Quote:
Originally Posted by LMH
Hinges will most likely need to be custom made for the car. With differences in chassis design and support structures, "standard" hinges aren't really an option unless the frame is like an original Cobra. Something may be adaptable from another manufacturer like Shell Valley but you'll have to do some studying once you have the car.
Larry
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This is unfortunately true - Cobra doors open with the forward edge opening outward, rather than pivoting in-wards which can make for an interference between the door and the fender/cowl edge. Fiberglass bodies make this even more difficult because of the relative thickness of the panels on some cars. The hinge has to have enough effective radius that the door swings out sufficiently as opening starts, for the door edge to clear the fender.
Even though the hinge mounting points (the hinge radius more or less) probably has to stay, you may be able to crop down the curved arms so they don't intrude as far inside when the door is closed. The doors may open a little wider than needed also and that would allow cutting down the curved (U-shaped) arm since it primarily limits the door opening amount before it hit on the inside of the door jamb.
If you study the front edge as the door is slowly opened to make sure it has plenty of clearance to prevent chipping - you can probably reduce the effective radius of the hinge - provided you have an alternative place to securely bolt it to on the cowl frame or the door itself.
If the doors swing open wider than necessary then your can reduce the U-shaped arm depth so that the doors don't open as wide and the hinge doesn't intrude into the cockpit so far.
Hope some of this makes sense. Probably not going to find someone's off the shelf hinges to work and will have to modify what you have.