How to Remove the Front Doors From the Hinges on a 1955 Chevy Sedan Two-Door

The two-door sedan was one of the most inexpensive cars offered by car-makers in the 1950s, and the 1955 Chevrolet Sedan was no exception. Although these cars are worth many times the original cost, as of 2012 , the accumulation of years of parking lot dings or rust may have taken its toll on the doors of your classic Chevy, making repairs to the sheet metal a must. Removing the door from the car by disconnecting it from the hinges will enable you to perform repairs more easily. Once the door is removed, the hinges can be accessed for rebuilding or replacement, if necessary.

Instructions

Door Removal

1

Open the door. Slide a window crank removal tool in between the base of the window crank opposite the handle and the door panel. Push the tool inwards to release the spring clip from the slotted shaft and the handle. Remove the tool and pull the handle straight off the shaft. Remove the vent window crank and the inside door handle in the same fashion.

2

Remove the screws from the door arm rest with a Phillips screwdriver. Remove the arm rest from the door.

3

Slide a door panel removal tool in between one of the vertical sides of the door panel and the metal structure of the door. Pry the tool outwards to release the retaining nails that hold the door panel in place. Release the opposite side and the top of panel in the same fashion.

4

Lift the door panel straight up until the bottom edges clears the slot in the metal band at the bottom of the door. Remove the panel from the door.

5

Spray the hinge-to-door retaining bolts -- there are three per hinge and located in the access holes visible after removing the door panel -- with penetrating fluid.

6

Remove two bolts from each of the upper and lower hinges with a socket, three-inch extension and a ratchet. Loosen, but do not remove, the remaining bolt in each hinge.

7

Have a helper support the rearward end of the door. Support the front of the door with one hand while removing the two remaining hinge bolts with the socket, extension and ratchet. Slide the door reward until the hinges clear, then remove it from the car.

Door Installation

8

Rotate the hinges on the car outward so that they will easily side into the pockets on the front edge of the door. Have a helper assist you in lifting the door. Slide the door towards the car until the mounting holes in the hinges line up with the threaded holes in the door. Install and hand-tighten each of the three bolts on each hinge. Have the helper release the door. Tighten all six bolts with a socket, extension and ratchet.

9

Check the condition of the nails in the backside of the door panel. Replace any damaged or missing nails by sliding them out of the slots in the back of the panel, then sliding in a replacement. Check the nail retainers -- the part that the nails push into -- on the door. Replace the retainers if they are split, damaged or otherwise unable to hold the nails.

10

Slide the lower edge of the door panel into the slot in the metal band in the bottom of the door. Push the sides and top edges of the door panel towards the door so that the nails on the back of the panel take hold into the retainer on the door.

11

Replace the door arm rest and tighten the retaining screws. Push the spring clips back into the slots on the back of the window crank, vent window crank and the interior door handle until they click into place. Push each handle onto its respective shaft in the door panel until the spring clip snaps over the slotted shaft, securing the handles in place.