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Door Hinge Pins

Big T

Big T

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I'm replacing the door hinge pins on my '99 Suburban. Bottom pin on driver's side came out easily as did the bottom bushing. How do you knock out the upper bushing? Not a lot of room in there. Do you pull both pins and remove the door? I have it supported by an engine hoist.
 
Thanks. Wish I had seen that before I started. At least I just did one door. I need the pretty helper, but her back is not up to it :-(
 
I do them like that with a jack. But I don't like using my extentions as a punch. I bought the tool to install and remove the spring and the pins. I usually run masking tape down the door and the edge of the fender just in case to door and fender hit, and I put grease on the bushing and on the pin before installing it. Not sure why they installed them dry unless I missed it in the video.
 
I'll meet ya halfway. I never use my extensions as a drift or punch. I also did wide masking tape to protect paint. But I never used a lube for install (Ok Leroy- take it away). I used to hold bushing with needle nose vice grips lightly clamped on edge to hold in place with my pinky, ring, middle fingers holding vicegrip, and thumb& index finger holding punch. Smack punch with a ball pein a couple times and that was it.
 
Oh and I usually put a shallow socket on the other side of the hinge and the bushings squeeze easily into to the hinge with channel locks or pliers. Can't believe pounding them like that, he didn't break any of the lip off the bushing.
 
I've done a ton of them over the years, reg hydraulic jack under middle of door,, 2ft pry bar pop spring out,, hit pin's on small side with air chisel bit,, ,, that was broken and had the fut hacked off it years ago, pop those pins on the ends,, knocks knurled heats out of holes,, then pull out with vice grips clamped under the head tapped out with hammer. Tape on door and fender,, lean door carefully against fender, press in new bushings using vice grips with small spoon, then gently tap in the rest of the way,,, line up door, slide pins in and tap and set head of pins. Don't forget the locks on the pins.
 
After replacement of bushings & pins on a welded hinge door needs to still be adjusted then this tool is what is needed.
S&G Tool 82350
 
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My driver door closes hard, but basically operates OK. The passenger door needs a shoulder in the side to open it from the inside, and a very hard slam to close it completely. Will the pins and bushings correct that, or is there more alignment that is needed?
 
Yup. That where the main problem usually is.

Get some spray graphite and spray the latching mechanism. Make sure it is working smooth by using a screwdriver to latch the catches with the door open, then pull the handle. It should take some force to latch, but be smooth.

If you swing the door to the point it is about to latch and look at the height of the door compared to where it is supposed to be when closed, you should notice it a little low.
 
Sometimes new hinge pins and bushings fixes door sag and sometimes it doesn't. If new pins and bushings doesn't, that means you have to physically adjust how the door hangs by loosening SLIGHTLY (so there's still an interference fit that requires a little "assistance" to move the door) the hinge bolts. The correct procedure is in the GM C/K Truck Service Manual, or possibly in the Chilton/Haynes Manual (although those have become pretty much useless crap since Chilton bought out Haynes, IMO) in the body and exterior section.
 
Well the passenger door is harder to close but sags less, and the driver door sags more but closes easier. Go figure. This morning I cleaned the latches up a bit with brake cleaner and then sprayed them with graphite lube, operated them with a screwdriver a bunch of times, re-sprayed, wiped off excess. Definitely an improvement on the passenger door, but still plan to do the hinges.
 
Dave01 said:
Well the passenger door is harder to close but sags less, and the driver door sags more but closes easier. Go figure. This morning I cleaned the latches up a bit with brake cleaner and then sprayed them with graphite lube, operated them with a screwdriver a bunch of times, re-sprayed, wiped off excess. Definitely an improvement on the passenger door, but still plan to do the hinges.
Click to expand...
That makes perfect sense. Saggy door that closes easy is because the bronze bushings are really worn, probably an oval or egg shape inside from years of the steel pin rotating (without lube most likely) every time the door was opened and closed. The passenger side, used far less, has a bronze bushing that is nice and round and therefore still a tight fit around the steel hinge pin. A small shot of penetrating oil followed by GM's recommended hinge pin lube (a couple of drops of 30 weight oil) and the non-saggy door should operate just fine.
 
Drivers door hinge tends to bend the door frame at the hinge area and at rare times the door opening at the front of door opening where welded hinges to the cowl this is because the door is used for leverage when driver enters vehicle.

If after the bushings & pins are replaced the door with welded hinges still exhibits sagging you don't try to adjust the striker like many do "you must use the door alignment tool I had mentioned in earlier post to bend door frame back to it's original position."
 
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