I finally found a decent 28/29 cowl with the door-w/s frame for my project that I am going to pick up this weekend... but while I was searching I was amazed to see how many cowls or door-w/s frames I've seen that are either missing the door hinges on the framework completely or that have had them torched or hacked off leaving nothing but 3 little nubs on each side. Even the 30-31 cowl I will be getting rid of has had the same thing done to it... why is this?
They were cut down to use as "field cars" to pull wagons, etc. on farms. Probably the only reason they weren't s****ped during WW2 in the first place.
AND...if you've ever tried to remove an early Ford hinge pin or a bunch of rusted-in hinge screws, the reason for using the torch becomes CLEAR.
Salvage yard personell don't really care or use common sense sometimes. You ask for a door, they go out and hack one off. I bought a bed side for a Dodge Pickup one time. Found out they torched in half a flawless, showroom perfect truck bed. Why didn't they just sell me the whole bed? Just doesn't make any sense. I morn the loss of that sheetmetal to this day.
Just clean up the holes, buy new hinges and deal with it. I second the rusty hinge comment, I had to remove the hinges to remove a door filled with buckshot. And those bolts don't like to go easily.
I just removed hinge pins and hinges from a 30 ford coupe,i would rather have my *** kicked,that was a major pain in the ***.
Ever tried to cut one with a hacksaw? There you go. Seriously, as noted, when you're making a tractor out of one, the hinges aren't that important, so they got cut the easiest way available.
the best way is to just drill out the bolts, if you can drill strait and center that is, start with an 1/8 pilot bit then drill one size smaller than the drill size for 5/16-24, the heads of the bolts will pop right off and the hinges come out of the cowl with a litle finagling, then drill to tap size and tap out the thread. you can buy new hinges as far as i know, to me its an important part when im looking at doors or a cowl. JEFF
....not to mention that, when most of them were being converted into "doodlebugs", their street value was somewhere around $20.00. It would be similar to worrying about cutting the doors off of a '93 Metro field car today.
God, tell me about it. Whatever you guys do, DONT try to easy-out them. Don't ask me how I know this.
It is a ***** to remove the pins .I take them to my machine shop and have them drill them out .Best 75 dollars I have spent
Model A closed car hinges are not available as reproductions, are they? You have always been able to get Model A open car hinges.
Here is an old thread, but this one is well worth bringing up. I have since used this method on hundreds of frozen screws, and NEVER had one that didn't come right out, no heating, no penetrating oil, no anything but removed screws. Link: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6015 I still owe Sam a beer for the trouble this has saved me, I removed all the door hinge bolts from my tudor sedan in about 5 minutes-seriously-try it Dan
I had no plan and the bolt heads we're broken off ages ago. So my dumb *** goes and drills a hole. Then inserts easy-out. Then breaks easy out. Easy out ruins next five drill bits, they're hard! Not a fun night. that was just one though. The rest were a piece of cake...
AOK clear but try a drill and rust penatrator first. A small degree of sharp chisel work is necessary as well.
You can buy those hinge pin remover devices, armed with that, some penetrating oil and a torch you can usually seperate most old hinges. The more difficult issues is getting the hinge off the pillar.
i made a tool something like the tool you would use on a motorcycle chain...after doing only one door, the hard way......its so easy now!!!!! i can take pics tomorrow if yall want to see how to build one....
The hinge pins I've never had a problem with. It seems like everytime I want to salvage the hinge itself from an a pillar I have to channel the powers of voodoo to get the bolts off. I'm talking 28/29 here...
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