Door Hinge Installation/Adjustment

[8DC]

How do you adjust the driver's door hinges if the bolts attached to the car run into a threaded plate? The only way I can figure out to get a wrench or socket in there would be to remove the fender (which means the headlamp bucket, vent panel under the wipers, etc. would need to come out as well) and that seems ridiculous just to adjust the door hinges. 

I see other door hinge topics mention removing the kick panel and going at them from the back side, which isn't going to work in my case because the threads go into the car, not into the hinge (like the replacement set I have and won't be using now that I see mine are reversed).

[8DC]

For clarification, here is the threaded plate on the car side:


Left is the hinge that came off the car (unthreaded holes) and the right is the replacement hinge (threaded).


Evidently 2 different designs (aside from the threading, the holes measure out to the same location in relation to the pin though), so my original ones are going back on for now but I need to know how to adjust them as the bolts seem to be unreachable with the door and fender in place.

Edited October 12, 2015 by 8DC

[1969honda]

Maybe it's just the picture angle but it looks like your holes are spaced differently on each hinge as well? Do you have hinges from the same model/series car? The early 260s and 240s have a different hinge and latch design layout than the late 260s and 280s.

 

If you cannot adjust them from the same angle you removed, I would drill the threads out of the car side and tack weld nut on to each hinge bolt hole. Just make sure you have room for the nuts to be welded in place and not interfere with the door operation.

[z240]

240/260 have hinges with bolts that go from the inside out and thread into the hinges.

 

But for 280z, when Fuel injection happened, they had to use the kick panel areas for the ECU (left) and redesigned fuse panel and bigger relay bracket (right) so the access to the bolt heads was lost, hence the new hinges who's bolts go in from the outside, through new hinges with plain holes, into threaded plates trapped in the kick panels.

 

And yes, you need the fenders off to adjust, or some very fancy wrenches and do it with the doors open.

Edited October 13, 2015 by z240

[8DC]

"I think the driver's door on the Z needs to be adjusted... that should be easy enough..."

[8DC]

Thanks for the replies...

Ah well, it looks like it needed to be cleaned under there anyway... :/

[cgsheen]

Here at the shop we learned early on to NEVER to take the door hinges off the body.  If you have to, it's a drag to get them on and the door properly aligned again.  And we're usually tearing them down to a point where we have the fenders off anyway...  Have fun! 

[Zetsaz]

EDIT: Posted in wrong thread.

 

8DC, your car looks like it's about at the same stage as mine haha

Edited October 16, 2015 by Zetsaz

[Trevor]

The trick is to support the door in the right vertical position when you swing it open to reach the bolts through the gap between fender an door.

http://www.eastwood.com/e-z-rest-door-hanger.html

 

I have used an engine crane with a couple of cargo straps holding up a full size truck door, rolling back & forth - same idea.

 

These swivel-head sockets make turning those concealed bolts possible:  http://www.circlecsupply.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/3/4/34351.main.jpg

Edited October 16, 2015 by Trevor