[jhanjr@swbell.net]

Hey guys, I've got a 48 Ford tudor sedan I'm wanting to change to suicide doors. I've seen the $450.00 kits but would rather save my $ and do it myself. Any suggestions for hinges, instructions, etc, would be appreciated.I'm wanting to shave the handles and replace the hinges. The stock hinges won't work because the lower hinge extends beyond the body. Suicide doors and hidden hinges would really slick this car up.
Thanks, John. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[pasadenahotrod]

How about 2 sets of upper hinges?

[Halloweenking]

John, its actually very simple. Take a look at this page. Its a member of this board and it has been done correctly. If you look back on page two of this forum you will find his post and a full exsplanation.

HK

[jhanjr@swbell.net]

Thanks for the comebacks guys! Yeah 'King I've seen Doc Chopit's Doors and they definitly inspired me but I still need hinges. He used his originals, my upper hinge is hidden, but the lower hinges outside the door. I thought maybe there was another car whose hinges lended themselves to this suicide, hidden hinge idea. I'm not experienced at this, but I've got alot of "want to" and mechanical ability. Need to rely on you guys for real metal info.
Thanks again, John.

[Halloweenking]

John, making a hinge isn't really that hard. If you look at Doc chops hinges and the hinden hinges you can buy you can hand form a sey of hinges with a torch ond some basic tools. My first hidden hinge set was fabricated 100% from a sheet of steel and some steel strips. I also used some small roller barings from my job at the time for smooth movement. The bareings were used, but they moved as smooth as whale sheet in an ice flow. If you need a bit more help feel free to PM or e-mail me.

HK

[DrChop]

Actually, the hidden hinges on my '28 are totally scratchbuilt. I bought 4 coupling nuts, 1/2" thread, and drilled them out with a 1/2" drill to allow a bolt to pass through. The hinge box is a section of box tubing that fits the coupling nut length on the inside, and the hinge arm is nothing but 1/4" x 2" strap
.

The most important thing when doing hidden hinges is to mount them properly so the door does not bind. For this you need to determine how far apart they will be, and purchase a steel rod of the hinge pin diameter so you can put your hinge parts on it and fab up the hinge mount from plate or box tubing. This way you know the pins are inline as they should be. Mount the plate or box tubing inside the jamb to locate both hinges at once, put them in the closed position, and measure from the outer skin to the center of the hinges, top and bottom. Duplicate these 2 points on the doorjamb, mark a straight line between them, and you know how deep the door pockets have to be.

Over-engineer the mounting parts so you end up with a strong door. You don't want floppy doors coz ya went with thinwall plate or tubing, so spring for the 1/4 wall stuff. A side benefit is you can drill and tap your mount holes in the pillar mount as I did. You don't need in and out adjustment of the hinges at the pillar because you sink the boxes in the doors so the skins come out flush. Use some 1/4 plate and nake up a nutplate for the door pieces, drilling and tapping the nutplate AND the mount welded into the door at the same time. Once you trial-fit the door, and see how much to correct the door sag, just drill the hinge mount holes in the door pockets oversize for the adjustment and bolt the door on and adjust it like stock...
Doc

[jhanjr@swbell.net]

Doc, 'King, I've copied off your suggestions-I had not thot of building my own hinges(DUH!) but like I said, this is my first project. Thanks for the input. It's good to have friends who know what the heck they're doin'. I'll holler for help again if I get stuck, which I probably will.
John