Removing front doors that won't open all the way, suggestions?

I found a very clean pair of '95 doors at a local salvage yard but the dumb dumbs that placed the cars put them so close together that I can't get the doors open all the way. My thoughts were to knock the pins but I don't think I have enough room. Cut the hinges maybe? Don't know if my batteries would last long enough. Pull the fenders? Don't really want to pull the front clip .... And they won't move the car either. Ideas?

I would go to the dumb dumbs boss or owner and tell them you have $$$ in your pocket to give them for those doors. But they need to drag it back, so you can open the doors and remove. If that doesn't work, don't know what will.

Or offer the dumb dumbs a few $$$ to drag it back, not much though. Maybe $5.

Tom

Pull the fenders.

silverfox103 wrote:

I would go to the dumb dumbs boss or owner and tell them you have $$$ in your pocket to give them for those doors. But they need to drag it back, so you can open the doors and remove. If that doesn't work, don't know what will.

Or offer the dumb dumbs a few $$$ to drag it back, not much though. Maybe $5.

Tom

Thought of that but this is a yard that puts all the cars up on old wheels and the wheels are off of the RM.


A lot of work to pull the fenders. But they are super nice, loaded doors. I might be able to pull the bolts out of the wheel-well and door jamb and gently pull the back of the fender out enough to get the hinge bolts without pulling the front of the fender loose.

Seems cutting the hinge would be fastest but my DeWalt batteries aren't what they used to be.

Then use a hole saw to drill through the fenders to the hinge bolts, then remove the bolts.

Otherwise loosen the fenders and ease them out.

sherlock9c1 wrote:

Then use a hole saw to drill through the fenders to the hinge bolts, then remove the bolts.

Otherwise loosen the fenders and ease them out.

I couldn't bring myself to destroy the fenders. Even though they will end up getting crushed......

so,. pull the fenders,.
pull the doors,.
sell the fenders,.
keep the doors,.

nick

ps they use a forklift to move shells around,.

It's a junkyard. They all have front end loaders that can pick up entire cars. Just ask them to move the car for you.

jayoldschool wrote:

It's a junkyard. They all have front end loaders that can pick up entire cars. Just ask them to move the car for you.

I will ask but the car is in the middle of the row and they place the cars from the side. They would have to move several cars to get to it and I got the impression they didn't want to go out of their way to help me. I'll just load up the sawzall, batteries, hole saw, etc. and do what I have to to get the doors. Might be a sacrifice of some panels but......

I've done that before. Just tell them you need to get to the car to pull the doors and they'll move the other ones for you.

Done that before, took the guy there a few minutes to get a car out of the middle of an isle.

Fenders are not that hard to pull, and the idiots at the yard may damage the doors when moving the car. the bolts for the doors at the hinges are harder to work with than removing the fender, unless you have a special wrench.

You do not have to take the fenders. Maybe someone else will appreciate the fender removal. Take a friend, because you have to move the hood , and it is awkward (or just push it to the ground, and do not worry about it).

Fred Kiehl wrote:

Fenders are not that hard to pull, and the idiots at the yard may damage the doors when moving the car. the bolts for the doors at the hinges are harder to work with than removing the fender, unless you have a special wrench.

You do not have to take the fenders. Maybe someone else will appreciate the fender removal. Take a friend, because you have to move the hood , and it is awkward (or just push it to the ground, and do not worry about it).

I will be flying solo so the hood will have to be dealt with. I, too, was concerned with damage to the doors if they tried to move the car and I know the "easy" way to get things done at the yards but I just hate seeing nice (very nice in this case) parts get beat up in order to get to something else.

If anyone needs anything from a white/blue leather '95 RM Sedan let me know as I will be going back monday after work to try and save the doors. It looked like the only thing wrong with the car were the missing mirrors and rust in the quarters.

You may find the wheelhouse bolts have broken speed nuts. If so you may be able to just get the fenders away from the hinge bolts far enough to get a crowfoot socket on them. I think they are 15 mm. The easiest way to get the door off by yourself, is to remove the interior, have the window down, and the door closed, then after removing the hinge bolts, grab the door, and unlatch it. They weigh about 85 lbs.so be careful (I shipped one, that is how I know). I use this technique, and I only weigh about 180 (40 lbs. of fat.)

I could use the imitation wood strip on the passenger side door - from your old door - if you have it :-)
Clips to attach it would help too.

s1l1sc wrote:

I could use the imitation wood strip on the passenger side door - from your old door - if you have it :-)
Clips to attach it would help too.

On the door panel? I'm using my old door panels as the new ones are blue. If you mean the outside, my wagon is a WB4, no wood and the doors are from a sedan, no wood either.