the time has come to pull the doors on the 50 Merc(coupe).....this will be the first attempt at this....so I am wondering whats the consensus on the best way....pull the pins? or remove the hinges from the pillar.....the pins look like they would have to be cut out? the hinges have those ungodly phillips head screws that look as if they may be impossible to get out. Anyone can point to the best path? Thanks!
I recently bought Phillips head bits that are impact sockets that go on a half inch drive ratchet, and I put that bit onto my impact wrench (air powered is best but an electric impact also works, like what you'd take lug nuts off with) and used that to get some of those giant Phillips head screws out, worked better than anything I'd tried before. Definitely works better than those impact drivers that you smack with a hammer, this will get you a hundred impact hits in the same time you'd get one or two with the old hammer style, and it's really easy to put a lot of push-force against the bit as it's turning. I've also had some luck putting one of those Phillips impact sockets on a breaker bar and then pinching it in by closing the door part way on it, and then try to turn, keeps the bit from sliding out of the bolt. If the Phillips head of the bolt starts to deform, beat it flat again with a hammer so it's kinda mushroomed over into place, then hammer the bit into it, makes for a really snug fit. You need the biggest Phillips bit they make. Just like any bolt, if you get it out a little ways and it tightens up on you, spray it with lube, impact it back down again and then out again a few times to get some lube on the threads. The back sides of those bolts are always rusty. Absolute worst case scenario you drill the center of the bolt and then step up drill bit sizes until the head comes off, then when the door is out of the way you can weld a nut onto the remaining bolt stump and try to turn it out that way. Merc doors are a bitch to remove, but you really don't want to take the pins out of those hinges if you can avoid it at any cost.
Look at where the hinges go into the door. If possible, transfer drill through the inner door and hinges, it makes hanging them a ton easier. Do this before you take it apart. I went with 3/16" holes, 1 per hinge. I lined them up with some drill blanks I had around, regular steel rod would work.
And, if none of the above work, I've also welded nuts to the heads of the screws and then use a wrench or socket on them. The welding heat also helps breaking the screws loose.
Looks like i will have to drill these out.....they are readily available for replacement? #edit. I just answered my own question
I bought one of these from Eastwood and it worked like magic on my 48 Ford. No chance of camming out and messing up the phillips head.
I've pulled the doors off of several Studebakers and a 56 Chevy with those cursed Phillips head screws, what worked best for me was to heat the screw to red hot, let it cool and then use a home made tool similar to theone that @51504bat referenced. Good luck!
I have found that the threads that extend past the threaded block tend to be the bigger problem. When possible I take my time and grind off all of them I can get to. This keep just the good threads coming through the threads. Sometimes I've had to get creative to do this.
I've found if you do end up having to weld to get them out, it's easier to drill the heads off and get the door off and out of the way, then weld a nut to whatever little stub is still sticking out of the jamb and try to turn them out then. It's hard to weld anything to the Phillips head while the bolt is still in the hinge, really easy to end up welding the bolt to the hinge.
Yea, I ended up drilling them out as they were rusted in pretty good....impact driver didnt work...but they drilled out easily...so now I will just have to deal with the ends that are left in the doors....probably going to be a nightmare...but now I can get to work on the rockers and floor.
I bought one of those Eastwood impact tools pictured above to remove the hinge screws on my 41 PU so I could install chrome hinges. Worked like a hot knife through butter. One of my favorite tools.
Very sound advice from Slopok, wish I could hit the Like button 4 or 5 times on that one. If you should happen to have a pair of the Old what was available, you will find they did "Not" have the correct front to back curve in them. Once on you couldn't close the doors. Beware! To do them correctly all the parts need to be in play at the same time to get good fit and finish.
As others are saying, you'll want to get those broken bolts out, tap out the holes and replace them, then re-hang the doors so you can check fit while you're doing the floors and inner rockers. Then you'll be able to take the doors off easily when you need them out of the way but have them on to check gaps and rocker panel fit while you work. Door gaps on a Merc are a bitch sometimes and things move around once the floors and/or rockers are cut away. But the door hinges needed to come off no matter what, there's some stuff you just can't access well with the doors in the way. A friend of mine has a shoebox Ford and he bought some identical thread, identical head bolts to the original Phillips only his had an Allen style recessed head instead of the Phillips, was easier to deal with that way.
yes, I will rehang the doors....but first I have to do lower skins and bottoms.....then on to the rockers.... (I will hang the doors first) thanks for all the great info! I am sure i will be having a ton of questions as I go!!
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