Front door Torx hinge screws

Discodevon · Dec 30, 2018

Hi people, I hope that you have all had a jolly Christmas, with a bit of time off I managed to replace my rear end torx bolts (crossmember and rear door) with new ones as the old ones were beginning to look a tad dull and rusty... I am now looking to replace my front door torx screws but am wondering are the screws which go into the bulkhead captive? (2005 defender?

Cheers everybody

Oldseadog · Dec 30, 2018

No, but the nuts are

Discodevon · Dec 30, 2018

Oldseadog said:
No, but the nuts are

Thank you old sea dog! Have they been known to be bugger to remove? I’m guessing firing some oil in there won’t hurt while there off too!

Oldseadog · Dec 30, 2018

The captive nuts are on spring clips.so I would be inclined to replace those at the same time ... and give them a good clagging with either Copperslip or Vaseline when you put them in.
And get some spares, as you're bound to drop one or two into the door frame.

mick the builder · Dec 31, 2018

Oldseadog said:
The captive nuts are on spring clips.so I would be inclined to replace those at the same time ... and give them a good clagging with either Copperslip or Vaseline when you put them in.
And get some spares, as you're bound to drop one or two into the door frame.

Slid mine back out with a magnet

Discodevon · Dec 31, 2018

mick the builder said:
Slid mine back out with a magnet

Hi mick do you know If the clips fall off if I undone the screws, I was thinking I could do one screw at a time and leave the captive ones as they are?

Hicap phill · Dec 31, 2018

The clips stop there. These are spring captured

mick the builder · Dec 31, 2018

They will stay there as phill said but have a habit of falling into the post just when you didnt want them to. Sometimes, the hinge screws seize in the nut and either sheer off or you will round the head. For what they cost, replace them.

Discodevon · Jan 1, 2019

Does anyone has anything bad to say about putting stainless screws? Any experience with the Ali and the stainless reacting? I caked everything on with grease

Brown · Jan 1, 2019

The standard screws Land Rover fit are a funny shape. The head is quite narrow in relation to the thread size and has an unusually steep countersink angle. If you use standard countersunk set screws instead you often need to grind the head a bit smaller, and as most standard countersunk heads have a 90 degree angle, they'll only touch the hinges around the outside circumference of he head. Not usually a problem as it's not a high stress application. I have had stainless ones in mine since i took the original ones out to get Dinitrol inside the A posts in 2013 and notice no ill effects. At least now they can be unscrewed, rather than need to be drilled out.

Discodevon · Jan 1, 2019

Brown said:
The standard screws Land Rover fit are a funny shape. The head is quite narrow in relation to the thread size and has an unusually steep countersink angle. If you use standard countersunk set screws instead you often need to grind the head a bit smaller, and as most standard countersunk heads have a 90 degree angle, they'll only touch the hinges around the outside circumference of he head. Not usually a problem as it's not a high stress application. I have had stainless ones in mine since i took the original ones out to get Dinitrol inside the A posts in 2013 and notice no ill effects. At least now they can be unscrewed, rather than need to be drilled out.

Thank you brown, I guess I will carry on with the stainless screws but will keep a look out in case of any I’ll effects in the future ... did you use torx screws or another type of head?

mick 1986 · Jan 1, 2019

Discodevon said:
Thank you brown, I guess I will carry on with the stainless screws but will keep a look out in case of any I’ll effects in the future ... did you use torx screws or another type of head?

Depending on who you purchased your bolts from, they may already have the correct shape and size head.

Standard “off the shelf” bolts may be tight, but one supplier (can’t remember who) stocks the correct size/shape.

Brown · Jan 1, 2019

Discodevon said:
Thank you brown, I guess I will carry on with the stainless screws but will keep a look out in case of any I’ll effects in the future ... did you use torx screws or another type of head?

I've got Allen screw heads on there at the moment. I can undo them whenever I like!

Discodevon · Jan 1, 2019

Brown said:
I've got Allen screw heads on there at the moment. I can undo them whenever I like!

Thanks, I have seen a company called YRM who look like landy specialists and sell the torx kit for the front hinges, I got my rear ones from a chap on eBay and there really good quality but he doesn’t have the torx head for the fronts only Allen head...

Discodevon · Jan 1, 2019

Brown said:
I've got Allen screw heads on there at the moment. I can undo them whenever I like!

Did you use grease on the screws or another type of lube?

Brown · Jan 1, 2019

Discodevon said:
Did you use grease on the screws or another type of lube?

Loads of grease, plus new captive nuts. The old ones liberated themselves as I was trying to undo the original bolts.

Discodevon · Jan 1, 2019

Brown said:
Loads of grease, plus new captive nuts. The old ones liberated themselves as I was trying to undo the original bolts.

Oh dear well that’s what will probably happen to mine then, is there any way of getting oil in there so I can prevent that from happening or is it just trial and error?

Brown · Jan 1, 2019

Discodevon said:
Oh dear well that’s what will probably happen to mine then, is there any way of getting oil in there so I can prevent that from happening or is it just trial and error?

The original ones turned out to have been square nuts with a bit of sheet metal bent round them to create a kind of spring clip. What happens is that the screw makes a turn or so initially, occasioning a false optimism on the part of the amateur mechanic. Then the rusted threads on the tip of the screw have to be forced through the captive nut and the torque necessary to do so is more than enough to destroy the folded metal clip. You're then left with an assembly that rotates but cannot be undone. The challenge then is to keep the bolt still while you attempt to drill the head off. It's pretty tough so will blunt most drills. If I were you I'd invest in a few cobalt drills before attempting the operation , as they're capable of drilling out that especially tough Allen screw metal.

The new captive nuts were a bit better as the threaded part was actually bonded onto the spring clip. With a well greased stainless screw, you'll have to wait many years before it seizes up.

mick 1986 · Jan 1, 2019

Discodevon said:
Thanks, I have seen a company called YRM who look like landy specialists and sell the torx kit for the front hinges, I got my rear ones from a chap on eBay and there really good quality but he doesn’t have the torx head for the fronts only Allen head...

YRM also supply full stainless captive J nuts as they are known to some (spire nuts are a more precise name for them). As far as I’m aware, they are the only company who supply these nuts in full stainless steel. I have their door hinge kit to go on. I fitted the drivers side around 18months back, but never got round to fitting the passenger side. No prizes for guessing which side came out without trouble on the strip down? I use a special anti-fret, anti-corrosion, grease for all my stainless fasteners though.

Discodevon · Jan 3, 2019

Cheers chaps I shall venture into the darkness before too long then

Front door Torx hinge screws

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