Hidden Hinges

Sill having problems trying to get the door to swing out past the bottom of where the windshield stanchions would sit. I think my hinge design sucks. Ok guys shed some light. See pictures
bill


http://billy29.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01

 

Not sure if any of the aftermarket hidden hinge kits are like your setup, but, the way to make the doors clear the body is to have a u bend originating from the door. The "U" portion of the hinge attaches to the door, the extreme end of the U is the pivot and that happens in the cowl area. That way the door opens and swings OUT. Seems to me you are pretty lucky it opens as far as it does. The design you have there (which looks very clean and good workmanship too) has the pivot point directly between the door and cowl which will force the door in the body.

 

IFS? Better cover that thing if you want these people to talk to you! ha

 

I think you want to move your hinge point more forward (towards front of car) and then extend your mounts to fit it there. I find Drawing a sketch (overhead view) and even cutting out the pieces parts and maniupulating them through their actual travel can be a huge benefit.

Think like setting up a tilt front end - having the pivot point LOWER than you horizontal cut plane allows the GAP to increase as soon as you tilt it. having the pivot too high actually closes the gap as you initially tilt it. Same sort of thing here - since you are using a simple pivot design (single pivot) you need to space the pivot forward so things move on a less severe arc. Now you know why the early manufacturers stuck those hinges OUT so far and why the later ones went to mulitple pivots and linkage. Not being there to see exactly your problem makes it hard to be certain, but moving forward makes sense in my head.


I hope it helps.

 

here's a quick CAD sketch showing one way it might work,

move the pin forward and put a longer dog leg in it

 

The key to the hidden hinge design is to get the pivot as close as possible to the cowls outer skin.

Charlie

 

In a real application on a car The design you show would result in cutting clearance slots in the upholstery panels to clear the hinge when door was shut-and the hinge itself would "show" on the interior side............ALso isnt this one of those topics not conducive to building a traditional rod?

 

I was suggesting an adjustment to his configuration using his same concept.

I believe it could be done in a way so as to not look too much like a credit card application..

personaly I like the hinges sticking out on my cars,
and had even thought of welding fairings to them

just like back in the day

 

To those of you who shed some light on the problem I’m having with the placement of hinges on my roadster THANK YOU. I have never asked anyone for help ever but being frustrated I thought I would try here at this site… choprods.. You said… In a real application on a car The design you show would result in cutting clearance slots in the upholstery panels to clear the hinge when door was shut-and the hinge itself would "show" on the interior side............Also isn’t this one of those topics not conducive to building a traditional rod? .. Your right I don’t belong here Sorry I bothered you guys. I was just looking for some help.
Bill

 

Even though I didn't help, your welcome. haha. Just tinker with that shit until you get it to work. If it shows on the inside I would say it isn't a hidden hinge. It's ok to be frustrated we've all been there. If you built that frame you should have enough skills to put a door hinge in, if you didnt.......why did you buy the one with IFS? Wait why do you have IFS? Sorry it just looks weird up there. I would say that this topic does have a bit of relevance to trad. rods./CUSTOMS though. Even if it doesnt, suicide doors are cool. STOP WHINING!

 

Actually some TRADITIONAL hot rods did have shaved hinges. This IS a traditional hot rod site but Geeez-S, sometimes it seems we cut off our noses to spite our faces. MMMMMmmmmmmmmm, r e l a x........

 

I made my own hidden hinges very similar to yours so I’ll through a few comments out. The most important part is the hinge pin location and remember every thing is going to be a compromise. Right now your look to be to close to the door jamb and located to far inwards on the body.


This diagram shows a rough position of your hinge. The closer your pin location is to the jamb the smaller the arc of the door opening. This will cause interference at the leading edge when opening the door.


By moving the pin location away from the door you will increase that arc and eliminate the interference but cause one with the hinge arm. You could make a hinge that protrudes into the cabin area but doesn’t look very good. You also put more stress on the hinge and pin by going to far back.


Here is a diagram of my hinge and location. Final location was limited by inward curve at the bottom of the door and cowl. By moving the pin location as close to the outer cowl skin as possible you can decrease the distance between the pin and door. This also keeps the whole hinge inside the door jamb. My doors open with no clearance problems put had to make sure they stop before hitting the fenders at the bottom of the door. I also trimmed the hinge corner and door jamb so that the hinge arm would swing open a little more. I would also spread the upper and lower hinge apart as far as possible to distrubute the weight better.

 

The McGee 32 roadster was on the cover of a 48 HotRod mag with hidden hinges and a 3 piece hood. Ain't no big deal, just worthless dribble.