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Door strut hinge panel busted!
#1
I was just about to take the car for a blast in the sunshine when I pulled the door down there was an almighty crack-I thought something had dropped on the roof!! Turns out the lower door hinge where it bolts to the body had torn itself out, I know you can get a repair panel but can't remember where I can get it from.
Any ideas boys? Cry
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#2
On closer inspection it looks like the head has sheared of a bolt inside the fibreglass frame-a small washer was lying in the guttering next to it.
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#3
Common problem I feel. Tho I think more so with the early vin tubs.

My experience, detailed on "the other channel" !!
http://www.deloreaneurotec.co.uk/forum/ ... =22&t=2658

Now perfect. Not a fun job, and somewhat scary, quite early in my ownership! All good now tho.

Cheers,

Andy
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#4
A repair bit can be purchased from these: http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page14.html
works well and can hardly be seen when trim etc is on.
Chris
Membership Secretary DOC UK
2021's DeLorean event: http://www.deloreans.co.uk/forum/showthr...p?tid=6056
VIN#15768 Ex VIN#4584
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#5
I think this was one of the main reasons all those very early cars ended up at Wooler-Hodec. Several of the engineers there had to avoid a gas strut "lancing down" towards them.

I'm glad I was not aware of this problem when I hurtled around the test track driving Dusty, with the doors open, many years ago!

And Withers had the same problem and did an 'invisible repair'……the one you have highlighted Chris, is obviously very strong and quick to do…but not very elegant. :| IMO.
Chris Parnham

Ex RHD Auto's etc.etc

Main Car.. Kia E Niro 4+
Toyota Vitz 4X4 1999 (the smallest 4X4 by far!)
Toyota RAV4 EV 1999.
1970 Jago Jeep.

DOC Club Historian 
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#6
Best Father's Day present-the fibreglass tub wasn't damaged at all, the bolt head had sheared off completely (still can't find it!) only damage was to the surround and hinge post thingy, all in all I was very lucky I think, the bolt remains even unscrewed with a bit of wd40 and pliers!
I removed the rear wing for access and to avoid any damage which was easier than I thought, the bottom of the wing wasn't even attached, the sill cover was holding it in place although 3 of the 4 screws wherein place they were not screwed into any retaining clips and promptly fell out-unbelievable!
Only pain was the 8mm bolt that screwed into the sill end from the lower front wheel arch end, it was seized solid and had to cut off, the stainless bolts in the rear tub sheared off, probably because they had steel locknuts gripping them, it saved me an hour of messing around anyway.
Going to straighten the hinge bracket now, hopefully reassembly will be easier! 8)
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#7
Glad it wasn't such a nightmare in the end...

Thanks for posting pictures.

Incidentally, how easy and how long did it take to remove the rear fascia?

I've never done it and I'm planning on removing front and rear fascias fro painting later in the year....

Thanks

Ben
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#8
Rear fascias dead easy Ben, took me about 30 minutes, unplug the electrical lead to the rear fascia (black plug) in the coil cover housing,underneath spray wd40 on the lower fascia retaining nuts 10 mm, there's a sneaky nut at either end to the side of the exhausts, remove the bonnet lock and cable then remove the 4 bolts, 2 either side of the engine bay (not the ones in the rear fascia) and lift away carefully-there are 2 earth leads on either side of the chassis rail to watch out for as well .
While you're there, degrease and clean up the front of the engine and do any odd jobs like adjusting the belts or stuff-you'll never get a better opportunity! 8) :lol:
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#9
Chris Williams Wrote:A repair bit can be purchased from these: http://deloreannewparts.com/store/page14.html
works well and can hardly be seen when trim etc is on.

I have those as well (put them in pre-emptively as part of the build), can be a bit fiddly to fit but seem to work well.
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#10
Those long brackets are ugly as sin-the problem seem to be flexing in the post assembly but only onl initial opening and near closing, I don't think the post is as strong as it should be, maybe there's a way to strengthen the fitment, but in the meantime I'm checking the passenger side for bending. 8)
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#11
Don't forget the hot weather will contribute to the stress.

Note in cold weather the struts are far slower yet on hot days the gas expands more and the door reaches its stop faster. So that must impact on the connection point strength. In theory, although I don't know to what extent the underbody is tested heatwise, but I guess there's an optimum temperature where it's at its strongest.

I would imagine the hotter the underbody, the softer it becomes while in colder conditions it becomes brittle. Who knows it's integrity after 30 years in all elements? ( The top of the door jam sees plenty of water and hot sunshine bear in mind)

Ben
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#12
Found out a few things when I was doing this job-the great idea of fitting stainless steel bolts and washers was a great idea to fasten the rear wing support brackets to the pontoon, ruined only by mild steel locknuts which rust on to them, 2 out of 3 sheared off even with copious amounts of release fluid.
There was a bit of 'pontoon art' on the rear inner panel, someone's scribed 'vali1698' there,no idea why, plus the manufacture date of the t piece on the inside 10.7.81. In small letters to the rear of it.
The area above the sill was chock full of leaves and crap,and a few nuts and screws, as was the sill itself.
And lastly this job is not as hard as it seems! Good design from the factory made it relatively easy to do, it took about 7 hours to remove and replace the various bits. 8)
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#13
Hi Brian,

All you need to know here:

http://www.deloreaneurotec.co.uk/forum/ ... ut+bracket

Let me know if you want me to make a set for you.

Regards
Darren
VIN 4532

DOC-574
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#14
Thanks Darren, I'll take you up on that when I get around to overhauling the car in autumn, that reminds me, I still owe you some money for CarFest North - I'll PayPal you it this Friday 8)
#10556 'Ol Stainless' running surprisingly well,Audi A5 2.0T Quattro smug as usual,Wenault Slaguna stationary for the mo',the R.V.Enterprise clocking the U.K.miles up,new fleet addition-Jessica the Daewoo Matiz,silly but 55mpg....!
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#15
I'm unclear on how those strengthening bars work given you don't need to remove the rear quarter or roof, both of which allow access to the structural part of the underbody, rather than the simple stuck-on panels which are there only to attach the bodywork

If anyone needs any monobolts to affix a bar, I have 96 left of the 100 I had to buy to do the last one.... And the damage was comprehensive enough that this chap would have just about covered the hole, forget actually attaching to anything new/strong!

[Image: file.php?id=2210]

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One of the problems in the DeLorean world is the obsession with all things stainless.

Stainless is not as hard, nor as strong as high tensile carbon steel. When a stainless bolt is combined with carbon steel, it will accellerate the corrosion of the steel AND has a nasty tendancy towards galling which shears off its own threads inside the fastener into which it's torqued.

99 times out of 100, copper gease is all you need for a long service life. Sure the bolt head won't look as pretty but it's a small price to pay.

Rant over...
Martin Gutkowski
DeLorean Cars
http://www.delorean.co.uk
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