Info needed: Cab 11 Doors

[Owen Evans]

Originally Posted by Bob Carriere

Do you have to buy 4 or can you get one to play with and see how it fits????/

do not forget to take pictures for posting on MLU.

Good luck

The sample hinge arrived yesterday. I haven't yet got round to removing an old hinge from the door, so I used half of one of my broken hinges for comparison. Here goes:

Material thickness: the sample hinge is 5mm thick, as opposed to the originals being 1/8" (3.2mm). This would mean that the slots in both the door frame and back panel will need opening out slightly. The vendor does offer the hinges in 3mm, but I think the added strength of the extra 2mm outweighs any minor modification of the slots.

Hinge length: the sample hinge is 160mm (open). When compared to the developed length of the original hinge part in the photos, it would be necessary to trim approx. 5mm from the edge of the hinge. The 'door' hinge half is shorter, so more material will need to be cut off.

Hinge height: the sample hinge is 50mm tall. My original hinges are approx. 45mm tall. I suspect it will be easier to increase the height of the slots in the door and back panel, rather than cut 2.5mm off the top and bottom of each hinge.

Hinge alignment: as shown in the last two photos, the sample hinge aligns perfectly with the hinge in the original part.

Now the bad bit: the sample hinge has a 'mottled' texture, which makes me suspect that it may be either cast or forged. Not sure how this will stand up to putting the required bend in the 'back panel' half of the hinge. My metal folder won't handle this thickness, but a local fabricator I use should be able to help.

In summary I think this is a workable solution, but it all hinges (arrgh, sorry ) on whether the required bend can be put into the hinge. A purist may want to go with the 3mm hinges, but I believe that the thicker 5mm hinge goes some way to eliminating a weak point on the cab 11/12 doors.

I will post another update on how I get on with putting the required bend into the hinge.

If anybody needs any other photos or measurements, let me know...

Cheers,
Owen.

[Owen Evans]

Couldn't fit this picture on the previous post.....

[Alex van de Wetering]

Owen,

Excellent work! These hinges seem like a good alternative for a common problem on cab 11/12s! Please keep us updated.

Alex

[Bob Carriere]

Hi Owen

Better that it has extra material to work with..... easier to fit by removing material than trying to add to it.

Some heat in bending the hinges should make it easier. The final bend / adjustment will be done when the door is installed on the cab. You will find that the door can be moved right or left simply by inserting a wooden stick on the hinged side and forcing the door closed...... you will always have adjust to more or less center the door in the cab opening and to make sure that the door latch is catching on the front piece to keep the door closed. I made myself some sticks ranging from 12mm to about 16mm and inserted them until I had the proper closing. If you over stretch the hinge you cand hammer it back with a drift pin. Using the wooden shims you can adjust the door up and down by bending the top or bottom hinge as required. No fancy adjustment needed on a cab 11.

The extra thickness should be in your favour for strength....adjust for the thickness carefully with a hand file. Do you have access to the propershape screw replacement...... flat head tapered machine screws???

Keep us posted of your progress.

Bob C