AMSCO Metal Doors

[sbosecker]

I would like to use a couple of sets of 6 foot Double Doors in my upcoming build. Today I came across a Craigslist ad for "Commercial Steel Double Doors" and I went to look at them.

These doors have never been installed and the doors are wrapped in plastic. The door frames and hardware are stacked in their unopened boxes. Supposedly everything is there except for door knobs/locks. They are 6 feet wide and 7 feet tall.

The outside of the Boxes has the following label:

AMSCO Products Inc.
Manufacturers of Doors, Frames and Aluminum Windows

One of the Door Frame/Hardware boxes had been opened by a previous "looker". I examined the contents of that box but I was like a pig looking at a wristwatch - It interested me but I really didn't know what I was looking at.

I was hoping to find some sort of paperwork that would identify the model of the door. Then I would use the internet to determine if these doors could be used in my application. No useful paperwork was found in the open box.

I assumed that I would be able to a Google search of AMSCO and track this information down pretty easily. So I left the property to do more research.

To my dismay:

1. There are a lot of different companies named AMSCO

2. After weeding through all the AMSCO's I wasn't interested in, I think I determined that the AMSCO door company had been purchased by United Dominion Industries in 1998.

All of this means that these doors probably don't have an internet presence of any kind.

Any GarageJournal folks ever hear of this company or use their doors?

Scott

 

[Zeke]

Looks like they dropped their steel door line. These are most likely hollow metal doors with a knock down hollow metal frame. As a set, they probably match hinge wise. They need what is called an astrigal to close up the center gap. It may be included.

The frame generally installs to a buck on concrete and masonry construction and nails to the rough opening on wood construction. IOW, it does nail in place. But, there are different wall conditions, e.g., 2 x 4 or 2 x 6. Kinda hard to put a 2 x 6 sized frame in a 2 x 4 wall. Better open the box and see what you have or read more specs off the box to us.

Metal doors are hard to prep for locks other than surface mount so WYSIWYG.

 

[sbosecker]

The site of these doors was right out of American Picker.

They are located about 15 miles from me in a very rural area. I drove down a pretty long red-dirt lane, noting the "The Cost of Ammunition is High - No Warning Shots" sign, to a double-wide with several outbuildings and storage contraptions.

The gentlemen that is selling the doors has obvious health issues that precluded him from helping me move the boxes. The following pictures might make the boxes look somewhat accessible but many of the multitude of items in this particular storage contraption would have to be removed to move the boxes. The boxes themselves are long & awkward and would have to make a 90 degree turn to extract them from the storage contraption.

The condensed version is that this was a 2-man job and I was the only one there physically capable of moving stuff around. It was stinking hot and the humidity was about 200% so, since I thought the internet was my friend, I retreated without being more aggressive in obtaining info. I could find no visible information on the outside of the boxes. If they're as old as I think they are (15 years +), if any printing was there the ink has faded.

I believe the walls in my build will be 2x6 construction but I have to verify that with the architect. I already have a meeting planned with the architect on Monday.

The owner claimed he had seen these doors mounted on 2x6 walls with drywall. The doors are stacked vertically next to the hardware boxes. My recollection is that they have a single hole drilled for a door knob set. The doors are insulated metal.

Attaching some pictures. The cell phone sitting on the frame is 5-1/2 inches
long.

Best regards,

Scott

 

[Zeke]

I think this .pdf will help. If these doors are pretty cheap, you may be OK. Depends on what you're building and what anchors are provided. Obviously some improvisation may have to take place. I'd forward the document to your architect.

I misstated my information about all frames being able to be nailed on. That pertains to some models, not all.