Door Hinge Removal

[danielbargh]

I'm wanting to remove the door hinges from my Plus 2 to get them refurbished prior to repainting the body. I cant remove the screw in the bottom of the door that holds the rod that the hinges pivot on in place, could anyone that has managed to remove them give me any tips.

Thanks

Daniel

[tower of strength]

Daniel, I had to "undo" one of mine with an angle grinder, then drilled out the bobbin and re tapped.the other came out but is a bit chewed up!

mark

[gerrym]

Daniel, have you tried plus gas, impact driver , easziouts etc, finally heat!
GerryM

[tower of strength]

I'd advise against "easy outs" if one of those suckers break, you really are FUBARed, best to grind and drill, Just my humble opinion mind. (also satisfies my power tool fetish after halucinating on resin fumes )

Mark

[JJDraper]

This is the way I removed the hinges on my +2... First remove doors, then realise nothing will shift the screws at the bottom of the hinge pins on the fitted doors and wonder how it all fits together. Put doors back.

Next, buy a spare pair of doors from Stoneleigh... Spend a happy few days wondering how the screws can be removed, safe in the knowledge that your original doors are still fitted. By trial and error, I determined that nothing would shift the screws - heat, WD 40, impact drivers, swearing. I finally used a thin hacksaw blade to slip between the lower bobbin and the hinge pin and slowly cut through the screw. Took about half an hour. Remove the hinge pin, and replace with new items (still available from Lotus spares sale at 50% discount - around 60GBP a pair) and lots of Copaslip grease. It may also be worth repairing the fibreglass around the bottom mount. I now have two pairs of hinge pins with little wear, but cut off screws still in place - one day, I will try and remove the remains of the screw, but not right now. Anyone do stainless screws? The spare door are also excellent for practising window motor removal, glass and frame removal and genral shin bruising.

Easy really.

Jeremy

[tower of strength]

I like it Jeremy!!

glad my hinges are good, miss read the original post, thought it referred to the slider/limiter screw on the sill!

mark

[JJDraper]

The real pain of the hinges is that the pins do not wear much, if oiled/greased, but the plastic top hat bushes (dimensionally identical to the ones on the trunnions I think) just go off with age. The plastic bushes are peanuts to buy, but pigs to fit (see earlier posting), usually causing the pins to be trashed. I think you should include unscrewing the lower scrww in the annual service schedule - "unscrew three full turns, lubricate, then fully tighten". I'm also sure you have to be careful what lubricant you use - some can degrade the plastic bushes - anyone know what to avoid?

Lotuses, don't you love 'em

Jeremy

[tower of strength]

[quote="JJDraper]

Lotuses, don't you love 'em

Jeremy[/quote]

oh yes, good excuse to hide in the garage with a bottle of wine, less grief than the pub and the same end result (oblivion followed by a bad head!!):lol:

[mikealdren]

I'm with Jeremy and the hacksaw. I cut the bottom off the bolts with an angle grinder but still couldn't free the shank of the bolt from the bobbin so I cut off the shank leaving a short stub into the hinge rod so I could get the assembly out. I then heated up the stub of the bolt and it came out easily.
The previous owner had drilled a bolt out of the hinge rod and damaged the thread. The bearing surfaces of the rod are also a bit corroded so they would wear new bushes quickly from the rough surface. Having taken it all apart carefully, I still need a new hinge rod!
On my previous +2 (a later model) I vaguely remember that the bottom bolt was countersunk into the bobbin but my current Plus 2S has a standard bolt - is my memory playing tricks?

Mike

[gerrym]

Jeremy, Daniel, Mark,

quite a few queries here:
For a stainless steel 3/8" COUNTERSINK screw with a hex socket, much better than lslotted like original, try Bernie the Bolt Bernard F Wade tel 01226 370860. With a stainless steel rod and lots of copperslip the corrosion risk is much reduced. SJ sportscars was most helpful changing over the riod to stainless but grade 303. For the bushes be aware that nylon is hydroscopic, just what you don't need: starts corrosion which then pits surface leading to wear etc. A better solution would be a bronze/ptfe bush. Regarding lubricant, molydisulphide can't be used with nylon so grease designed for CV joints must be avoided.
Regards

GerryM