' as the retaining plate hidden in the A post falls to the bottom of the space. Am I worrying over nothing (ie the plate is secured somehow - although its loose for adjustment) or should I be fearful!!

[simmitc]

The plate is captive - originally. It is possible that over the years, the bits holding the plate in place have rusted away; but it's also possible that they haven't.

JLH sell laser cut plates designed act as shims, available in different thicknesses. It should be possible to undo two bolts, slide the plate partially in and refit one bolt. You can then remove the last bolt, slide the plate into its proper position, and refit the last two bolts. This will avoid losing the plate inside the A-post.

Are you sure that you need the shim - the usual problem is a worn hinge that is repaired using an oversize pin available from many of the parts suppliers. You can cut the head off a spare bolt and use that to replace one of the three bolts, thus allowing the hing to be lifted away without any danger of losing the plate - it also makes refitting the door much easier as there is something to take the weight ( you have to remove the hing completely to extract the old pin, drill the hinge, and insert the new pin). Good luck.

[wrcnav01]

Simmitc - great advice , cheers. I'm off tomorrow so will attempt to insert my own shim for the time being just to see if that is indeed the solution. I'll be leaving one bolt in - as you've suggested.

much appreciated.

Garry.

[lambrettalad]

you could try cutting a space in a washer so it fits over the bolt without having to undo it all the way

[wrcnav01]

Hmm - thats a thought , thanks. Already warned the neighbours there could be some cursing going tomorrow morning....

[mike.perry]

The plate moves around a limited amount inside the A post and the screw threads can be tricky to locate. It is advisable to only remove two bolts at a time from each hinge unless you are removing the door

[jagnut66]

Hi,
I found that it's usually the bottom captive plate that goes and ends up falling off, you can fish it back up but it's very fiddly.
I like the idea of the headless bolt to stop it falling, I shall try that myself next time I have cause to take my doors off.
Best wishes,
Mike.

[twincamman]

I use 6" nails as an alignment aid. If you hacksaw the heads off, you can slip the door on and off with out removing them.

[wrcnav01]

Twincamman - thats a great idea! , I've got to do the passenger door this week - so lookout 6 inch nails!!

cheers.
Garry.

[katy]

No need to remove any of the bolts, you can make shim(s) out of sheet metal, drill or punch the holes for the bolts, then elongate the holes with tin snips so you can slip the shim into place. After elongating the holes the shim should look kinda like an E only with more fingers.