Thinkpads Forum

This is a common problem in the non-widescreen Thinkpads T60/T60p, where the internal magnesium frame has a weak point near the left hinge. Almost all produced laptops get the link between the left hinge base and middle part of sub-frame broken in a few years (depending on how frequently display lid is being opened/closed). Some of them brake near the VGA port (earlier revisions of sub-frames) while others brake near the hinge (as mine did). Besides, considerable free play in left hinge is going to brake bottom case. I didn't find any reliable solution to this problem over the internet, so I've decided to find out it by myself.
I've disassembled my T60p (took off palm rest, keyboard, keyboard bezel and display with cover). Thoroughly inspected broken point, figured out that glueing and cold welding is not an option at all, and decided to make a rigid metallic link from the left hinge base part of sub-frame to the part of sub-frame near the VGA port. I took tin plate with less than 1mm thickness, filed it to the necessary size and shape, then drilled two holes for standard M2 bolts and placed it over the existing holes in the sub-frame. Additionally I've used two nuts for M2 bolts from my previous laptops' repairs. The left hinge base part of sub-frame should also be filed over a little to make less than millimeter additional space for the tin plate.
Step-by-step photo-manual is here below:


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/1.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/2.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/3.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/4.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/5.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/6.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/7.jpg


Full size pic:http://www.technosphere.in.ua/diff/ibm/t60p-hinge/8.jpg

As a result: the dangerous free play of display assembly was completely eliminated.

P.S.The width of tin plate should be ~3mm less than shown on the photos. This will ensure precise fit of keyboard bezel above. The version of mine left 0,5mm gap between keyboard bezel and side of base cover.

P.P.S. I recommend to use the possibility and make maintenance of the cooling system (to clean from dust and change thermal paste). Temperatures of CPU and GPU will have been set 10-20 degrees lower.

Hope this small "HOWTO" helps someone.

nice fix!
Im impressed!
Looks like a nice and clean fix that should be able to hold the fram together well!
But I would be way to picky about that and just worder a new frame! :/

Kindly notice the These are the RULES of this ROAD - READ ME NOW amongst other things saying:

5. IF you must add a photograph to your post, PLEASE limit the size to 50k or less and place a warning in the subject line.

You (=the OP; Original Poster) can add this warning through editing the "Subject" line in the original post (add e.g. a *PIC* to the subject)

Thanks in advance for helping to provide this service which is useful for those browsing the forum through slow dial-up connections!

... and, also, thanks for providing this very useful guide; I am certain that many users will surely appreciate this!

Johan

Impressive work! I immediately saved the topic for keeping pictures.
I had the same idea: to make a bridge between the left hinger and the middle part of structure frame. But I was not sure about the rigidity of the modified structure frame. Now it is clear for me.
Thank you very much for sharing idea!

I have an R60i(e) which has the same crack in the same location. Guess the similarity between T60 and R60 extends to design flaws as well.

What a great solution!


My current T60s do not exhibit any play in the hinge, so I assume the frames are unbroken. They are both 2007 Core 2 Duo machines, so should have the revised frame design. My previous 15" 2623-D3U which was an earlier model did have play in the hinge. Back then I did not know the common cause so I just sent it into service and when it came back it said they had replaced the frame, so probably that was the cause.

Strange that new frames break at the hinge. It doesn't seem like such a weak spot in the picture. How common is this problem with the new frames?

dr_st wrote:My current T60s do not exhibit any play in the hinge, so I assume the frames are unbroken. They are both 2007 Core 2 Duo machines, so should have the revised frame design.

My laptop (shown on pictures) is also a "2007" machine. As far as I know, earlier revisions (such as your "2623") used to break near VGA port.
So maybe your machines had not been opened/closed that much.. Hope you are lucky and they will never break though.

I have some 14.1" T60's from TYPE 195x, 2 of them are OK, but the 3rd one has the whole bar along the vents missing!
Never even noticed this until I saw your post!
I have a spare frame anyway, which I will put in if I can't fix it the way you show us here.
Great imagination!

awesome DIY fix! Thanks for posting!!

(that is definitely a weak spot in that frame though and I've seen that area break many times on client machines)

I had purchased an R60 (with 15" screen) off ebay a couple of months back which needed a little TLC. Since then it has been fixed up and has seen use from my family as an HTPC. I noticed not too long ago that there was a crack developing in the casing around the fan exhaust area near the left hinge. I'm not 100 percent sure but I am thinking that perhaps the R-series might have this structural defect that you have posted about also. I am going to bookmark this thread and after applying the fix you have provided I will present the R60 to my niece for her achievements in academics. Thank you very much for sharing this fix mcsound!

Just wanted to say thanks to mcsound once again for his original post. Very glad I bookmarked this thread back in 2012! During a visit to my parents with help from my sis' boyfriend we both fixed my nieces R60 which had been suffering from the same exact break in the frame the OP had in his T60. I also upgraded her CoreDuo to a T7200 Core2Duo (thanks to forum member 91011), did a clean install of W7 professional, and replaced her keyboard for her. Her R60 is now functioning very well once again

Could someone please fix the links to the images in this excellent post?
They were there 9/25/2015, but now they are dead.
Thanks.