[Mgs] TD questions

[mgbob at juno.com]

  I am taking my TD apart for painting. Wings, running, boards, bonnet,
radiator, spare tire bracket, fuel tank and all off the car now, and
floorboards will come out as soon as garage temperature rises a bit. So far,
everything but the running boards has come apart easily.  Those bolts were
rusted into the wood, and required gentle coaxing over time to remove. I
double-nutted the threaded end, then used a wrench on each end to gently work
them loose. Over a period of two weeks, not one of the penetrants used soaked
more than 1/8" down the bolts and into the wood.  All the other fasteners are
in good order. I plan to zinc plate them with the Caswell electroplating
chemicals.  Door fit is excellent, and I don't want to mess with it, but would
like to remove doors for painting.  Question: can the hinge pins be pressed up
and out?  If they can't be pressed out, interior panels must come out. Panels
are original, but look pretty good. The hidem is sure to be destroyed, though.
Question: is there a source of hidem?  We have long thought that Rexine was
unavailable. It turns out that it is still made, apparently in India and
China, and is marketed for car upholstery. I wanted a piece to re-cover the
dashboard. One supplier offered immediate shipment of "100 miles" of it.  If I
ordered from him, does anyone need 527,996 feet of the stuff? Bob