Painless door hinge ?

viking · #1 (**permalink**) 05-20-2003, 06:35 PM

Hello a / all, Club Cobra newbie here, first let me say that I'm very impressed on what I see looking around here the past few days, great site...........O.K. question, I am wondering if anybody knows who/if there are door hinges that lie flat/er than my rounded ones, the ones I have seen in pics on csx 289 cars look much flatter, I'm 6'3" 270lbs, fit great except with left leg up on/over clutch, lots of thigh rub on door hinge, when I am on hwy I can get foot between clutch & brake peddles (no shoes) and then I'm O.K., I'm guessing that I'm not the only one with this problem, thanks in advance for any & all help. Don

KobraKarl · #2 (**permalink**) 05-20-2003, 10:09 PM

Don,

we all feel your pain

.... if the hinge didnt have that shape it would'nt let the door open sufficiently to get in,...there are some covers that soften the impact on the thigh, I think they are pretty available from the usual sources: cobra restorers,finish line etc.

KK

scratch · #3 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 07:28 AM

Viking,
Welcome to the nightmare of correct door hinges in small race cars.

I don't see how to go around what you have unless you try to go Detroit with your set-up and it would not look pretty.

At 6'3" I would try adjusting the pedals/seat/shoes/footwell liners for that extra fraction of an inch comfort.

You didn't want to drive your race car more than an hour at a time anyways did you?!

scratch

Steve R · #4 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 08:45 AM

Don,
let's see 2 pictures of it. from perspectives which illustrate any clearances to the body/ structure.
1. with door open
2. with door closed

What kit have you got? As far as I've seen, there's usually a little room for some cut and weld surgery if its that intrusive .
Steven

viking · #5 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 04:15 PM

viking · #6 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 04:20 PM

Steve R · #7 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 10:35 PM

Don,
Hmmm.
It sure does seem to intrude more than most hinges I've seen. It's kind of hard to see how much clearence there is between the hinge loop and the door jamb (when in the open position) from that photo. If there is some, that would be great news.
I guess the first thing I would do is take a look at how far the door opens. Does it need to open that far for ease of entry / exit?
If not, then I would have someone hold it open while you get in and out to determine the minumum amount it really needs to open. Then look to see if the hinge could be modified to reduce it's intrusion into the cockpit and still open that far.
You'll need a fabrcator/ welder to help you if you don't have that equipment. Maybe if I saw it in person I would realize another way to attack it. looks like your gonna just have to use the 'ole noggin on this one.
Steven

viking · #8 (**permalink**) 06-07-2003, 11:10 PM

Steven,
thanks for the reply,I'll continue working on it, at least it was'nt something real easy to find online ( I did look / surf ALOT before posting this ), if I do figure out something I'll post.

CowtownCobra · #9 (**permalink**) 06-25-2003, 01:36 PM

You might check with Lone Star. They have one that you might be able to adapt to your door. Its a cast steel piece with flat support hoops. Those round bars could be very bad news in a side impact.

auto10x · #10 (**permalink**) 06-26-2003, 06:41 AM

Yep, try Lone Star, it might give you more freedom.
auto10x
Bill

Clois Harlan · #11 (**permalink**) 06-26-2003, 06:50 AM

Don,

Call Bryan Anderson or Barry McGill at B&B in Granby, Mo. 417-472-3547. Their door hindges are much flatter than yours. I have the B&B Kit hindges on my car and they are less intrusive than the ones you have. Granby is just south of Joplin on Hwy 59 about 15 mins. (Iam sure you knew that).

Clois

viking · #12 (**permalink**) 07-21-2003, 08:38 PM

Thanks A/All for the replys, just made it back in from work (36 days) so forgive the slow post, thanks again . Don