S1 Door Hinge Saga

[My S1]

After reading through the many old posts regarding sagging doors and worn hinges I am hoping to solicit the definitive word on hinge repair from all of you experienced experts. I have about .040" of slop in my door bobbins and as far as I can deduce there are two proper fixes;

1.   Replace the bobbins.  Has anyone out there actually ground out the old ones and fitted new precision drilled units?  The top seems to be relatively easily accessible on the S1 through the ball vent and I.P. openings once removed however the bottom rocker bobbins must be serviced from outside of the rocker.

2.   SJ Sportscars offers (or did in the past...I'm looking into that) stainless bobbin sleeves.  This seems like a great solution but how would I accurately drill or reem out the bobbins?  Also, they have a collar that should be set flush.  Has anyone used these sleeves?

[Clifton]

I used the Banks door hinges on an S2. There are incredibly easy to adjust. If there is sag latter on, you can quickly and easily adjust that too. I have a vid on youtube putting a pre adjusted door back on in a like a minute.

[My S1]

Clifton,   we would all like to see your video.  I too have devised a quick system after allot of frustration.  I am sticking with my relatively new R.D. hinges but I need to replace/restore/repair the bobbins.

[Clifton]

Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVGllr0Efbg

edit. I did the video not to show adjustment but how easy it is to take on and off if doing body/paint.

The only adjustment needed after a reinstall is height and that is under 1 minute. Getting the in/out and tilt takes time just like all door hinges but with Banks, those settings don't get changed when remving or raising/lowering.

[BDA]

I vote for Banks (Lotus Supplies) hinges too. I’m not sure they are easier to adjust but I’ve never used the stock type hinges so I have nothing to compare (I’ve spent hours on my passenger door and it’s just ok but that may say more about me than the hinges!). A big advantage is that they allow you to take the door off and put it back on and the only adjustment you’ll need to do is height, which is the easiest.

I might note that Kelvedon has a hinge kit similar to the Lotus Supplies kit but it's made of stainless steel rather than the Lotus Supplie's brass. They are also a bit more expensive. I think I would prefer the Lotus Supplies kit not only because it's cheaper but because of a concern, that is probably not warranted, about the stainless steel galling.

[TurboFource]

https://www.lotuscorps.org/wp/truing-up-the-body-fit-on-a-1973-lotus-europa-part-2/

He sleeves the bobbins ...

[BDA]

Would it be better to sleeve the bobbins? Yeah but I think some good moly grease on the hinge pins would go a long way to preserve your bobbins. Of course, that assumes your bobbins are in good shape. I believe they should take a 1/2" pin or the hole in the bobbin is 1/2". You should

A story: When I built my car, it had about 10,000 miles on it so the bobbins were very fresh. I bought Richard's hinge kits when I was building my car and when I got them, they didn't fit! He sized his "pin" size to take into account expected wear so I had to have mine turned down a little. I would suggest you measure the size of the hole in the bobbin to see where you are and then decide if you want to sleeve your bobbins.

Of course, if you get the Banks-style hinge kits, and decide not to sleeve your bobbins, you can always sleeve them later with a "minimum" of fuss!

[Fotog]

https://www.lotuscorps.org/wp/truing-up-the-body-fit-on-a-1973-lotus-europa-part-2/

He sleeves the bobbins ...

I haven't done it, but I think this is very worthwhile to consider.

[My S1]

It seems as though the hinge system like all elements of the Europas is inconsistent (at best) from year to year or day to day.  I am going to machine some ss  sleeves.  I believe that a maximum tolerance of plus .010" or less needs to be achieved for a tight fit. 

Any suggestions for precisely boring out the bobbins in situ?

[TurboFource]

Reamer?

[Richard48Y]

I am thinking oillite bronze?

[AC460234]

What about Delrin with a very thin shoulder like a washer on the top, easy to machine .

[Clifton]

Moly grease is good. You can get a small tube of Honda Moly pretty cheap. I finished my car in 2019 and have had no problems with the door hinges but I have had to spray the door latches a few times.

[GavinT]

It seems as though the hinge system like all elements of the Europas is inconsistent (at best) from year to year or day to day.  I am going to machine some ss  sleeves.  I believe that a maximum tolerance of plus .010" or less needs to be achieved for a tight fit. 

Any suggestions for precisely boring out the bobbins in situ?

The link Turbo provided shows a pic of his alignment method which seems reasonable. You could install the pin temporarily, too, instead of the masking tape.

And I reckon 'reasonable' is likely the best that can be hoped for given the decidedly non rigid arrangement.
If we imagine the weight of the door when fully open, the left/right loads on the bobbins will be different to when the door is closed - yes, it's recognised the door catch will hold the door but it, too, is set with the door under fore/aft load.

A mate of mine used a complicated reamer set up to hold alignment between the body bobbins. That seemed more complex than the situation demanded to me, so I'm not convinced you couldn't just use an extended drill and rely on a brass sleeve epoxied in. Devcon would be adequate for this IMHO.
That's just what I'd do.

Also, one of our members here (can't remember who?) used a method of fixing the pin relative to the body so as to eliminate rotation of the pin in the body bobbins.

[TurboFource]

Nyliner bearings are inexpensive.... https://www.mcmaster.com/products/nylon-bearings/easy-install-dry-running-flanged-sleeve-bearings/