There is a new Bricklin door problem. Although extrememly rare in
occurance, if you are unlucky enough (like I was this morning), you can
really get hurt. Dad and I removed the dimmer switch, took it apart, and
cleaned the contacts. After re-installation, I got in the brick and
closed the door. Because my doors were not adjusted properly, the door
hinge apparently "wedged" itself to the metal part the roof T-section
glues to. As a result, when I let the air out of the cylinder to close
the door, the door stayed up just long enough for all the air to get out
of the cylinder. Then the weight of the door, now being strong enough to
break the "wedge", had virtually the same effect as if the door had been
lifted manually and then dropped. Fearing damage to the door, and in
particular the $250 window glass that's been replaced already, I lifted
my elbow to stop the door. It made contact with the door just under the
window glass. I'm lucky that I was extremely cautious in the way that I
tried to brace the fall of the door. Otherwise, I could have had bones
broken. If you try to close the door and nothing happens, but you hear
the air go out of the cylinder, I would strongly advise that you stay
clear of the door. You can always fix a door, but you can't always fix a
broken bone as good as new.
While I'm on the subject of doors, I would like to share the safest
method I found for propping up the door to work on your car. Take an
aluminum mop handle, and put one end in the "crater" where the D ring
goes. Put the other end in the emergency release on the door that you
use to open the car from the inside when the latch solenoids fail. This
method makes it extremely difficult to encounter a mishap. Stan Fransen
told me of a B owner who had the door fall on his leg. The damage was
severe. He was able to walk after recovering, but not like we would
normally do. He has to walk with a limp now, and probably can't run.
The Bricklin doors are the most attractive feature of the car, but at the
same time, are the most deadly item on the car. It has been estimated
that a falling door will exter a minimum of 300lbs of force on any object
in its way.
Mass Times Acceleration Equals Force.
The door weighs 90lbs.
Type at you later...
Riley Marquis III
VIN 1758
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