Door Hinge Modifications

[Tim Jobson]

Well things are slowly progressing with my 105 resto work.    I have just fitted some new bushes to all the door hinges and was wondering if anyone in the past had modified the hinges to accept a grease point.   I image a grease nipple could be fitted in the middle of the hinge and once greased, removed and plugged so that there were no interference issues when the door was closed?

Speaking of relubing bushes, how often do members regrease the clutch and brake pedal bushes?

You can see I have begun to add new metal sections to the rusted front sections of the middle sills, managed to buy a second had mig welder, so far so good.    I have POR15 both inner, middle and inside of the outer sill, I will also fish oil everywhere I can after all the welding is complete to protect those areas affected by welding process.   That should keep the rust demons at bay for ages!

Cheers for now.,

Tim

[Thmpar]

The best setup i have seen was very similar to yours but was a factory fit to an early Reily.
the nipple goes in the top of the pin and grease comes out through a hole in between the bushes.

[alfagtv100 (Biggus)]

Hi Tim,

I recently added a hinge repair kit from Classic Alfa.  It includes 4 brass bushes and a 2x pins.  I was advised that brass has self lubricating properties, so hinges wont require future greasing.  Unfortunately, I didn't ask for more info, as I was preoccupied with trying not to drag the door across the 1/4 panel at the time.
I still drowned the hinges in spray lube.

Anyway, just a thought to initiate some heated debate amongst the club members.

Cheers,

Marco.

[1750GTV]

Hi Tim,

I recently added a hinge repair kit from Classic Alfa.  It includes 4 brass bushes and a 2x pins.  I was advised that brass has self lubricating properties, so hinges wont require future greasing.  Unfortunately, I didn't ask for more info, as I was preoccupied with trying not to drag the door across the 1/4 panel at the time.
I still drowned the hinges in spray lube.

Anyway, just a thought to initiate some heated debate amongst the club members.

Cheers,

Marco.

Tim,
Glad to see your getting on with it.
As to the hinges, I have to agree with Marco - I rebuilt all four several years ago using brass bushes and the drivers side hasn't squeaked or sagged in the slightest though I did coat the bushes with a veneer of grease prior to assembly. The passenger side is still as new because virtually no one uses that door ....
In general, brass has very good lubricant properties for this type of application because it is a relatively soft and low friction alloy - these two properties are determined by the copper/zinc proportions in the alloy. The long bush that supports the drop arm at the bottom of the steering box is sintered brass as are the bushes in the pedal box on our RHD cars. When I overhauled these a while ago, neither were worn after many years of service.
If you do put in a removeable nipple, it would be an idea to fashion some sort of plug as well so the dirt and grime don't get in when the nipple is removed.
Regards,
Chris

[Tim Jobson]

Thanks guys, I suppose modern car doors do not have grease points so it is not really an issue.

I presume the problem of hinge wear is more pronounced with the 105s because they are not only a heavier door but it is the owner using the door as an arm rail when getting into and out of the car, applying their weight on the bushes would not help.

I will dose up the bushes with grease on assembly and then try to regularly spray grease near the bushes to assist in reducing wear- as well as keeping my weight of the door!

Cheers
Tim