It all "hinges" on this.........

[roadhawg]

I see lots of how-to's on making door hinges, and they all seem to be based on the same technique.....bending brass wire into hinge thingies. While it works, #1, its doesn't look that realistic, and #2, not that many real car doors swing out like that....the leading edge of the door swings INSIDE the front fender. I've opened doors in the past, and I've found that its difficult to make 'em work properly when they operate like that....which is probably why I said to heck with hinging doors years ago!

This has got me thinking....other than personal achievement, just WHY do opening doors really have to operate? When building a model for a show, contest, or display, why not just have the doors open, with the leading edge inside the fender like its supposed to, and have 'em GLUED into position, without having to construct working hinges? The aircraft and military modelers ALWAYS do this, opening up hatches and cockpits for their contest models, without ever even THINKING about making them work.

Like I said...I was just thinkin' about this. It really shouldn't matter at a contest, since judges aren't supposed to touch the models anyway....at least they SHOULDN'T be allowed to touch 'em! Anybody else have any thoughts?

[MrObsessive]

Hmmm.............'cuz they don't fit inside a model case too well like that?

In an article I wrote for the November '08 issue of Model Cars on hinging and opening doors, I made a point about how doors should open on cars of certain eras.

Research, research, research, is the key to getting doors to open and operate correctly------and look correct when doing so.

A bit of practice and patience helps too.

[george 53]

Personally Tom, why go thru all that trouble if they're NOT gonna work? I used to build 48th scale planes, an if you could hinge somethin THAT small, you can be a NEUROSURGEON! I think the reason we do stuff like that is because we CAN!

It's just a natural progresion of our skills. Some guys never get to the point others do. I can't paint very well, so my cars are finished when I primer them! But just look at Treehugger's or Mr.BIGGS, or Rauls models. They had to start SOMEWHERE, an look at them now! Dave has won at the GSL for pete's sake, Biggs has won the NNL's, an Raul don't build to shabby either! They all started at square one, an just kept at it till they got to where they are today. I do it caz I get tired of buildin the same ol stuff as everyone else.I don't do it alot anymore, caz I've proved to myself I can.So now to find some other trick to make it MINE! Try it, once you've done it,and you get good at it, you'll be happy with it.

[Harry P.]

Whether a car door opens with the door's leading edge swinging out past the fender or tucking inside the fender is a matter of geometry... that is, where the hinge pivot point is in relation to the door edge.

The way it works on a real car is the same way it will work on a model, only 24 or 25 times smaller.

Look at the real car, see how and where the hinges are placed, and you should be able to recreate it in scale. And checking out Bill's article on opening and hinging doors won't hurt, either.

Like George said... why do we do it? Because we CAN!

[Randytheroadrunner]

Not all car doors opened like that. Check out some of the GMs from the '60s.

[gseeds]

Whether a car door opens with the door's leading edge swinging out past the fender or tucking inside the fender is a matter of geometry... that is, where the hinge pivot point is in relation to the door edge.

The way it works on a real car is the same way it will work on a model, only 24 or 25 times smaller.

Look at the real car, see how and where the hinges are placed, and you should be able to recreate it in scale. And checking out Bill's article on opening and hinging doors won't hurt, either.

Like George said... why do we do it? Because we CAN!

i open most my doors, not all,but most,plus the trunks, because i spend a lot of time on the interiors, and i want people to be able to look inside, plus for me it gives me more the fill of a real car, i mostly only do the drivers door,and this is because i spend a lot of time on the paint and design, so i leave the passager door closed as to not break up the design on one side of the car, ive never really liked the look of the hinges,they dont really look real at all,but it has become the norm and accepted among most modelers,as for just glueing them open, it just doesnt fill finished to me, and to tell you the truth,by the time i cram all the interior into them most of the time the doors wont even shut!! lol, but i sill hinge em anyway.

[roadhawg]

i open most my doors, not all,but most,plus the trunks, because i spend a lot of time on the interiors, and i want people to be able to look inside, plus for me it gives me more the fill of a real car, i mostly only do the drivers door,and this is because i spend a lot of time on the paint and design, so i leave the passager door closed as to not break up the design on one side of the car, ive never really liked the look of the hinges,they dont really look real at all,but it has become the norm and accepted among most modelers,as for just glueing them open, it just doesnt fill finished to me, and to tell you the truth,by the time i cram all the interior into them most of the time the doors wont even shut!! lol, but i sill hinge em anyway.

I guess this is exactly what I'm trying to say. If we're building a model for a show or contest, instead of wasting time constructing hinges that may or may not work properly, what's wrong with just glueing one door open to show off the interior? If you've ever been to an IPMS contest, you'll see airplanes, tanks, and everything else with beautifully detailed interiors....with the canopies and hatches GLUED open to show the detail. If they can do it that way, what would be wrong with US doing it that way?

Let me say here that I'm in NO WAY saying that beautifully constructed working hinges like Mr.O builds are a waste of time. I'm totally blown away whenever I see stuff like that. Its just that some of us aren't that skilled. I wish I COULD do that, but thanks to a little arthritis, I don't have that kind of manual dexterity anymore. lol!

[MrObsessive]

Down the road, I'm going to do a "follow up/part II" on doing hinges with the leading edge of the door that turns into the trailing edge of the front fender. Along with making door jambs/door interior panels realistic looking------kinda like the last article.

Most cars today (since the mid '60's are so) have doors that operate on swivel hinges BTW.

And you'll be able to do it without special tools or parts.

Work and now house repairs are preventing me from getting much writing/model building done lately.

[getrdun]

Hello,could'nt help but notice your hinge question.As it turns out i just finished makin the hinges for my camaro model,it is 1/8 scale but the hinges are to be exact rep of orig.not quite finished yet,might help give idea as to what you are lookin for..thanks for lookin.

[gseeds]

Hello,could'nt help but notice your hinge question.As it turns out i just finished makin the hinges for my camaro model,it is 1/8 scale but the hinges are to be exact rep of orig.not quite finished yet,might help give idea as to what you are lookin for..thanks for lookin.

those are cool !!!!!

[Jairus]

Not all detailing need be present on all model projects. You only need enough to create an illusion that all is present and that includes opening panels. I opened doors on my models in the beginning just to show off the interior. Later, as I perfected this trick I realized that a convertible.... dosn't really need opening doors so I concentrated on other details. Once you can figure out what should be done and what can be left to the imagination... you will attained a level of building only a few modelers manage to accomplish.

Bill is not there yet but he is very close.

Augie got sooooo close.

John MacGowan figured it out early and so did Steve Catron.

Randy moved up to larger scale and is still searching for it as did Dave. But then Mr. Cummins he is in a class all by himself.

Russ found it but dropped out too early. (Where is Russ by the way?)

If you are wondering what I am talking about... take a trip to GSL in a couple weeks and you will see what I mean. \

(Bill, I predict it is YOUR year BTW, so Good luck!)

Edited April 22, 2009 by Jairus

[MrObsessive]

If you are wondering what I am talking about... take a trip to GSL in a couple weeks and you will see what I mean. \

(Bill, I predict it is YOUR year BTW, so Good luck!)

Jairus, I'm afraid the GSL is a no go for me this time around. I won't have enough vacation days to use then (I'd need Friday and Monday). Word has it that the job is about to take away one week of vacation starting next fiscal year (October for us) for anyone with more than two weeks vacation.

That drops me back to the vacation time I had just 2 years ago which really puts a crimp on any significant traveling anywhere to boot.

It's just a rumor they say but in these times, I don't discount anything.

[Jairus]

I am not able to attend in persone either.... but, do you have a secret project that you will be sending?

[MrObsessive]

do you have a secret project that you will be sending?

No, not really. I had put the '55 Ford on the back burner a while back due to a door problem. I've since gotten that fixed, but I've gotten lazy and cheap and need to send the chrome out to be replated. I'm squeamish about sending models with others or "in the mail"...........too much paranoia perhaps........

The Cougar is a couple months from being done right now..................I do have another project in mind after the Cougar, but I'm torn between two actually.

Hmmmm..................maybe I'll do a poll to let the board help me decide down the road.

[Tom Geiger]

what's wrong with just glueing one door open to show off the interior?

Nothing! In fact if you look at Dave Shuklas' famous Bobtail Cat model he did exactly that. The drivers door is open and glued in that position!

[Peter Lombardo]

Well, for what it is worth, 95% of my builds have opening doors, Lambo, Suicide, Swing Arm and Conventional.

For conventional doors I use the same tried and true bent brass rod inserted into aluminum tubes. It looks pretty close to prototypical when painted and allows the doors to be removed if necessary during construction….but best of all, one hinge design allows you to open the door in the early style (door opens out) and the late model style (door opens in).

To make the door open in, just reverse the direction of the hinge. The older style has the “bent†end forward or attached to the inner fender and the “rod†ends are attached to the inside of the door. To replicate the late model newer style just attach the “bent†end to the front part of the inside of the door and the two “rods†to the inner fender. As I said, these are just reversed but this will allow you to make the door open whichever way you want. Try it, you'll see it works fine.

It does not need to be any more complicated than this…..unless you need more pain in your life then you already have.

[Chuck Most]

If we're building a model for a show or contest, instead of wasting time constructing hinges that may or may not work properly, what's wrong with just glueing one door open to show off the interior?

Noted race car modeler Clay Kemp did exactly that on one of his recent builds, I think it was a Grand Am pro stock car. And THAT model wins some shows!

[Foxer]

Well, for what it is worth, 95% of my builds have opening doors, Lambo, Suicide, Swing Arm and Conventional.

For conventional doors I use the same tried and true bent brass rod inserted into aluminum tubes. It looks pretty close to prototypical when painted and allows the doors to be removed if necessary during construction….but best of all, one hinge design allows you to open the door in the early style (door opens out) and the late model style (door opens in).

To make the door open in, just reverse the direction of the hinge. The older style has the “bent” end forward or attached to the inner fender and the “rod” ends are attached to the inside of the door. To replicate the late model newer style just attach the “bent” end to the front part of the inside of the door and the two “rods” to the inner fender. As I said, these are just reversed but this will allow you to make the door open whichever way you want. Try it, you'll see it works fine.

It does not need to be any more complicated than this…..unless you need more pain in your life then you already have.

You HAVE to be an engineer, Peter ... KISS! Just flipping the hinges is awesome! I haven't tried it, but can see it in my head.

Was a pleasure to meet you at NNL East ... (paint questions and my wife never stopped talking about your sunroof. )

Edited April 22, 2009 by Foxer

[roadhawg]

I want to thank everyone for the great replies. I guess I'm going to attempt making hinges again......and if they don't work right, I'll just glue the doors open! lol!

And Mr.O.....if anyone SHOULD be at GSL, its you!

Thanks again, Y'all!

[Corvette.Jeff]

on evilbay today i saw a s15 silvia with doors that opened like the real deal, it was on a 1/25th to boot

[Peter Lombardo]

Thanks Mike...I enjoyed it a lot too. It was great to meet new friends and see some of the guys I met before. I had a wonderful time watching the expressions of guys when the sunroof was opening and closing and they could not understand how it was happening. Have a great summer.

[Jeff Johnston]

Good observation Tommy. Doors either swing in or out. My process the same for both, except for where the hinge rotates. In "innies" the hinge rotates on tne door, and on "outies" the rotaiton is in the fender..

You can do it. If I can do it, anyone can LOL

Outie

Innie

[Modelmartin]

Glueing doors open is a "save" for doors that don't fit!!