SE5 Body Doors

Reliant Scimitar SE5 - Doors

Mobirise

For a composite sports car the doors are surprisingly heavy. They can also get surprisingly rusty as the steel reinforcement inserts around the hinge mounts rot within the fibreglass. Read on to find out how to resolve both issues!

Mobirise

Damage to front edge of doors due to rusted metal inserts. The door check straps have pulled through and the fibreglass shell is cracking around the hinges.

Door Strip

First job of course is to strip the door down.

Drivers (RH) door removed ready for stripping.

Door card and furniture had already 'fallen off'.

Approximate starting weight (without hinges): 18.7kg

First item to be removed is the mirror to prevent damage. Simply remove the small grub screw in the base.

The bracket can then be removed.

Large metal plate at the bottom mounts the internal pull handle and the latch operating mechanism.

The door capping trim (the black padded bit) comes off next.

Lift it to reveal pop-rivets. Drill the heads off and tap the rivet bodies out.

Now for the window winder mechanism.

I didn't even bother trying.

Just drill the heads off the plate mounting bolts. The bolt remains just pushed out afterwards.

That just leaves the window and its frame.

Window Frame Removal

Possibly not strictly necessary if you just want to replace your rotten hinge plate but you are likely to want to refurbish the rest of the door anyway.

Window frame mounting bolt locations. Those that don't simply shear off you will probably end up drilling out.

Two at the base of the very front (one missing here).

The heads of the two at the quarterlight position are accessed via slits in the rubber but should be captive anyway.

The corresponding nuts (circled). They are likely to just snap off.
Those long studs in view are from the mirror and are not original.

There are two hiding behind the rubber in the forward window runner.

And two more in the rearward window runner.

They might undo but more than likely you'll end up drilling and cutting.

Finally, these two need removing. I had one pop-rivet and on screw so goodness knows what's supposed to be there.

Simply slide it out.
Remember - the big piece of glass is loose and the frame is likely to spread!

Window and frame.

Door carcass.

Hinge Plate Replacement - Part 1 'Removal'

A dirty messy job requiring patience and a good dust mask!

If they haven't already fallen out, make sure that the two hinge bolt backing plates are removed. Save one to use as a drill guide later.

For improved access part of this 'rib' needs to be cut free (and kept safe to refit later).

It is secured to the door skin by a single strip of fiberglass.

When cutting ensure you cut beyond where the window frame mounts so that you don't end up with a join there. The section peeled off the fibreglass strip.

Excess of the fibreglass strip cut away.

The problem area.

Using my favourite precision tool, a DIY multi-tool.

Slicing off the top cover.

To reveal and empty space where the check strap mounted. The sheet metal insert has almost totally disintegrated by here.

Pay careful attention to where I have cut the top off and make sure you are happy before cutting yours open.

Bearing in mind how the door was constructed, the fibreglass sheet with the large hole is actually the closing sheet used to seal the original steel in from inside the door.

Remove as much of it in one go as you can. It's bond to the remaining steel will be weak due to surface rust.

Here you can see where the original steel sheet folded round the inside of the front of the door.

Here you can just make out a surviving section from the upper hinge point that I have pulled loose.

A closer view.

Prising off the remains of the closing sheet of fibreglass.

Once a section starts coming away it generally continues to peel off.

Similar surviving but rotten section of metal from under the lower hinge point.

All traces of the original steelwork and it's closing layer of fibreglass removed along with all debris.

As these newly exposed surfaces will be the contact areas for the new steelwork they need to be cleaned and levelled to ensure a good contact and so good adhesion including up the sides of the hinge blocks.

Lower hing block.

Hinge Plate Replacement - Part 2 'Fabricate & Fit'

I bought an off-cut of sheet stainless steel to make my new inserts from, hence the unpainted finish. I deviated from the original design slightly as I am not constrained by cot or time limitations of mass production. it uses slightly less steel but I believe it has improved location and stress transfer.
Please note that the multitude of holes aren't to make it lighter, they are to improve its bond into the door by allowing the resin to effectively stitch it into place.

The finished article prior to fitment, just for reference.

Flat sheet with one 90 degree fold down the forward edge. Note how it fits into extremities of the hinge recesses.

The folded forward edge has been profiled to roughly follow the door profile but leaving a reasonable gap for glassing in. More later.

Slid into place to allow for marking out of central void.
The forward edge is left at 1.5" wide.

The basic shape cut out. Note the two square tangs.

The tangs are folded upwards to locate against the hinge block recesses once in position.

In position with tangs making good contact.

A view from inside showing the forward edge profile and the clearance from the outer skin to allow for the fibreglass to adhere.

The crack damage is cut out of the front edge of the door shell.

The cut edges are feathered to give a large contact area for the repair later.

Lower hinge area.

All of the bonding holes (but NOT the hinge bolt holes) have been drilled, along with some extra go-faster holes.

The metalwork needs to be a good tight fit against the door shell.

This may require some additional grinding of the door shell to remove high spots and maybe some trimming of the steelwork.

Once happy, ensure all mating surfaces are clean and dry. Paint the mating faces with resin and assemble. Leave the clamps in place until the resin has cured.

Two days later, the resin has cured and the clamps have been removed.

A layer of fibreglass is now laid over the steelwork from the inside being sure to overlap the sides of the hinge blocks. The holes facilitate good penetration of the resin and promote any necessary gap-filling of unseen voids.

Upper hinge.

Lower hinge.

Fabrication of Lightweight Window Assembly

The glass and Chrome plated window account for a fair amount of the doors weight so I intend to replace them with acrylic sheet in an alloy frame. The new acrylic glazing will be fixed panels but with a sliding portion as typically found on proper race and rally cars.

For this I am using:
4mm thick Acrylic Sheet
Ally U-channel 2mm thick x 12mm x 20mm (external dimensions)
Ally H-channel 2mm thick x 12mm x 40mm (external dimensions)

First task is to make a template and form the single piece outer run of the alloy frame.

Original frame complete with main glazing (to prevent bending) laid onto 8mm thick MDF board.

To account for the 2mm thickness off the ally, the frame overhangs the board by 2mm.

Note the original frame has an external seal. I will see how much mine flexis as I may have to incorporate something.

The board after cutting, remembering to cut 2mm inside the line where required.

Original frame repositioned to check.

Profile looking good.

The U channel is cut and bent around the former.

The channel is cut every 1/2" around the curve.

Positioned into place.

The rear part of the frame is marked where it contacts the door shell.

Three mounting holes are drilled in the identified area.

A corresponding clamping plate is fabricated from 5mm thick alloy that is tapped to accept the screws rather than fiddling with loose nuts.

Secured in place.

The front edge is then marked and drilled in a similar manner.

Screwed in place.

Clamping plate.

The H section channel is held in position against the forward rib of the door shell.

Making sure it extends a good 1.5" above the top of the frame.

Mark where the top of the forward rib ends.

The H section needs to be trimmed down to this point by removing one side of it. A band saw is best for this.

Set it so that only the legs of the 'H' section are cut off, leaving the centre spine at full thickness.

The cut-out in the top of the door now needs extending to account for the material you have just removed from the lower portion of the H section.

About 18mm was removed to start with.

Then the H section was trial fitted and a little more removed to give a small amount of clearance.

It should now fit flush against the forward rib. You might notice my straight bandsaw cut doesn't look that straight. Turns out that cheap bandsaws with plastic blade guides allow the blade to twist under load.

The top of the H section needs marking out with the contour of the frame hoop.

It is now cut to match the profile, with the exception of the centre spine.
There should have been a series of photos showing me gradually cutting it to shape but I got carried away and got on with it without taking photos.

First cut down each side of the central spine to the marked line.

Cut along the profile line until you reach the spine cut.

Carefully cut down the sides of the spine. You will have to do the last bit with a file.

The central 'tang' sticking out the top will be used to fix it to the frame 'hoop'

This bit isn't very scientific but it seemed to work. An off-cut of the U channel was pushed up to the tang and the tang marked where the channel meets it.

It was clamped in a vice at this mark and heat applied until it started to soften.

It was then bent as shown. Use a long implement to push just above the vice so that the bend occurs in the right place.

A trial fit with the off-cut suggest success.

Trial fitted.

Looking good.

Tang sat within the U channel frame hoop. This will be drilled and tapped and secured with screws.

Four equidistant 4mm holes are drilled through the channel and the door shell.

A clamping plate is fabricated from 5mm alloy and the four holes transferred to it but only drilled as 3.3mm diameter in preparation for tapping.

They are then tapped to 4mm.

Trial assembly.

The clamping plate will foul the internal door shell and so will need cutting to fit to allow the screw holes to align.

It was then peppered with lightening holes.

Two 2.5 mm holes are drilled through the upper tang, these will later be tapped to 3mm.

The H section is temporarily secured in position.

Once happy that everything is aligned and the profile is correct, these 2.5mm holes are drilled through the C channel hoop.

The H channel is removed and the two holes in the tang are tapped to 3mm.

The corresponding holes in the C channel hoop are opened up to 3mm.

Assembled.

Assembled.

Assembled.

Next to be fabricated are the lower frame channels.

When cutting the U channel to length be sure to leave generous overhangs either end.

Mark out the cut lines for it to fit within the frame structure.

Cut the sides away.

Pretend action shot.

Actual action shot, cutting the remains of the sides off to enable the 'tang' to slide within the channel of the frame. This is finished off with a file.

Complete ready for heating and bending of the tangs.

The bend point was marked out in the same way as before.

Each end is then heated and bent as required.

The main section is fabricated in the same way.

The new sections are assembled into position and the existing frame structure marked to show their location. Note the main section sits lower than the quarterlight section. This is to ensure it sits within the open cavity to allow the forming of an effective weather seal later.

Door Rebuild and Re-fitment.

Text

Mobirise

The contents of this website are purely a reflection of my own experiences and knowledge gained whilst working on my various projects. Anything you do based on what you have read here is done so entirely at your own risk.
Personally I wouldn't trust someone like me with a lawn mower! You have been warned! Flapper-bat!

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