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door removal on 308

Discussion in '308/328' started by pollockfr, May 10, 2007.

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  1. pollockfr

    pollockfr Rookie

    Oct 25, 2005
    27
    Warwickshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Fergus Pollock
    #1 pollockfr, May 10, 2007
    I'm putting lower door skins on my 308 and have got to the stage where I need to remove the doors to seal the flange and detail the returns. Which is the easiest way to remove the doors? Can I pull out the hinge pins and leave the hinge settings untouched, or must I undo the allen screws and take them off at the A pillar. I will use a floor mounted jig to support the weight for removal and reattachment.
     
  2. Newman

    Newman F1 World Champ
    Consultant Owner Professional Ferrari Technician

    Dec 26, 2001
    14,448
    Canada
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    Newman
    #2 Newman, May 10, 2007
    remove the pins and off she comes, best way to do it.
     
  3. pollockfr

    pollockfr Rookie

    Oct 25, 2005
    27
    Warwickshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Fergus Pollock
    #3 pollockfr, May 10, 2007
    Paul
    I was hoping you'd say that. But the vertical clearance needed on the top pin suggests there's going to be a foul with the door flange before the pin is out.
     
  4. Mark 308 gt4

    Mark 308 gt4 Formula Junior

    Apr 24, 2006
    285
    West London
    Full Name:
    Mark Taviner
    #4 Mark 308 gt4, May 10, 2007
    Have a look again, I think you will find the top one drops down and the bottom comes up.

    If they are in good condition they will come out with ease!!!

    Good luck

    Mark
     
  5. pollockfr

    pollockfr Rookie

    Oct 25, 2005
    27
    Warwickshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Fergus Pollock
    #5 pollockfr, May 10, 2007
    Spot on Mark, just cleared away the grease and I can see a circlip on top of the pin. Now I've just got to find a way of threading all the old wiring through the door. Many thanks.
     
  6. Gianluca

    Gianluca Formula Junior

    May 6, 2003
    349
    Centreville, Virgini
    Full Name:
    Gianluca Chegai
    #6 Gianluca, May 10, 2007
    Could you give us some photos and details of the door skins replacement? I need to do that too and it would be helpful.

    I removed the door and the hinge on the frame as well. What a PITA to put it back together! Definately just take the pins out or carefully mark the hinges on the frame if you need to remove them.

    Gianluca
     
  7. jonesdds

    jonesdds Formula 3

    Aug 31, 2006
    2,163
    SB,CA & Park City UT
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    Jeff
    #7 jonesdds, May 10, 2007
    I'd like to change out my pins as I have some wear and a little sagging in the door. I've tried to pry them up and out and did some tapping but couldn't get them to budge. Any secrets or helpful methods to removing them. I might be just being a little to careful.

    Jeff
     
  8. Gianluca

    Gianluca Formula Junior

    May 6, 2003
    349
    Centreville, Virgini
    Full Name:
    Gianluca Chegai
    #8 Gianluca, May 10, 2007
    Did you remove the snap rings?
    It may help to have someone keep the weight off the door while you tap them. The leverage of the open door against the pins may make the tapping out difficult.
    By the way the grease fitting are nothing special. Can be purchased just about anywere therefore, if you damage them, it is not a big deal.
    Those pins are a PITA, but they will come out. Once out make sure you clean nicely the hinges and the new ones should go in without much effort.
     
  9. Mark 308 gt4

    Mark 308 gt4 Formula Junior

    Apr 24, 2006
    285
    West London
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    Mark Taviner
    #9 Mark 308 gt4, May 11, 2007
    Just a little thing to remember, I was also going to change my pins.
    When I got them out they were fine, after close inspection I found the door stop was part of the hinge system. Meaning every time the door was swung open hard on the hinge, the hinge would bend a little dropping the door.

    There is a way of bringing them back as I did, but most people would change the hinge. Still my doors are all swinging fine now and have been since last summer. I just remember to open the doors to the stops gently, trying to tell the wife to do the same when she gets in and out of the car is a different story.

    Hope that helps

    Mark
     
  10. Artvonne

    Artvonne F1 Veteran

    Oct 29, 2004
    5,379
    NWA
    Full Name:
    Paul
    #10 Artvonne, May 11, 2007
    Well, I swapped the passenger door over from the other car, and it wasnt to bad. But knocking the pins out didnt go as well. I got three, but one upper pin never budged and I bunged up the end. Fortunatly its on the door I was trying to temporarily replace, so its not an urgent issue. But its going to be a b*tch getting it out, because now I will have to grind off the top of the pin and apply quite a bit of heat before I try again. The top pin is impossible to drive out with anything in a straight angle, you can only hit it offset. I would advise oiling it for a few days and carefully applying some kind of heat before attempting to drive it out. The nice thing about taking out the pins is that reinstalling the door is a breeze as you dont have to align anything.

    You can replace the car side of the hinge, if you can find one, but the door side is part of the door, welded right to it. You dont want to mess with that. If I have to, I will grind off the bottom of the pin and drive it up, the opposite direction. Just be careful and use proper tools and light oil, and you can get it. I think new door stops are still available, so if yours is broke or missing, now is the time to replace it.

    One caveat, as long as your taking the door off, you have to pull the wires for the window motor, etc. The motor has to ground wire to the chassis, but instead relies on grounding through the rusty door hinges. As long as its apart you could do yourself a favor and run another to bond the door to the chassis.
     
  11. pollockfr

    pollockfr Rookie

    Oct 25, 2005
    27
    Warwickshire, UK.
    Full Name:
    Fergus Pollock
    #11 pollockfr, May 11, 2007
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Gianluca
    Here are some images of the doorskin and work so far. The skins cover the bottom 8" or so, and were made to a drawing I supplied my tinny which was a 1:1 trace off the original skin. They are flanged as you can see and have a joggle on the upper to go underneath the existing skin. It was then a case of measuring twice and with a scribed line cut into the paint as reference, doing the business with an angle grinder to remove the lower part of the outer skin. The cut line was cleaned up with a file and all paint and sealer and filler removed an inch or so above the line inside and out. Make sure the windows are fully up and the surrounding bodywork covered when grinding - hot sparks are not good for either. The door inners were cleaned up and derusted and repair sections let in as necessary.
    I decided to glue the skins on. Accident repair bodyshops and mainstream manufacturers use it these days, and it saves on possible heat distortion and inbuilt corrosion if it's welded. Before I glued them I made a pair of reference squeezes of the section (taken off the wing lower) as a check. These were then cramped to the door lower along with a horizontal baton, and left for 24 hours for the solvent to fully cure on the new skin. Once cured the supporting sections were removed, edge flanges dressed and a light skim of polyester filler applied to the joggle joint and surrounding surface. I'm in the process of blocking it down now, and profiling the edges to set the gapping. Overall I'm reasonably pleased with the way its going. The door repair skin was pretty much spot on for the aperture and the section needed very little filler to bring it home. My next job is to pull all the wires and remove the door so I can detail the flange returns.
    I should add this is my approach to repairing the doors. Professional bodymen will probably be using plasma cutters and may even have jigs and checking fixtures to set the repairs. But this seems to be working for me.
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  12. mike

    mike Formula Junior

    Nov 2, 2003
    721
    Colorado
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    Mike
    #12 mike, May 11, 2007
    All I can say is WOW...GREAT job and write-up..
     

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