Standard vs Metric Door Bushings

[Dewster]

Was getting tired of slamming my door every day, so I replaced the bushings and pin in it. I found that after I replaced the bushings, I still had to slam the door to shut it fully. On my truck, the hole where the bushings fit into is a tiny bit bigger than what I had seen on a different GMT400 earlier in the year. This allowed for the bushings to easily fit into the hole. On the other truck, I had to tap the bushings into place with a small hammer. My truck was made in Canada, and I was wondering if maybe the bushings sold at auto stores are standard sizes and I need to be looking for metric sized bushings that will fit better.

 

[someotherguy]

There aren't metric vs. standard bushings. Either your hinge holes are hogged out or the bushings you got suck. There's more than one maker of them; I sourced some through GM a while back and they aren't even the same color as the Dorman brand. Some fit better than others. If the poorly fitting ones you got are Dormans, I'd try getting them from the dealer.

Another very, very common problem with door sag is the hole in the hinge where the end of the pin fits - this is supposed to be a tight fit, but when the bushings are worn, the pin will egg out this hole and there's no bushing in it to replace. You replace everything but the pin still moves in this hole and the gap allows the door to sag. Proper fix = replace hinges but not necessary; remove the pin retainer, grind a little clean metal on the nearby hinge and the tip of the pin, jack up the rear of the door gently to take up the slack, and stitch a very small amount of weld there to keep the pin from moving.

Richard

 

[Dewster]

I actually tried Dormans in the first place, but they crumpled apart when I tapped them into place. I returned those and exchanged them for a Needa? brand kit, which held up to some small tapping. I'd say that the holes are indeed worn out from the heavily used looks of the door itself. (The interior plastic of it is held on by bungee cords.) So I can see how the hole would be worn away from heavy use.

Thanks for the pointers.