[RobJ]

Hi,

In seen on a bunch of American Samurais (Sierras) that they have replaced the stock door hinges with half hinges so that all you need to do to remove the doors is open, lift and pull away.

Do any of you guys make them, know where to get them or know how to make them?

Cheers

[Damo]

RobJ wrote:

Hi,

In seen on a bunch of American Samurais (Sierras) that they have replaced the stock door hinges with half hinges so that all you need to do to remove the doors is open, lift and pull away.

Do any of you guys make them, know where to get them or know how to make them?

Cheers

Usually it's done by cutting the existing hinges.

[RobJ]

I just had a look at my hinges and i can't see how you could do it short of completely removing the actual "hinge" bit and fabricating a new from scratch.

If you took off the top, female, part of the hinge it would only be supported in one place by the lower female component.

Are you sure there's no aftermarket provider?

[tanshi]

there may be an after market provider but this link will give you an idea on how you could go about it

http://www.nitromax.nl/SAMHINGES.HTM

[Damo]

tanshi wrote:

there may be an after market provider but this link will give you an idea on how you could go about it

http://www.nitromax.nl/SAMHINGES.HTM

Yep that's how most people do it. There is an aftermarket option, http://www.zuk-n-ovations.com/pages/body/body_billet_hinges.html but at US$269 I would be cutting the existing ones!!

[RobJ]

How safe and how legal is if you do it yourself?

I would have thought that losing what is effectively half of the hinge would put too much strain on the remaining half considering doors are so freaking heavy!

Also, is an altered hinge likely to get you a defect?

[tanshi]

i would say reasonably safe, but you would have to speak to your local transport authority for legalites.

Im planning on drilling out my LJ hinges and putting a removable pin in with r clip to secure it.

[lump_a_charcoal]

The door is only heavy when open...

[weaves]

my doors would be lucky to weigh ten kilo's with the glass in it.

buy a second set of hinges and have a go at it yourself, if you don't like it. swap it back over. Its a very simple thing to do. The hardest part would be romoving the screws if you haven't recently or haven't got a impact driver.

weaves

[morpheus]

i cut the hinges and asked a police officer what he thought of me removing the doors and replacing them with half/tube doors with an external skin, he said he'd be ok with it if it looked like a good job, i did cut my hinges while still on the car by using a DREMAL like in the link above, you can cut the top hinge pin level with the hinge part thats attached to the car, but the bottom one needs to be a bit shorter because of the way the hinge sits inside the panel. the door didnt drop at all when i did this..

[want33s]

weaves wrote:

The hardest part would be romoving the screws if you haven't recently or haven't got a impact driver.

weaves

That's a good way to smash driver bits and put dents in panels....
I use a hammer and cold chisel... Strike downwards at 12 o'clock position to put a notch in screw and then angle chisel towards 2 o'clock and turn screw anti clockwise. Might damage screw but WILL work and will not dent panels.

I can do a video if needed.
Jas.

[weaves]

want33s wrote:

weaves wrote:

The hardest part would be romoving the screws if you haven't recently or haven't got a impact driver.

weaves

That's a good way to smash driver bits and put dents in panels....
I use a hammer and cold chisel... Strike downwards at 12 o'clock position to put a notch in screw and then angle chisel towards 2 o'clock and turn screw anti clockwise. Might damage screw but WILL work and will not dent panels.

I can do a video if needed.
Jas.

Dents where the last thing i worry about with my zook(not that i did removing the screws), but anyone worried about dents should probably follow want33s advice. It sounds nice and simple to do.

weaves

[Nik]

I cut the top off mine 10 years ago and the only problem was the pin would loosen, so I had to tack weld it to the hinge.
Also when you cut the pin make either the top or the bottom 1 longer so you can start 1 then line up the other rather than lining up 2 at once.
I can get a pic if needed but once you look at it its easy.
@ sets is great to change between full and half doors
Nik

[Damo]

I put the nose of the impact driver on my rattle gun.

It got a couple out then shattered the bit.

[shep]

Damo wrote:

I put the nose of the impact driver on my rattle gun.

It got a couple out then shattered the bit.

thats how i do it as well. #3 impact bits are $3.50 at my local tool shop.

[foolsp33d]

i pulled out the grinder and cut a groove big enough to fit a big flat head in and undone em then replaced them with Allen Key head alternatives.......

[Damo]

shep wrote:

Damo wrote:

I put the nose of the impact driver on my rattle gun.

It got a couple out then shattered the bit.

thats how i do it as well. #3 impact bits are $3.50 at my local tool shop.

See Shep, you're not the only rough bastard

[appsie]

i use the hammer and chisel method,works fine.

aerenandmel off here,his brother had the half hinges on his zook with linch pins.From memory had a cut bottom hinge,and still a full top hinge but with the linch pin through where the stock pin goes.Was quick to unclip

[RobJ]

When i took the hinges off a while ago i just used the fattest Philips head that would fit, with a pair of large vice grips clamped onto it. Worked a treat.

[esky]

i tap the bit in with a hammer and use a 1/2 inch rachet to break them.

[Nik]

I undone mine with a chisel and hammer.
Heres a close up pic of it cut,

Nik

[zukenutter]

Impact driver is a pretty good way to loosen the screws, just don't miss with the hammer. Not that hard.

I cut the top off my hinges on my last sierra and often would strip it down to drive around town with no doors and windscreen folded flat. Was very "Willys Jeep'ish" With the wind rushing over the bonnet anything over 60km would blow your eyes out of their sockets. I'm sure it was illegal having the doors off, but lots of fun. Off roaded with the doors off too.

I just cut the top 3rd off both hinges which lets the part attached to the door, slide up and off the pin of the part of the hinge attached to the car. Was plenty strong enough too.

[zukenutter]

Nik wrote:

I undone mine with a chisel and hammer.
Heres a close up pic of it cut,

Nik

That's exactly how mine looked but I rounded the corner off with a file to give it a neater look.

[Nik]

meh neat lol
Oh and its legal in nsw to drive doorless as long as your model dosnt have side intrusion bars (think only coilys have this) and you attatch mirrors.
I spoke to the rta tech line and they said yes and when I said I wanted it in writting so I dont have to argue on the side of the road they said you can download it off the website.
I havnt bothered yet tho its still to cold at 6am..
Nik

[Hybrid]

I did mine a couple years back and never had a problem with the weight or door not closing etc. Make sure you make the bottom hinge pin longer than the top. It makes it much easier to slot the door on that with them both the same