Topic: Door hinge parts, plates & finishes - 66

[Maksim27]

I'm restoring my door hinges and was wondering were the hinges painted black from the Factory or supplier before applying body/interior color on the hinges while mounted on the car.  Also, did Ford make a checker arm for parts and services.  My checker arm has hairline cracks.  For the plates, should I coat them with T9 or clear coat

Jan 66 SJ

[jwc66k]

The front doors with hinges were mounted on the car prior to the car being painted (so was the trunk lid).
If you haven't invested in a set of "1966 Mustang Assembly Manuals", you should. Include the 64-65 Chassis and 64-65 Weld Sealant, they are "close" to your 66 (get the paper version, it's easier to mark up than the disc one).
Jim

[Maksim27]

Yes I know the hinges were mounted on ther car when painted body color.  I heard that the supplier used black primer or paint. Not sure of originals, but the NOS hinges contain black primer or paint.

From seeing original samples I can't find either black primer or red oxide primer on them. Just body color and where the paint is missing just bare steel or rust.

[Bob Gaines]

I'm restoring my door hinges and was wondering were the hinges painted black from the Factory or supplier before applying body/interior color on the hinges while mounted on the car.  Also, did Ford make a checker arm for parts and services.  My checker arm has hairline cracks.  For the plates, should I coat them with T9 or clear coat

Jan 66 SJ

Clear coat can let moisture migrate through it so do the T9 over the clear coat for the most protection.

[CharlesTurner]

I would use something like ospho on the hinge plates, then give a boeshield treatment or something like the RPM product that ECS sells.  Those plates could be underwater in the ocean and probably take 50 years to rust beyond use.

[jwc66k]

Also, did Ford make a checker arm for parts and services.  My checker arm has hairline cracks.

I don't know about Ford NOS check arms, I believe they was part of the hinge assemly and not serviced separately. The check arm is available in a kit from NPD https://www.npdlink.com/ 22810-1K $35.47 each. I don't think they were marked.

For the plates, should I coat them with T9 or clear coat

Are you storing your Mustang outdoors? If not, paint them, let them dry, then "dribble" some WD-40 on the pivot pin. Don't bother with anything else. On one of my cars, I did lightly cover the pins with white lithium grease to get then in easier.
Don't make it more difficult than it is.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

Hinges, parts that made up those assemblies nor plates were painted originally for use on the line.

Service parts, since they had to sit on shelves for a time period were often coated to protect them from rusting. No one wanted to buy rusty parts and shops didn't want to spend the man hours cleaning them before they could use the,

Since the plates are unseen in the final assembly your free to do what you choose to. If your a stickler and want to claim you car is totally restored then you have IMO less choices and should focus on a process that will look like they originally looked when new. Looks like some great opinions and choices so far

Did change the title of the thread since in general the answers apply to many other years and so we can leave it here in this section rather than in the individual year section where it will get seen by fewer eyes 

[Maksim27]

Speegle:  So did the Factory paint body or interior base color on the bare hinges without any use of primer?  Acylic Enamel base paint!  Mine is a H:code with D9 Trim.    Sahara Beige with parchment interior .  I believe the hinges need to be painted parchment base color just like the interior if that is correct.

[J_Speegle]

Speegle:  So did the Factory paint body or interior base color on the bare hinges without any use of primer?  Acylic Enamel base paint! 

The priming took place after the hinges were attached and any sealant applied. That is why, when you remove them, the attaching surfaces (hinge and A pillar section) are often rusty and lack any sign of paint or primer

Mine is a H:code with D9 Trim.    Sahara Beige with parchment interior .  I believe the hinges need to be painted parchment base color just like the interior if that is correct.

The door hinges (believe that is what is being discussed) were attached to the outside of the unibody between the door and the A pillar not in the interior so they would be body color. Just like what was done in the trunk with the trunk hinges.

The exterior and interior color does not come into play thought (for an example) a red on red car could confuse or mislead someone


Should be a fair number of examples in the Unrestored picture section of the sight where the picture includes a shot of that forward door jamb on either side of the car such as these examples








And a group of pictures from four additional examples to illustrate comments above

[Maksim27]

were the hinges initially red oxide before applying paint color.  Or did the color go on the bare iron hinges.

That's all I need to know to finish them.  I'll paint them separately as the car has paint.

[jwc66k]

were the hinges initially red oxide before applying paint color. 

No. Bare metal, installed with sealer, primed, and painted body color. If the hinges are removed today on an original factory car, the back side is not painted.
Jim

[Maksim27]

After installation what kind of primer did the factory use. Was it red oxide or different primer color depending on base color.

[J_Speegle]

After installation what kind of primer did the factory use. Was it red oxide or different primer color depending on base color.

Thought I mentioned that above but anyway - a red oxide primer (not like what was used under the car) then on the exterior surfaces a light grey primer surfacer no matter what the exterior color was.


Couple of pictures of original paint cars showing all three layers

Dark exterior - Vintage burgundy That's red oxide color not rust in the center of those larger areas




Light exterior color - Springtime Yellow. Sorry for the sanding dust

[Maksim27]

That was for all exterior panels.  Red oxide then gray primer followed by base color.  Supposedly the door hinges were the same color technique used in 65-66 as they were mounted during paint.  I'm guessing all 3 primers and paint were acrylic enamel from the Factory

[J_Speegle]

That was for all exterior panels.  Red oxide then gray primer followed by base color.  Supposedly the door hinges were the same color technique used in 65-66 as they were mounted during paint.  I'm guessing all 3 primers and paint were acrylic enamel from the Factory

All three primers?  2 on the exterior surfaces, of the unibody. Possible different red oxide color based on the panels that were precoated and shipped to the car plants. Each of those were enamel since that was the paint of choice for the vast majority of the periods we deal with here. Ford used other than enamel on some 65 cars is why the mention.  And not supposedly but fact - the door hinges were treated the same way through out the classic Mustang production period.

The two typical applications under the car were epoxy based so not sure if that makes them enamel. Not a chemist nor typically a painter so don't track those details. Would need to look them up