People
often refer to the fine build quality of their cars by shutting the doors,
in hopes of generating audible noises like a fine refrigerator door closing
- an ear-pleasing "thud". Otherwise it's just crap... so why mess around?
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Having a E34 5 series BMW gave me a great reference point -
in fact shutting any of those doors gives a pleasing sound better than many
other new cars I've heard and mine is 13 years old. It was with that
"world class" build quality in mind that I went to work on Stella's doors.
It started last summer when I was gutting the entire car that I examined how
the doors came apart. Over time many components of the doors rusted in
place, wore out from use or degraded from the elements of being outdoors. I
spent many hours reviewing the parts microfiche and bought the parts I felt
were required to make the doors as good as new. I sent everything I took out
that I could to be recycled by bead blasting and cad plating. That planning
has started to pay off now in the assembly, making everything much easier to
put back together and wherever possible, eliminate or greatly delay the
effects of weather on the car over the next 30 or so years.
Putting the doors back together can be a challenge if not done in the right
order. Yes they do work like a Rubic's cube, so learn from my experience
here! |
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So this is the end result of testing all the parts together
for the first time on the driver side door. You will note that I have
included the installation of a electronic door lock lifter mechanism in the
lower left hand side of the door. That complete installation "how-to" will
be covered in a future article. I took these pictures prior to adding
the rubberized undercoating to the bottom section of the inside of the door,
as you will see as we make progress on these parts.
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DOORS: The steps are as follows - |
1)
carefully clean, replace or paint every component first
2) assemble the parts into logical groups that work together
3) test fit the items before tightening up the fasteners
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These door latch mechanisms are fairly straightforward and
usually need a good cleaning. |
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I used Brakleen from CRC to douse the part and use a wire
bristled toothbrush for cleaning. Any corrosion is removed with a tiny wire
wheel using a Dremel. |
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On the face I used some silver Rust-O-Leom paint since this
part will show through the door edge. In this photo I have shown the grey
"corn kernel" that fits over the latch mechanism. These are cheap - buy new
ones - they really make a big difference. |
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Ok, here is the finished assembly, including the rubber guide
strip and plated covers. This is the part that meshes with the door strike
plate when the door is closed. Those guide strip and covers are only a few
dollars new and like the other new parts mentioned, make the car sound as
good as new. |
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Here the long black rod is attached to the door opening
assembly. These are marked L (driver) or R (passenger) and are two mirror
image assemblies. Add on the door lock button also. Together these are
connected and slid into the door through the large, lower opening in the
bottom of the door and fastened by starting at the door latch assembly first
with 2 phillips screws and two hex screws, then the 2 8mm bolts that hold
the latch handle assembly to the door. |
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Heres the view looking the other way. Note that I've added
little rubber o-rings to these locations of the rods to make sure they stay
nice and snug with the assembly and have no chance to work loose when I'm
done. |
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Ok, now it should look like this on the outside. |
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