Hinge Assembly Replacement

[MSCustoms]

I decided to do a write up on this subject because I couldn't find any information on it when I replace the hinge assembly on my truck. The driver door on my truck was sagging and after some investigation, I found the holes for the door pins were elongated and new pins would not fix the issue. I am also not a fan of placing a jack under the door to bend the hinges so the door would align, its not a fix to the actual problem. Anyway, I purchased a set of hinges from lmc and embarked on the journey.

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I had to bend the hinges because the opening between them were too large. I removed the pins and separated the hinges.

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I scuffed the hinges with 120 grit sand paper and applied three coats of etching primer. Before the 24 hour mark, I sprayed the hinges with 3 coats of 2k primer.

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After curing for 24 hours, I wet sanded the hinges with 220 grit and sprayed them with 3 coats of acrylic enamel paint that I got color matched from the paint store.

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Now onto the removal process. The front fender must be removed to remove the old hinges and to adjust the new hinges when they are installed. I removed the door panel and inner panel as well before removing the door.

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The stock hinges are welded to the truck and must be drilled out to remove the hinge. I did this by sanding the face of the hinge with 80 grit sand paper until enough paint is removed to see the spot welds. You can see where the spot welds have been sanded first.

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I used a center punch to make an indent over the center of the spot weld. Then I used a 1/8 inch drill to drill a pilot hole in the spot weld. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DRILL INTO THE TRUCK, ONLY THE HINGE. I then used a 1/2 inch spot weld cutter to start cutting out the spot weld. I finished drilling out the spot weld with a 1/2 inch carbide end mill. This was more effective at cutting out the spot weld.

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I marked the position of the hinge and used a chisel to remove the hinge from the truck.

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I cleaned the area, sprayed it with 3 coats of etching primer, and sprayed with 3 coats of paint. The bolts come through the back side and the hinges came with a fish wire for the bolts. The lower hinges required the removal of the kick panel and the upper hinges required the removal of the dash speaker (88-94 models). I used the fish wire to bring the bolts through the back side of the truck and through the hinges. I snugly tightened the hinges and reinstalled the door. I aligned the door by lifting the back end into place while having another person tighten the bolts. DO NOT TIGHTEN THE BOLTS TOO TIGHT! the bolts will not be flush against the backside of the truck because the spot weld deposits are still there and the bolts will break if you tighten too tight. I installed the inner door panel and door panel.

The door now opens and closes easily without having to slam the door. The hinges are now adjustable without having to bend the hinges and can easily be replaced again if they go bad.

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[TylerZ281500]

thoughts..........very nice job, that is one task i would not enjoy. if your bolts are breaking then they arent the right bolts in my mind, secondly thread locker? id glob the out of em just so they dont loosen up otherwise very nice job i salute your patience.

 

[Hyperti2]

Man alot of work couldn't you just weld the elongated side of the hole and run a drill bit through it?

 

[someotherguy]

Generally the holes for the bushings don't wear severely enough to worry about; it's the smaller hole where the tip of the pin just has an interference fit. They'll get worn after the bushings have been let go for far too long.

The egged-out holes can indeed be repaired on the truck; it's not a pretty fix but effective and in an area you won't really be looking at anyway. Simply jack the door up a little at the rear to push the slack in the hole/pin to the opposite side of normal load, grind a clean spot on the hinge and the pin, and tack a little weld in there. Don't go crazy because if you ever need to remove the door you'll have to grind out the weld to get the pin out, and there's very little room to work.

Richard

 

[MSCustoms]

thoughts..........very nice job, that is one task i would not enjoy. if your bolts are breaking then they arent the right bolts in my mind, secondly thread locker? id glob the out of em just so they dont loosen up otherwise very nice job i salute your patience.

I was initially tightening until the back side was flush and didnt realize the weld in the back was putting the bolt at an angle. Its a special type of bolt that keeps it from spinning when tightening so i will have to find another one when i do the passenger door. Thanks, it was not the easiest task.

Man alot of work couldn't you just weld the elongated side of the hole and run a drill bit through it?

There would be no guarantee that the drilled hole would be lined up with the bottom hole and would put unnecessary stress on the pin. Plus a drill does not make a round hole and would be better to ream it afterwards with the tight clearance.

Generally the holes for the bushings don't wear severely enough to worry about; it's the smaller hole where the tip of the pin just has an interference fit. They'll get worn after the bushings have been let go for far too long.

The egged-out holes can indeed be repaired on the truck; it's not a pretty fix but effective and in an area you won't really be looking at anyway. Simply jack the door up a little at the rear to push the slack in the hole/pin to the opposite side of normal load, grind a clean spot on the hinge and the pin, and tack a little weld in there. Don't go crazy because if you ever need to remove the door you'll have to grind out the weld to get the pin out, and there's very little room to work.

Richard

Thats a better idea but would cause more of a headache when the pins eventually need to be replaced.

 

[someotherguy]

Thats a better idea but would cause more of a headache when the pins eventually need to be replaced.

I'll just agree to disagree; cutting a little bit of weld out vs. replacing hinges? I know which one I'd choose.

Richard

 

[MSCustoms]

I'll just agree to disagree; cutting a little bit of weld out vs. replacing hinges? I know which one I'd choose.

Richard

 

[draginlow]

thanks for the wright up. i got a set for my driver door and getting ready to install. the hing was already welded once and re drilled. then the wind grabbed the door and bend the door frame. i picked up a new door and new hinges to just get it finished in one shot lol.