door stays - are they interchangeable?

wahoofan · 05-14-2007, 03:17 AM

After my driver-side door stay snapped in two during a PCA dinner drive this weekend, I decided to install the 2 new ones that have been sitting in the garage since last year. ( Timing was good since RS door panels are due later this week, aand I really would not want to go through removing the original panels more than once! )

Anyway, the one that I removed from my '72 does not seem to match the new ones that I ordered from our host, which are supposed to fit '70-'89. My old one looks more like the '65-'69 one pictured in the Pelican catalog, except it had studs on it and mounted with nuts. Also, the spacing for the mounting bolts on the new ones is slightly larger.

The question is, does it matter which kind I use as a replacement? The mounts on the new one will still work, but the angle of the "arm" is different (old=straight, new=curved). Will I break anything if I just tighten down the mounting bolts and "realign" the sheet metal inside the door, and will the stay still operate smoothly?

Mike O'Meara · Mike O'Meara's Garage

I replaced the door stay on my 72 with the later version, and yes, it works fine. I did have to enlarge one screw hole in order to make it fit. I don't recall an issue with the angle or bending any sheet metal. HTH

Zeke · 05-14-2007, 03:39 PM

The new ones are what they call supersedes meaning they supersede the old ones. If you want old ones, you will most likely have to buy NOS or used. The new ones should work fine.

wahoofan · 05-15-2007, 03:36 AM

You guys are right - the new ones are fine. Only problem I had was needing longer bolts so I could hook the arm to the fender first and then tighten the bolts and let the new stay "bend" the metal inside the door to fit the contour. They work great, but are a little stiff. What kind of lube should I use - white grease or brown?

This probably is not unusual for a 35 year old car, but I was a little surprised to find that my doors do not match each other and that I had 2 different types of door stays on the car, neither of which match the new ones from our host.