Door Hinge Repair Wood Frame 27'

[40-Torpedo]

Hello all -Here is my 1927 Buick that has been in a barn since 1940 when the distributor broke. It was then purchased from the original owner by my friend in 1970 and moved to his shop where it has sat since then. The wood frame of the body is amazingly solid and I cant really see a reason to replace any of the wood. However when my friend bought it he decided to "fix' the holes on the screws for the door hinges. He drilled them out and placed plugs in them. This could certainly work with re-drilling, but I was wondering if anyone has used these brass threaded inserts? The great part is the 1/4 bolt has the exact taper for the door hinge, however I fear that the wood is not very pliable and I don't want to split it when screwing in the insert. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated 

[Bloo]

If it is possible to get to the back side, I think I would make a nut-plate and use bolts (3) all the way through. Perhaps fasten the plate on the inside with a tiny screw, so it cant fall down if the bolts are removed.

 

For what its worth, on some Fisher bodies just a little bit newer, one of the three is a bolt going all the way through to a t-nut.

 

Nut inserts like the ones in your picture can work well in solid hardwood (they are sometimes used in maple on guitar necks for instance), but I would expect old body wood to be brittle. I wouldn't want to strain it any more than necessary.

Edited September 14, 2018 by Bloo (see edit history)

[RatFink255]

Welcome to the form glad to see another project getting started. I would agree with Bloo making a plate that would be the size of the three holes square so that the pressure would be distributed across the wood should be safer to prevent cracking or splitting. You could also use large area washers one for each screw nut combo. If you need to grinde the area washers on the side so they all fit nicely in the triangle pattern. If you go the nut combo my opinion would to use a fiber lock nut so it does not potentially loosen as the door is used. Just my two cents.

Edited September 14, 2018 by RatFink255 (see edit history)

[40-Torpedo]

Perfectly understandable solutions!  Thanks so much! I like the nut plate idea. The only portion that will not work is on the upper hinges of the front, though there are three hinges to work with on those doors. Two should suffice for the extra strength and use wood screws on the upoer. 

[Hubert_25-25]

If the wood plugs are good, I would  just use a new wood screw.  Punch the centerhole so you keep things aligned.  If the screw holds tight you are done. If it pulls out you can always epoxy another plug in.  Or go up one size on the screw diameter or length.  

[JoelsBuicks]

Torpedo, I have used the inserts for this very application on a ‘36 Buick.  It was new wood.  They work very well if the wood is good.  I hope you have the T handle made to insert them as it is needed for good alignment.  Also, make sure you drill the hole large enough as these inserts can’t enlarge a hole.

[McCargar]

On my '26 I used "T nuts" which worked well and stay in place when you took the screws out.

[Barney Eaton]

The "T" nuts work fine and stay in place, but you may want to counterbore for the threaded part and that might be difficult in tight places.

The steel plates take a little more work to make and a little glue or RTV on the back will hold them if you take out all the screws.

[1929 pontiac coupe man]

this is a tough one it's what you want it to look like you may have to remove the sheet metal covering the door jam i have talked to a friend of mine he suggested if the wood is solid to drill and tap the old broken screws to back them out or just drill out the whats left and plug them with some very hard large dowels so you can red rill and then rethread the wood for nos screws unless you can find some original and have them replated i have seen where there is dryrot  and they just remove and make a new insert piece then epoxy glue it in the refinish the hole area then match the paint and red rill for new hinge screws it all up to what you want and your i always before trying to remove used a penetrating oil for a few days to let it soak in it is what you want 

[Hubert_25-25]

I don't understand why you don't just put a wood screw back into the hole that has a wood dowel installed in it.  If this were a door jamb in your house, this would be the perfect fix.  This application is no different.  Anything else is just overthinking the solution.   The original wood screws were slotted flat head.  Phillips was not used yet on cars, same with a hex head.  You can order slotted flat head screws and bolts from Bolt Depot, or lots of other places.  Do use a good new screwdriver, and don't overtighten the screw, just as you would have done many years ago.    Hugh

Edited September 20, 2018 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history)

[ROD W]

These doors are very heavy. Even the tourer,s hinges  had  two bolts going through the wood  and baking plate. Attached to this was the brace going down to main timber sill and a brace to the firewall.   This all prevented the door from sagging. This bracket was also bolted to the metal dash panel to stop side movement.  I know the sedan is different to the tourer,  but the doors are much heavier  and I am sure there would be some sort of bracing to the firewall and floor.  I would give that middle hinge extra bracing to be safe. You wouldn,t want the door falling off.

Edited September 20, 2018 by ROD W (see edit history)

[Hubert_25-25]

Adding a backing plate or a T nut is the way to go if you have the room.  There is no way to pull it thru the hole.  The brass screw in threaded nut does not provide a significant improvement over just using a screw.

[40-Torpedo]

Thanks again for all the angles of consideration! This is what makes this a great forum is the ability to get many different opinions of a solution. After pulling back a layer of the window track felt it revealed that one out of the three screws for the upper rear door mounts was an actual bolt. I don't know if this was a modification or not. But I found it interesting to find the recess in the wood and the area where the nut originally rested. However as stated the doors are quite heavy, hence my inquisition as to a door hinge mount solution that exceeded the original screws. Right now, as access to the back of the wood is readily and easily available on the rear doors and the two lower hinges on the front. At this point I still plan to fabricate a nut plate and affix the doors with bolts and the upper front door hing with screws.

I can take merit for keeping it original in design, but I bought the Buick without the intention of making this a 100 point restoration. Instead I want to make it a runner to enjoy for at least another 30 years.

[Bloo]

8 minutes ago, 40-Torpedo said:

After pulling back a layer of the window track felt it revealed that one out of the three screws for the upper rear door mounts was an actual bolt.

 

That was standard Fisher practice by 1936, so it is likely they were doing it all the way back in 1927 when your car was made. .

 

In 1936, the nut was a t-nut with holes that was nailed in place. The modern t-nut with spikes shown above is functionally identical, it just looks slightly different.