Many older vehicles have sagging or non-functioning doors, indicating that you need to rebuild your hinges. Fortunately, this is a straightforward process that doesn’t require a great deal of experience or tools. In this step-by-step guide, we’ll walk you through door hinge repair.
How to Take a Car Door Off
The first step of door hinge repair is to remove your car doors. To do this, you should have another person helping you by holding the door as you work to detach it. Otherwise, you’ll need a device to support the door, such as a door and bumper dolly.
Once your door is properly supported, you’ll need to see if it has a check strap, which prevents you from opening the door too widely. You’ll need to carefully disconnect the small nut and bolt components to remove the check strap. Some vehicles may instead have a clevis pin and split pin. You should also check to ensure there’s no electrical wiring or air ducting that will prevent you from removing the car door.
Now, let’s move on to the hinges holding up your car door. The hinges will likely be held up by screws or bolts. You’ll need to remove the bolts with a socket spanner or the screws with an appropriate screwdriver. Additionally, you may need to lubricate the screws or bolts with penetrating oil. Once you complete these tasks, you’ll be able to remove the door with ease.
Remove Old Pins and Bushings
After removing your car door, you’ll detach the old pins and bushings from your worn-out hinges. Start by drilling and grinding off the top part of your hinge’s pins. If the pin isn’t pressed in, you may be able to just twist off your pins with a wrench to remove them from the hinge.
Assuming your pins were installed in the pressed-in method, you’ll take a drill and penetrate the top of the pin, which will unfasten it from the hinge. Once done, you can then remove the hinges from the door frame.
Now, move on to your hinge’s bushings, as they’ll likely be worn out and require removal. You can remove them easily by using a punch and a chisel to scrape them off your car’s hinges.
Install New Pins and Bushings
The next step of door hinge repair is replacing your hinges’ pins and bushings. If you’re working on a classic, it’s best that you obtain new old stock pins and bushings that match your car’s make, model, and year to ensure proper alignment. You can also obtain a car door hinge repair kit that comes with pins and bushings, but make sure they’re the correct size for your ride’s hinges.
Next, drive the top and bottom bushings into the hinge by using a hammer, arbor press, or another tool. You may want to cover the bushings with washers during this process to avoid damaging them. Once you install your bushings into your hinges, you’ll likely need to lubricate them in preparation for the pins.
Now, you can easily drive in your pins. If you obtain appropriate pins for your hinges, they’ll probably fit great, but if they’re too long, you may need to trim them with a grinder to ensure a proper fit.
The final step is to reattach your car doors via your screws or bolts and enjoy your classic, now fitted with well-functioning hinges.
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