Dismantling and reassembly of door frames

[Andy 74]

I am about to start the process of stripping down my door frames to get them ready for polishing and re anodising. Ive heard that there are some keys things to remember such as bracing the frame so the back corner joint doesnt open up and that there are some rivet type things that need to be replaced.

Does anyone have any experience in doing this job? Any tips or suggestions would be very helpful as I dont want to ruin slightly scratched but otherwise decent frames.

Cheers

[StephenAcworth]

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[MTemp]

Depends on what year the frames are from. My imperfect understanding is that to 67 MY they were chromed, for 68 MY they were anodised Al but with chromed fixtures to the opening quarterlights, for 69 MY on they were all anodised Al with no opening quarterlight.

I have now done all three. The latter are the easiest, and as far as I'm aware no special precautions are necessary other than taking the usual care not to bend or stress the frames as you seek to get purchase on the crosshead screws and socket set screws. The quarterlight window should just ease out from the frame as you undo the frame bolts/screws.

If you are doing the 68 version the complexity is in the need to remove the portion of the quarterlight lock that is attached to the frame - it needs to be chromed, while the frame is anodised and you cannot do both while they are fixed together. The quarterlight window frame, lock lever arm, and top hinge are also chrome but can all be easily separated from the frame.

Pre 68 you just chrome everything, and dismantling/reassembly is again straight forward.

Not sure if this answers your question.

Mick

[Andy 74]

Hi Mick

Thanks for that. The frames are '73 so anodised aluminium.
My understanding from looking at them there is a steel braket under the quarter glass that needs to be removed prior to anodising. The problem is it looks like it is attached by some sort of rivets (2 of). If I was to maybe drill these out what do people like King of Trim do? Do they drill them and replace them with something else or have they are way to anodise with the steel still there?

The part is circled in red and im guessing it will need to be removed before anodising. That part is easy - a drill always works, its reattaching it that has me worried.



Does anyone out there have experience doing this sort of thing?

Andrew

[Fishcop]

Andy, do you have an aviation specialist nearby? They often have the right rivits and (most importantly) the dies to peen them properly. They may also have a dood anodiser to recommend if you haven't found one yet.

FWIW I just stripped and polished mine. Dealing with the only anodiser here was just too hard...

[Harvey Weidman]

Yes, the steel should be removed.
As far as anodizing. The plating on the window frames is usually referred to as bright plate, bright dip or bright anodizing. It is a different process than the anodizing put on wheels and most other industrial parts. In California anyway there are not very many shops that do the bright. You should stick with someone that has done the frames before. IMHO.
H

[Andy 74]

Thanks guys
We do have a company over here that does the bright anodising and they have done work on a number of cars here including a local RS. Hopefully there isnt going to be too many dramas, i dont fancy trying to find new frames and getting them shipped over here.

John, how do you think just polishing will stand up to the weather, light scratching etc?

[MTemp]

Yes, the steel should be removed.
As far as anodizing. The plating on the window frames is usually referred to as bright plate, bright dip or bright anodizing. It is a different process than the anodizing put on wheels and most other industrial parts. In California anyway there are not very many shops that do the bright. You should stick with someone that has done the frames before. IMHO.
H

Don't really want to challenge someone with Harvey's huge reputation in this field .... but ..... the 911 specialist here in the UK who had mine (and a friend's) done did not remove the steel bracket and there were no obvious side-effects that I can see. Just saying ......

[Fishcop]

Don't really want to challenge someone with Harvey's huge reputation in this field .... but ..... the 911 specialist here in the UK who had mine (and a friend's) done did not remove the steel bracket and there were no obvious side-effects that I can see. Just saying ......

Yes it is possible to mask the steel pieces in some cases. You need to do this when anodising S brakes (steel knock-back pin). It's not a perfect solution though, and if something goes wrong and the mask fails the electrolysis will quickly eat away alloy...

[Fishcop]

John, how do you think just polishing will stand up to the weather, light scratching etc?

Andy, if you're not going for a full concours finish, then I think polish is a good option. Mine have been polished for over 10 years now... About every 3-6 months I'll hit them with a bit of Mothers Metal Polish and they're perfect. This route also means you have the luxury of polishing out deeper scratches and blemishes; and you can always "re-think" and get them anodised at a later time.

For the race car I'm currently building, I'm going to try a bright anodise powdercoat effect on all the brightwork. You end up with a silvery-grey effect, it's hard wearing, and it's much cheaper