I'm looking a beautifully finished FG hot rod. It has hidden suicide hinges that are bolted thru the FG b pillar door jamb. And it's one loose wiggly set up. How is this normally done as this cannot be correct. ??? I don't play with FG cars but I do notice that the ads for them always say "doors and decklid hinged and hung" Really could use some ideas on how to stiffen this up. I'm thinking the steel hinge mechanism will need to be glassed into the b pillar door jamb some how? But that doesn't seem right.
Dick Williams (Polyform Fiberglass in Calif.) is a longtime friend. While at his shop in Santa Cruz, (1972) he was hanging doors on the new '34 Coupe he was about to release. He took extra precautions with the doors, as they are 'suicide' style, and even steel cars are prone to damage (doors fly open at speed, come 'unlatched' unless a 'safety latch' is installed, etc.) Dick fashioned some steel extrusions that fit between the 'glass door jamb and the steel tube backing, where the hinge was welded. These extrusions were attached to the 'glass structure, by bondo-ing the steel, then 'glassing it to the back of the 'glass. (fiberglass resin will 'stick' to the steel and look satisfactory, but will come away in a short time. Bondo will ensure the bond, to both the steel and the fiberglass) The hinge was then attached to the steel tube frame and the reinforced 'glass jamb with bolts and aircraft nuts, (also tig welded on the tubular steel frame) I was surprised at his close attention to detail, but thoroughly convinced when a local (here) had a passenger door open on a '34 Tudor Downs body and fly down the 99 freeway...He stopped and got it, but...Whew!
I have done several Wescott body 34 roadsters and they have steel inner structure that the hinges bolt to. These are very rugged and the doors work like a metal car only better. Original 33/4 roadsters were lined with wood which were hard to keep adjusted and often lead to door sags. Your idea would be correct to add some metal to the jam and glass it in.
This has some steel, but it stops 4" from hitting the hinge. This hinge is made from 0ne piece of 1/4" x 1-3/4 bar @ 20" long. There's 5 bolts in and it's bolted into the FG door jamb. The door jamb is only connected to the quarter panel as it came from the mold.
Sorry for the crappy pictures. Here you can see the end of the steel reinforcement under the rail , it just sorta ends out in the middle of nowhere. The top hinge and the bolts that go thru the glass door jamb. Another view of the same spot Here is from the pretty side of the door jamb. It's been repaired once already but either a bandaid or it broke it again. FG jamb is also stress fractured below the bottom hinge too. The bottom of the steel hinge goes to no where or nothing solid other than FG.
If anyone has some pictures of a well executed FG door hinge that may get me headed in the right direction here.thanks
Bump for some help. Thinking about welding something from hinge tab to square tube. It won't be much but a lot better than what's there now- nothing. On the first pic, the piece would go up to the right at ~ 45* to the tube.
You're on the right track, get some steel in there. I like the idea posted that some mud will "finalize" the glass to steel bond. Excellent idea. All I can help you with is don't over think it. Keep it simple, like a small steel frame that goes beyond the hinged area on the body, same on the doors. It doesn't have to be huge, maybe 1" X 1" tubing, about .90 wall, slight bend to conform or not. Another solution could be wood bonded to the critical areas and then figure out some small brackets to screw into the wood supports. Wood could keep door closing noise to pleasing thump as well. Just helping to expand the out-of-the-box thinking you seem to have.
I helped a friend do similar and fabbed up a flat Y-shaped 1/4" flange that captured the top and bottom of hinges (welded vertically) allowing hinge to move through arc without interference, running to rear and connecting with the steel RHS structure that supported body as Ozzie FG bodies are mostly steeled out. You could still access mounting bolts as well. Also a vertical RHS rib was welded between Y flanges to solidly link them together and stop flex. A similar flat flange was bolted with HT bolts to RHS to allow removal of hinges should this be necessary (Serviceability) and reduced the flex of hinges as doors opened. Simple and effective. Sorry no photos, many years ago now.
Thanks for the help fellas! Here's what I wound up doing. It worked very well but welding on a finished glass car will not only pucker the obvious but make places pucker that you forgot you had.
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