Oil Change Door - Permanent Solution

Den49,
I'd be getting the same hinge you got from Northeast Hinge. I guess since you get a 72" piece, even if it wears/rust
out, you have more hinge to replace it with.

 

Den49,

After a year of thought and having this issue on my mind and studying all of variations of yours and others on PriusChat.com, I have decided on a final design and assembled a kit to install the hinge that you tested and suggested.

A coup of months, ago, I ran over a plastic bucket at night on the roadway. It surprised me how fragile this panel really is. The large grey rivet is gone. The panel was hanging partially done. That bucket made large and deep striations in the panel.

It's time to add the hinge before the panel tears off.

on and off, here. I have only been under the car for a couple of hours to mark and make the hinge. Fortunately, over the years, I have accumulated a large selection of machine and aircraft tools, including rivet punches. So, like you, I'm using an aluminum piano hinge and aluminum rivets. However, to prevent tearing of the plastic panel, I will used special "neoprene" 1/2 inch OD backup washers on the ends of the rivets.


I have uploaded a photo of the kit, and might offer it to those PriusChat users at a very reasonable price, if they are interested.


I will post photos of the kit's installation, when the weather clears enough for me to install it.

Rude person's

 

Thanks,

That special aircraft hole punch makes the holes exceptionally clean and the rivets a joy to insert without binding.

I'm developing installation instructions to allow for easy and exact drilling on the panel, using the hinge as a guide.

All of the holes will be perfectly aligned on the panel without any looseness. That's from my experience for the many years that I worked on aircraft production and repair methods.

 

The installation is done.

Here's the link to the thread with the photos;

Anyone interested in a CUSTOM oil change door under spray panel "hinge kit?" | PriusChat

Rude person's