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MG MGB Technical - Rolled into garage wall with door open

I put plates on my 80 LE MGB last night for the first time this year. Somehow, through my own stupidity/carelessness, the car rolled out of my garage while the driver side door was open while I was attaching a jump start kit.

Amazingly, the car was stopped by the door which saved more potential damage had it actually left the garage un-man'd.

Unfortunately, the door now hits the fender while being opened and the paint has now chipped off and the door is still rubbing the fender.

The door is also a little tougher to get the latch to open, though it could just be another year old so that may not be related.

Is there any way to adjust the hinges or does anyone have a suggestion on what might have bent and how to bend it back?

I'm sure the car was going under 2 mph when this happened.
Jeff Grant

I did the same thing with my MGB several years ago.

You've probably sprung the hinges....I did.

Which means you will probably have to replace the hinges.

I have a pair if this is what's occurred...let me know.
Rick Ingram

Can you explain what "sprung the hinges" means? I don't know how they work on this car as it's somewhat hidden inside the fender.

My paint was pretty much flawless, now it's scraped off for about 2 inches of the fender where it meets the door... should be fun finding a match considering it's not the OE color.
Jeff Grant

Sprung...hyper-extended.

Think of your knee or elbow being opened out straight...then continuing past the point of no return.

I'm working today, bu will try to remember to go out to the barn when I get home and snap a picture of a hinge for you. It's held onto the body with the screws you see from the cockpit PLUS a nut on the back side inside the fender.

Rick Ingram

Yup, been there, did that.
New hinges it is plus a little body work
Bruce Mills

Okay, I think I understand now about the whole hyper-extended thing. I cringe at the thought of pulling the fender just to get at some nuts. Can you tell me that I don't have to remove the fender?

My B is no longer an OE color, had it changed from black when I had it de-rusted about 9 years ago. So I'm very concerned that I will end up with black showing if I have to R&R the fender.

Is your pair of hinges, Rick, for the driver's side? How much do you want shipped to a commercial address in 01581?

I have a 71 MGB parts car. Looking at Moss/VB, it appears the hinges are the same from 62 through 76 and 77 through 80. How different is the 71 from the 80 and could I *make it work* with minimal fabrication effort?
Jeff Grant

Yes...I have hinges for either side....but....if you already have a parts car, you culd use them and save yourself a little money.

If you take the splash panel off from inside the fender, you should be able to see where the hinge bolts are located. It will probably take an impact hammer to loosen the screws inside the jam...and you may need to drill them out.

I'll look at my parts car and shoot a couple of pics. Also get back to you regarding price if you decide to go that route.

Good luck!

rick
Rick Ingram

As I mentioned in my last reply. Moss/VB list the 62 through 76 as a different hinge part number than the 77 through 80. My MGB is an 80.

So I don't know the difference between the 71 parts car I have and the 80. Can anyone help with this?

As far as needing an impact hammer goes to get the screws to loosen, that'd surely require my removal of the fender. Which I would not be looking forward to at all due to the color change!
Jeff Grant

I'll have to look at the hinges I have. As for the impact hammer... the screws are visible when the door is open...you do not have to remove the fender to get at them..NOR do you have to remove the fender to get to the nut on the back of the hinge. The splash panel comes off...some liberal doses of PB Blaster or similar, and a socket/extension/ratchet combination should remove the nut nicely.

Here is a picture of inside the fender (cutaway for wasy access) . I was standing by the front passenger wheel and shooting to the back of the car.

This car (was) a 1967 MGB/GT

Rick Ingram

Here's a look at the inside of the fender towards the splash panel (still in situ).

Rick Ingram

Here's the hinges off of the 67 GT...the car was originally white and was resprayed green at some point in time.

Rick Ingram

Thanks for the pictures and explanation Rick.

I don't want to pull my hinges till I have replacements... so I'm hoping someone can say just how different they are and if I can use earlier ones in my 80 LE.
Jeff Grant

One of the parts catalogues mentions that you can use early hinges on a later car, the only problem is that they ARE different so you have to change them in pairs. One type was no longer available, at least for a time.

Mike
Mike Standring

Jeff
The later hinges have a spring steel plate on one hinge for each side - I don't think that it matters whether that hinge is on the top or the bottom - which serves to hold the door open once it passes the high point of the plate. Not a good description but the best that I can muster up at present. The earlier hinges have a rubber stop which checks the door at the limit of it's opening travel.
I believe that they are interchangable between models
Peter M (member)
Peter M

I have hinges and wings off my car right now ready to paint in case someone wants photos?
Simon Jansen

This is a bit of a long shot, Rick knows more about it than me, but you might just try resetting the screws in the door where the hinges attach. The "collision" might have just moved the door a little on its hinges. Where the door attaches to the hinges, there are slotted holes. This is so you can move the door forward and backwards, as well as setting the angle of the door. Take off the inside trim of the door. There are 3 screws at the top hinge and 3 at the bottom. If these are originals , they are posi drive ( a sort of mutant phillips). Most often they are replaced with alan keyed screws. You need to move the door back a little. I suggest you don't loosen them all at once. Loosen all but one (bottom) then pivot around that. Tighten, then loosen one at the top pivot etc.
peter s

Peter, he will be lucky if hat is what happened to his hinges. My money in on being sprung...but, it does not take long to take the panel off and give this idea a try...and the panel is going to have to come off in any case.

Jeff...there's your homework! ;)
Rick Ingram

Great information guys!

I have seen the metal spring plate that pops up when the door is fully open. I noticed that for the first time due to this incident.

I will have a look at the adjustment screws to see if any of the paint around them is scraped/mis-aligned. If not, I won't bother trying to adjust it myself as I agree their adjustment is likely minimal and wouldn't cause the door to hit the fender.

I just had 15 yards of loam delivered for a front yard project, so I'm quite busy at the moment. I will definitely try to get to this soon though and get back to you all.
Jeff Grant

I am sure my car has had the same sort of accident in the past. The door skin around the hinge mounting points has been repaired and there are dings in the edge of the A post. The hinges seem OK but one was a little bent out of shape. I simply hammered it back into shape and welded it up and it seems fine. On mine only one hinge each side has the springy metal plates to hold the doors open. It could be the hinges were replaced at some point though. There is a pic of the bent hinge here:
http://www.asciimation.co.nz/pics/page12.html

Simon
Simon Jansen

My bet is that the hinges are sprung,I dont think that you moved the "B" post.Good luck with removing the splash pan bolts,as the nuts are welded on,and could possible twist off.Be sure to spray them with pen. oil
rich osterhout

A little MAPP gas on those splash panel bolts may ease their extraction as well.
Rick Ingram

I haven't forgotten about this. I'm still working on my paver stone walk way which I hope to be done with by the end of this weekend. Then I can have a look at the B hinges.

When I remove the hinges from only the side in question, will it be obvious that they are hyper extended?

Don't want this in the archives before I let you guys know the outcome!
Jeff Grant

Unless the door was bent a long way forwards past the 'stop' you will probably only tell by comparison with a good one. There may also have been some distortion in the door frame which would add to the problem.
Paul Hunt

Jeff,
How has your hinge dilemma ended up? I suffered the same fate last weekend on my '70 GT. I'm having a body shop look at it today, but it seems replacing the hinges is the right answer. I'm more pi**ed that the paint is damaged and since the PO repainted the car with an undisclosed colour, matching it is going to be a real pain. Contact me off line if you like.
Tim
Tim

Oops, mistyped the email address, should be jburston3@cogeco.ca

Tim
Tim

Well, from the pic I looked at, I couldn't tell if this would help. But my friend's wife did the same thing to her van. The body shop put a screwdriver in the hinge with the door open, then forced it closed to bend it back so the door would latch. Maybe this or a different sized shim closed in the hinge somewhere would get the operation a bit closer to normal. Until the proper disassembly, hammer, replace parts, adjust 10 times, paint sequence is convenient.

My friend's option was to replace the door and match paint...$1500, I think the estimate was. She's driving it as is, and they gave the shop $30. At least she doesn't have to hold the door closed all the time!
Tom

This thread was discussed between 03/05/2009 and 04/06/2009

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