Re: Mini Radford De Ville comes back to life
Posted: Sun Sep 29, 2024 7:55 pm
Parallel to the challenges of the interior, there are of course also "normal" restoration activities. Since both doors were missing on the Radford, I didn't have any hinges. I managed to find a used set, but this had to be overhauled first.
I started by stripping the paint and rust. The hinge pins were of course worn out.
Don't be fooled here. Even hinges that appear to have no play in the hand but feel rather smooth-running usually have play when installed. They should therefore be rather stiff without this being caused by rust. Once the hinges have been painted and fitted, it is particularly annoying if you only then notice play in the hinge.
So I knocked out the hinge bolts and pressed out the bush with a suitable bolt. With a slightly smaller bolt, that fits exactly into the bushing, the new bushing can be pulled in.
I started by stripping the paint and rust. The hinge pins were of course worn out.
Don't be fooled here. Even hinges that appear to have no play in the hand but feel rather smooth-running usually have play when installed. They should therefore be rather stiff without this being caused by rust. Once the hinges have been painted and fitted, it is particularly annoying if you only then notice play in the hinge.
So I knocked out the hinge bolts and pressed out the bush with a suitable bolt. With a slightly smaller bolt, that fits exactly into the bushing, the new bushing can be pulled in.