Morris Minor Owners Club

I don't know if everyone else knows this, and I'm the only dozy mare not to notice; but there's more than one type of top-hinge.

Despite ESM listing only the one kind there's two; I'll try and get shots when I've got time, but the section that attaches to the door pillar has a kink in it on one kind (as illustrated on the ESM website http://shop.morrisminorspares.co.uk/ima ... HNG501.jpg); there is another kind where that section is straight.

They are not interchangable.

Not unless you're a complete bodge artist* and have around some scrap metal to temporarily act as a spacer.

This may save someone an entertaining few hours trying to work out why the door won't shut and the panel gaps have all gone to pooh**.

* Or indeed have discovered that the hinge you've removed has fractured and cannot safely go back on.

** And yes, I should've checked more carefully before I fitted it.

What are the two types for then?

Ah, now that I don't know.

John did suggest that it being Morris and their tolerances being a bit 'big' perhaps one kind of hinge was for cars that fitted together better, and one for ones that didn't ;-)

On early cars, the doors opened only to around 50 degrees or so.
Later cars with the different hinges allowed the doors to open closer to 70 degrees approximately.

And yes, it is very frustrating sorting out which type to use .

Are you sure? The doors on my 1970 2dr open a full 90 degrees.

The doors on my 1970 2dr open a full 90 degrees

So do mine but I'm not convinced they are supposed to

Didn't know they were different but yes, the'book' says that wider opening doors were introduced around March 1959.

paulk wrote:

The doors on my 1970 2dr open a full 90 degrees

So do mine but I'm not convinced they are supposed to

So does the drivers side on my traveller because I removed the door stay (to remove an irritating rattle).

These little door stays (is that the correct term?)- a curved small round bar with a flat and hole on one end and a thread cut in the other- stop the door from opening so far that it hits the wing, they are connected to a small bracket on the a pillar with a split pin through the hole on the flat (I think from memory!) slide in and out of the door with a nut and washer on the end that is the other side of the door skin. There are various rubber grommets in this arrangement which over the years disintegrate causing the door to develop an irritating rattle.

Thats why I removed mine, I have the necessary grommets, its job number 87 on the list ;)

talking about hinges was the one that I sent you any good to you Kate, like I said in the email it had a different no/ stamped on it.
Jimmy

Aye it is; but it's actually in there working at the moment; it's just got an awful lot of spacers behind it...

Thanks Chickenjohn!
Another irritating rattle tracked down! Like you, its a way down the priority - would tubing over the curved rod help? I've wrapped mine with tape temporarily (permanently?) and its cut the rattle, but the hole in the door will slice it away. My driver's door on my 63 Traveller opens a full 90 degree leaving about 3/8 inches between door and wing, but looking thro' the hole in the door I see a nut/penny washer on the threaded bit on end of the curved stay, so the door opening angle must be adjustable. The passenger side opens about 80 degrees limited by the remains of the grommet/bump stop ahead of the nut on the end of the stay which has almost disappeared on the driver's side. Judging by the way the driver's door has slammed open in a following wind or on a slope, that missing grommet does useful shock asborbing and needs to be there.
Thanks for starting this Kate, MikeN.

Quick question, for some reason I seem to have problems closing my doors if my car is facing downhill!? Do you think this is something to do with the hinges? Also is it possible to unbolt the hinges without the nut plate dropping down behind the pillar?
Thanks,
Cap'n-Jack

Yes, the nut plate sits in a cradle behind the pillar and you would be very
unfortunate if it has rotted enough to allow the threaded plate to drop. I don't
like your difficulty in closing the doors when the car is not level!! This may be
a symptom of a badly rusted sill area... or a rotted A post at the bottom,can
you lift the door up and down when it is open?

Hmmmm - I was under the impression that the cage rusting away was pretty commonplace, I must admit

I dont think its the sills that are rusted, they look ok. But the doors can move up and down a bit when they're open. It only seems to be an issue when trying to close the doors from inside, they are easier to close from the outside. Any advice on what to look for would be great,
Thanks again.

Are you sure the sills "look OK"? They're hidden from view underneath/behind the plates at the bottom of the door - only way to tell for sure is to take those off and inspect them.

Right ok well i'll have a good look about and check, I'll let you know how i get on! Thanks everyone. Hope it's nothing too major!

Good luck

If you can move the doors up and down then you need to ascertain if that
free play is in the actual hinges or if the bottom of the A pillar is moving. If the latter then it is likely that some rebuilding work will be needed in the sills.
if the movement is actually in the hinges you can either get new ones or buy
oversize pins which cure the problem.