Cavalier 51 door hinge

[Jim]

Did you get enough tension to keep the door closed...?
Did you use one twist/revolution on the spring...?

[90grad]

Jim,

One twist was all that was required.  I inserted the tab in the door side of the hinge and then twisted the tab for the other side clockwise towards me.  This put compression in the spring, so it would try to expand, holding the hinge shut. Holding the hinge in place, I then installed the hinge pin.  Those little springs are strong.

[MoonDawg]

Quote (BryanH @ Sep. 02 2005,8:02)

- Once it's torqued enough you should be able to release the spring back onto the anchor nail or screw (the legs will both pull back towards each other capturing the pin betwen them) so that you can lift the hinge pin (with torqued spring) out of the visa transfer to your hinge

Was following fine until this part. Please explain how to install a loaded spring into a hinge?  There must be easier ways than I have been using.

[Jim]

I didn't understand this step either...

Thankfully, Wayne understood!

[BryanH]

I was working from the perspective of a single spring per hinge pin (like my VMC bottle door).  Not sure how I would thread the second spring using these steps.  But Wayne figured it out so it can certainly be done.

[90grad]

I basically used the brute force method.  I placed one tab of the spring in the door side of the hinge and laid the hinge in position.  Then, I placed the other piece of the hinge, in the closed position, on top of the door.  I slid the pin in so it was just in the spring, held the spring down with my thumb, and twisted the other end clockwise to lock the remaining tab behind the hinge piece.  Since there was now tension on the spring, it wanted to push the hinges together, thus keeping the door closed.  Sorry, I know this make little sense.