in the next couple of weeks, i plan on changing the door hinge bushings on my 69.

i read some place long ago that i can change 1 bushing at a time, and not have to take the door off the hinges.

are there any directions, hints, tips, tricks, etc, about doing this?

 

dont know of any directions u could down load but ive done this on alot of diff vehicals.i like to do bottom first dont ask why just the way i do it. place floor jack under door i use a block of wood to keep from damaging door,remove pin and the bushings u have to jack door up slightly to remove pressure sometimes pins can be a pain and ive had to us a saw all and cut pin in half before. replace bushings,install pin ,and repeat on top ps look at hinge if the holes are wore out and alot of times they are its time fror new hinges

 

ive never replaced hinge bushings before, so im not really sure how to remove/install these. do i use a hammer and punch to drive them out, and then slide/hammer them back in?

 

yes, that will work most of the time but i have had to cut the pin in half before to remove.after u get them out inspect the bushing hole, alot of times if the problem was left unrepaired for a long time the bushings will be shot and the pin will have worn out the hinge. make sure the bushing hole is round and not oval if its worn u must replace hinge or bushings will not last and u will be doing it agin in no time

 

The problem with removing the hinge pins is that the pins are installed from the top down ...with the heads of the pins facing up (at the top of the hing). At least that's how they came from the factory. Because of this orientation and the shape of the top of the door, there isn't enough clearance to drive the pin up out the top of the hinge w/o unbolting the door. To make it worse, the pins should also be 'staked' at the bottom so they won't work themselves out. Again, this would be how the original ones should be. If yours are staked, you can't just drive them up.

What I usually do is take a die grinder with a carbide burr at the top and very carefully grind down the head of the door pin. It makes a mess, but if you have a good carbide burr, it makes short work of it. Then drive the pins downwards and out with a punch. Be sure to support the door with a floor jack or something suitable. The key thing during this process is to be extremely careful not to let the die grinder slip and gouge the hinge area.

Back the door off a little and drive out the bushings. Replace the bushings. Install the lower pin first. Then you have to decide what you want to do on the upper hinge. The easy route is to install the pin from the bottom up. But then you need to install a one-way clip to keep it from loosening (working it's way downward). You can't get it in from the top w/o removing the hinge bolts. The best thing is to do just that and install the pin from the top down, then re-bolt the hinge to the door. Even then, you should install one-way clips at the bottom of the pins to keep them from working upwards.

That pretty much does it. Hope it helps.

Mark G

 

sounds like it would just be easier to make a couple marks for where teh door hinges go, and take the doors off.

what do these things weight, approximately? i dont want to find out the damn things weight like 150lbs and i drop it when i take it off.

 

I can take the doors on and off by myself by doing the following:

Floor jack & block of wood under the door

Drive out the lower hing pin

Unbolt the top hinge from the door jamb, not the door.

Of course it's much easier with no windshield or interior in the car

By leaving the lower hinge attached to the jamb it's very easy to re align the door. install the lower pin but don't seat it completely, snug up the top hinge, then back off a turn. Close the door carefully, tighten the bolts. then open the door & seat the lower pin.

Good luck

Jim