Front doors tricky question

[galaxian]

Hello,

I was planning for a while to replace both my R4 front doors because they are in a very poor state.
I finally found 2 front doors in excellent condition and at a very reasonable price but unfortunately these are after 79 model, which means that the hinges are placed inside the doors. On my R4 the hinges are placed outside (protruding from the car).

Before I go on an buy them i'd like to know if anyone has ever tried to fit such doors on an older model and if yes what is the mod to do. (drill holes on the door colums, or solder my hinges on the new doors).

Any info on this matter would be much apreciated.
Thanks in advance

Galaxian

 

[gpovanman]

Bear one thing in mind. I fitted new rubbers to the doors of my R4 last year, and they have never shut right since. I do not know whether the rubber was the wrong one, but the point is that doors are a bit of a science in themselves...

 

[galaxian]

I fitted new rubbers also last year.
Very tedious work....The truth is that for the first 2 months the doors were difficult to close, and then it went well together.
Perhaps the rubber you chose was wrong shape or to stiff. I think that Renault used a special quality of "foam-rubber", difficult to find anymore.

By the way...anyone any feedback for my hinge question ?

Rgds

 

[La Poste]

I've never tried it, but I would have thought it must be possible with a little bit of skill and ingenuity. It might be worth getting the doors, because it's always useful to have spares (if you have space for storing them) and you can guarantee that if you do buy them you'll then find a set of perfect doors with the earlier hinges...

Incidentally, if my memory serves me correctly the hinges were changed for the 1983 model year (at the same time as the dashboard and handbrake), not 1979 - not that it makes any difference to your original question.

 

[galaxian]

Merci mon ami pour les infos.
Yes I think you are right 83 it is....my mistake

Philippe
(Galaxian)

 

[La Poste]

I remember the days when most of the doors you found in scrapyards were the old type, and I remember throwing away (!) a set of near perfect 1960s doors (much better quality metal, and no rust) because I had nowhere to store them. Now that I have the storage space you don't often see them for sale... Life is so unfair!