extending doorstraps
Posted: Mon Jul 18, 2022 15:52
To improve the acces under the dash on my '85 Excel I thought it would be smart to increase the door opening angle. Naturally this turned into a project.
1) to get at the m6 bolt on the doorbeam without taking the whole works apart I added an extra 40mm hole to the door, with a flat ratcheting spanner this gave me just enough access to get fingers in and the bolt in and out.
2) I cut the bracket and made it about 6mm longer by welding in a piece. This is when you find out there is a plastic washer captive in the pivot hole as it melted.
3) The slot in the bracket also had to be extended (or the door won't close) , I drilled a hole and clleaned up with a file
4) The bushing on the 6mm bolt had worn a lot so I made a new one
5) ofcourse the spring had broken, and I didn't have any 1/8" spring steel laying around. So I made my own by twisting 3 stainless butted (the cold worked butted section is pretty high tensile) bicycle spokes to form a single strand. Seems to work okay for now
1) to get at the m6 bolt on the doorbeam without taking the whole works apart I added an extra 40mm hole to the door, with a flat ratcheting spanner this gave me just enough access to get fingers in and the bolt in and out.
2) I cut the bracket and made it about 6mm longer by welding in a piece. This is when you find out there is a plastic washer captive in the pivot hole as it melted.
3) The slot in the bracket also had to be extended (or the door won't close) , I drilled a hole and clleaned up with a file
4) The bushing on the 6mm bolt had worn a lot so I made a new one
5) ofcourse the spring had broken, and I didn't have any 1/8" spring steel laying around. So I made my own by twisting 3 stainless butted (the cold worked butted section is pretty high tensile) bicycle spokes to form a single strand. Seems to work okay for now