I'm seeking advice about how to replace three spring-loaded side doors in the body shell of a Lionel E6A diesel loco. My loco was scratched during an operating session at a train show -- no one noticed (until after the scratches were made along its right side) that a trackside building was inadvertently placed too close to the track; it's protruding roof edge scratched the paint on the diesel every time it passed that building.
Anyway, I bought a like-new replacement E6A body shell; however, three of its side doors were missing. My thought was to swap three selected (good) doors from the "scratched" loco to the replacement loco. Presto-chango! A scratch-free loco for my layout; then I'd discard the scratched body shell.
My concern ... I'm not a techno-guy and my hands are a bit unsteady at ago 80, so I'm wary of trying to make this swap myself -- a door spring under tension might "fly across the train room" and be lost forever. I wonder, is there a special tool for this task? Or a make-shift tool that would help? Or a Lionel Service Station that would do this project for me?
Advice welcome ...
Mike Mottler LCCA 12394
