Rebuild time

[spegru]

Mine is yellow and I think the first one that Peter Powell did back in 97,
Also the only one I know of with wind up windows!
Anyway after ~7 years since last development (rehanging the doors, correctly off the body - no chassis mounting.......) I've decided an upgrade is in order and am in process of swapping 1.8 silver top zetec on carbs, for a 2.0 black top with omex injection. I'm hoping for a ~50bhp power increase, but If it starts reliably I will consider that success!
Might get round to finishing off the heater too!

Hope to be at Stoneleigh with it!

[PeteC]

I've yet to hang my doors, how did you do yours and why hang off the body and not the chassis?
Pete..

[stylussprinter]

All early Stylus's had door hinges attached to the body where the hinge tubes come through . Then it was decided to hang off the chassis because many peoples doors sagged after time. However , mine were hung off the chassis and after 10yrs -- yes , they sag a bit , enough to rub the paint off the shutting sill . So those huge heavy over engineered hinges didn't stop the doors sagging PLUS my car's at least 10lbs heavier with them and I can't get at them to remove them
A bit of reinforcing on the back of that f/glass would likely be as good or bad

[spegru]

I knew someone would ask that!
I remember discussing door sag with Peter Powell - we disagreed!
My opinion is that the original hinges sagged because of flex within the door itself (within the inner skin) and at the door pillar because it was effectively mounted onto the middle of a flat plate with little stiffness. This is made worse due to the distance between the hinge pivot and the hinge mounting points on the inner door skin, and th e fact that the to and bottom hinges can move independently. If you move the door up and down you can see the inner door skin flexing.

I redesigned the hinges so that the two parts are connected together right in the corner of the body (inside the door pillar) and the corner of the door (just inside the outer skin) - just like a normal car really!
Because both pillar and door have corners where the hinges attach and because the top and bottom are connected rigidly, they are much stronger and don't sag.
The problem with Peter's chassis mounted design is that the door itself is just as weak as before.

To be honest the doors still move a bit but that's only because the hinge pivot bolts are a bit loose to avoid the door being too stiff. I should have put washers in between!

Got a whole bunch of pics here in a zip file (also showing the windup windows).
As you can see it was reasonably extensive surgery on the door pillars, but easiiy filled in. The hinges were made from angle iron stuff from B&Q, plus a small bit of welding. Need a better pic of that really but I havn't got one.
However I've just found the the original drawings - also in the zip.

Blinkin' eck I just checked the date of the door modding pics (in photo data, not file properties as that has today's date due to being copied onto a new PC)
10 years ago!! (I was an early adopter of digi photos)

(edited to add the point about top and bottom hinge movements being fixed together or not)

[spegru]

did the zip file upload?

[stylussprinter]

No it hasn't so perhaps you didn't complete the process ie. browse --- upload --- add the file then submit , which is out of site till you schroll down

[MattD]

I think you can only upload photos/images - don't think it allows docs, zips, exe, pdf, etc.

[spegru]

can't seem to attach a 3.3mb zip file!
trying a few at a time.....

Note that the aluminium plate you can see is purely cosmetic - used to hide the old holes. I should probably fill them in and repaint...

[stylussprinter]

Looks a good solution if not too heavy and the bolts were cropped off . I'm wondering what happens at 100mph with the wind up windows --- do they stay pressed onto the windscreen piller OR splay outwards allowing air , grit and flies etc to aim for your eyes

[PeteC]

As Rob said,that looks like a good solution. My car will be mainly road, so a little bit of weight for the sake of a good fitting door does not bother me. I have gone for a flip front on mine and worry that the door pillar would no longer be strong enough as the panel in front is now rather short!! I am in the process of making reinforced fillets for the bonnet to land on, so this should bring back some strength and rigidity but I am wondering if brackets could be made to tie the body, the hinges and the chassis all together. If I understand your description, this would stop the body sagging relative to the chassis?
Pete

[flipper123]

hey i have removed my dash to redesign it and i have taken it for a quick spin whist the dash was out. i have noticed that the body bounces up and down when i hit a rough bit of road is this normal or have any of you guys found this too cheers from craig

[stylussprinter]

hey i have removed my dash to redesign it and i have taken it for a quick spin whist the dash was out. i have noticed that the body bounces up and down when i hit a rough bit of road is this normal or have any of you guys found this too cheers from craig

It definitely shouldn't do that . There should be two bolts going through the gutter of the outer body fixing it directly to the inner tub which you fitted onto the chassis first. That inner tub should also be bonded to the outer body either with fibre glass or Sikaflex where it touches . Then the open corners each side of the dash/door piller area should be bonded with triangular bits of fibre glass .
Mine is very stiff and nothing moves at all .

[spegru]

The wind ups do stay closed at speed. The pics are a bit out of date - these days there is a bit of steel channel running up the front of the window edge. It is rivetted to the door and acts as a window channel. Can get new pics and details of that if anyone is interested

The hinge parts are probably lighter than the originals in fact!

[PeteC]

Always interested in pictures, files or any info that might help!!
Thanks Pete

[stylussprinter]

Build manual -- listed under RE-BUILD PROGRESS & MODS Many answers to lots of questions that arise on the forum can be found on this manual -- including Tim's latest lightweight tube door hinge that replaced Peter P's very heavy designed item that I fitted

It's on page 40 of the manual guys