Michael Todd Thorpe's Journal
Home Page: Michael Todd Thorpe
Bakersfield, CA, USA
| Total Posts: 38 | Latest Post: 2018-07-19 |
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Interior door pulls
I’ve known for some time that I didn’t want to put the original foam door pulls back into the MG. Not only were they in very bad shape, but I’ve always liked the chrome pulls better.
So I bought some chrome door pulls and then realized, how the heck will I mount them to the doors? The ‘76 pulls had screws and plastic nuts set at a further distance and at an upward angle... but I thought there might be a chance that the door still had stamped holes from the original builds... I was right.
The holes are shaped differently from each other and I looked and looked for nylon nuts that would fit and still accept the #10 screws, and fit tightly. I went about that for months, trying different things, looking for just the right thing. I even considered drilling new holes, or modifying the existing holes. But I wanted to be a good steward and not do anything that wasn’t reversible.
I finally tried a different idea, using a strip of aluminum flashing bent to fit the inside of the door, folded over at the edges to hold it in place, and then speed nuts clipped in place to accept the #10 stainless screws.
A word of caution: be careful with the flashing when you’re working with it, the edges can be sharp!
I think it turned out well.
I’ve known for some time that I didn’t want to put the original foam door pulls back into the MG. Not only were they in very bad shape, but I’ve always liked the chrome pulls better.
So I bought some chrome door pulls and then realized, how the heck will I mount them to the doors? The ‘76 pulls had screws and plastic nuts set at a further distance and at an upward angle... but I thought there might be a chance that the door still had stamped holes from the original builds... I was right.
The holes are shaped differently from each other and I looked and looked for nylon nuts that would fit and still accept the #10 screws, and fit tightly. I went about that for months, trying different things, looking for just the right thing. I even considered drilling new holes, or modifying the existing holes. But I wanted to be a good steward and not do anything that wasn’t reversible.
I finally tried a different idea, using a strip of aluminum flashing bent to fit the inside of the door, folded over at the edges to hold it in place, and then speed nuts clipped in place to accept the #10 stainless screws.
A word of caution: be careful with the flashing when you’re working with it, the edges can be sharp!
I think it turned out well.
The hole spacing. The odd shaped hole is for the original foam handles.
A strip of aluminum flashing, cut to half inch width. I slipped it inside the door and marked the locations.
I used an awl to punch the holes.
The aluminum flashing strip with speednuts clipped in place.
Everything lines up.
Slip the strip inside the door and slightly bend the tabs to hold it in place.
Mount the handle. I used #10 stainless screws.
And then bend the tabs right after everything is in place.
All done. I still have work to do on the door cards, theyll come later.
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