Body / Glass: Hinge pin replacement

[StudeMann]

Will i need a hydraulic press to remove and replace my hinge pins?

[StudeMann]

Bump!

Hasn't anybody changed hinge pins before?

[PackardV8]

Bump! Hasn't anybody changed hinge pins before?

No, not on a '51 Land Cruiser, the vehicle you didn't mention, but assume is the one in question.

However, on my '55 E12 pickup, I had to remove the hinge and heat it with a torch to get the old pin out. Then, I reamed the bracket to Chevy pickup size and used a new-available-on-the-NAPA-quick-pik-rack GM pickup pin.

jack vines

[gordr]

Jim, if the pins are broken off, and seized in the hinge leaf, a press won't help you. I have had them so solidly rusted in there that beating on them with a punch and a BFH does nothing. A press is of limited usefulness because the hinge is irregular in shape, and it's nearly impossible to prop it so that the force is directed straight down the axis of the pin. Get the press off-axis, and the parts just come flying out...at you most likely.

What I do now is to take a zip wheel in the die grinder, and slice the hinge leaf parallel to the pin, and cut right down to the pin. That relieves the grip on the pin, and it can then be readily punched out. Vee out the cut with a grinder, weld it back up, and clean the hole with a drill bit. Less time, and a lot less sweat!

Do like Jack suggested, get them GM hinge repair kit, counterbore the hinge leaf to accept the bushings (you will also have to grind or file the leaf to make a recess for the the thrust flanges on the bushings), and you end up with hinges better than new.

[64V-K7]

Hinge pins in a C/K are easy to remove. The down side is that they do not use a bushing. They just ride in the hole and if not oiled, will wear the hinge out to the point you have to drill an oversize hole and then, install a bushing The one thing you don't want to do tho', is remove the hinge from the door or else you'll be spending a lot of time readjusting it to fit again...

[StudeMann]

Well, i finally got a moment to see if I could remove my hinge pins. I just took a hammer an gave the end of the pin a solid whack and they came free. That's the advantage of buying a car that was garaged most of its life. The bad news is that there is still some play once I installed the new hinge pins. It looks like I will need to replace the repro hinge pins with the GM hinge pins as outlined above.

[jimmijim8]

Years ago I bought NOS ck hinges from Newman Altman as my lower door hinges had a slight amount of play. New ones had same amount. They were returned. cheers jimmijim