Busted Hinge Pillar Threading

More of an art than a science - discuss metalworking and welding here.



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PostPosted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 5:55 pm
My driver door was sagging and has been getting worse to the point that the door is really hard to close. I wanted to loosen up the bolts, readjust the door and tighten them, but when I loosened the bottom bolts, I found that the thread inserts on the bottom were rotted and broke apart.

Image


What would be the best way to fix this problem? Should I weld the hinge directly to the chassis or should I weld a piece of 1/8" stock over it with nuts tack welded to the back. I'm thinking if I weld on the 1/8" piece, it will cause the bottom half of the door to protrude 1/8" out; not sure if this can be compensated for by shimming the fender. If I weld it directly, I won't have that problem, but I'm not sure that is the best way to do it.

Here is the piece of 1/8" stock I cut out:
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What it looks like bolted to the door hinge:
Image


I intend to weld the nuts to the bottom like this:
Image



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PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:44 am
:bored:

Nobody has any advice for me? Not even a "Yeah. that will work okay"? I would think something like this would be childs-play to most people here. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm just going on a hunch. I came here thinking someone had the experience doing something like this and will spare me from a potential disaster.

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PostPosted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 8:58 pm
The plan you have looks good. Just be sure to cut your patch piece to fit nice and tight. Bevel the edges to form a "V" about half way through the thickness of the metal to insure good penetration and weld strength.
Also positioning will need to be spot on if you have no play for adjustment.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 6:50 am
So 68, are you saying cut out the old metal and weld in the new patch? Or weld the new patch right on top of the old metal?

I would try to get the new metal behind the old. Bolt it all up and make sure everything is straight. Then drill a few holes thru the old metal and weld the new plate in place.

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PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:00 am
I would cut out the old metal but did mention the need for accurate placement.
Just not a fan of layering metal or lap joints because of the tendency for rust to thrive in those places.
1968 Coronet R/T


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PostPosted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 8:18 am
Thank you all for your advice. I went ahead the other day and welded in a plate like I planned to do. I welded it over the original rather than cut out the old. I was thinking about cutting out the old piece first, but I was worried it would weaken the structure. The metal is very thin over there. If I was a professional welder, I probably would have done it that way, but I'm not.

Anyway, it came out pretty good. Door opens like a brand new door. I did have to shim the fender a little to make the gap line up perfectly.

Maybe I'll post some pictures of what I did if you're interested.

Thanks again!

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