Installed my MCI sedan door this weekend...

[bevans6]

And what a job it was!  I had taken the time over the past couple of weeks to strip the door down, clean it, fill it with insulation, and put it all back together so I was as ready as I could be.  Hinges media blasted and painted, all the threaded holes chased with a tap, all ready to go.  On Friday I removed the bi-fold doors.  Nothing outrageous, the normal things were seized and yielded to a big hammer, and I didn't need to resort to the flame wrench once!

The sedan door, if it is anything, is heavy!  I estimate around 200 lbs.  I installed the upper hinge on the bus, put a stud into one of the upper hinge holes on the door as a guide, put the door on my floor jack and with some help I jacked it up to the right height, slipped it into place with the stud guiding the affair, and put a couple of bolts in to hold it.  Next was the lower hinge.  My bus did not have the hidden nut plate that it's bolts thread into, so I had made one and slid it into place.  Attached the lower hinge to the bus loosely, and I was able to easily attach it to the door.  Now the door was nominally installed on the bus - and the real fun began.

You obviously expect some fuss to align the door.  I had already installed the sedan door weatherstrip seals, which are deeper than the bi-fold door seals, and I started to see what I needed to do.  Got the height OK with an adjustment of the upper hinge, and it won't close.  Push here, prod there, adjust all the hinges, and it won't close.  It's binding on the weather seal strip, which is an aluminium extrusion that screws to the door frame of the bus.  the biggest problem is that it's binding on the front edge and the rear edge at the same time.  An hour later and the only conclusion is that the door is 1/4" wider than the hole in the bus...

Now the real fun begins.  I've restored a lot of old British sports cars, including my share of Mini's, and fitting doors is a skill I was taught by a master.  I worked up and down the edge of the door with a hammer, moving it inwards about 1/8" where it was binding, and got it so that the door would fit inside the hole.  Fit quite well, actually, tight to the sealing rubbers, doing well.  But it  wouldn't go flush.  the stainless steel skin was wider than the bits on the bus it was supposed to fit between.  Again the hitting with hammers, the adjusting, the pushing and prodding and levering.  Then comes the resignation and the angle grinder with the cut-off wheel and the cutting of 1/8th of an inch off the vertical part of both sides of the door from the belt line down.

Now it goes it flush, after the requisite adjusting of all of the hinges again, fits flush, seals against the seal rubber all the way up, across the top and down again.  the MCI bus is shaped a bit like a barrel along the sides, it's not a vertical straight line.  The door, which came off another MC-5C, is more barrel shaped than my bus is.  The middle of the door is sitting about 3/16" proud when the top and bottom are flush.  I don't think I will bother to fix that - bending that door while it's on the bus doesn't sound fun...

Anyway, job done and now I need to figure out a door latch.  Doing the research on what other people have done now.

Cheers, Brian

[Kenny]

Brian, You mention "The middle of the door is sitting about 3/16" proud when the top and bottom are flush"

I believe the reason for this is, normally a sedan door is pulled completely shut and sealed using an air cylinder pulling on the center of the door near the door latch. This is the case with my MCI 9. The door is slightly bowed without the cylinder pulling on it. When actuating the air latch it pulls it tight and straight.

Kenny

[Chopper Scott]

My 7 is the same way Kenny. I notice a big difference in wind noise after locking the air cylinder even with good weatherstriping.

[Ednj]

Anyway, job done and now I need to figure out a door latch.  Doing the research on what other people have done now.

Cheers, Brian

Brian check out these links

Here it is

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=11374.0

Read this=
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=544.0

http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=14063.0



I was looking at Freezer Door Latches before I went with this one.

[Kenny]

Brian, You may want to try "Trimarkcorp.com"
They have a great selection of door latching components
Kenny