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The installation of our door hinge repair kit is
very straight forward, and is nearly identical to the normal factory
recommended procedure for bushing replacement. The only difference is that
our new bushings are a “press fit”, and retained with a chemical
agent. They can also be welded in place
if required.
Installation
note: Some of these vehicles are over 20 years old. During their lifetime it is
quite possible that a long handled tool
has been used between the door latch and
striker to actually bend the door hinges as a method of correcting door mis-alignment,
or worn hinges. This method was once quite popular when welded hinges first
appeared (‘82 F-body and S-10). When the door hinges are bent in this manner
it is normally the upper hinge that bends, as it is the weakest. If this has
ever been done to your vehicle, then it will need to be undone in order for the
door to fit properly. If you encounter any alignment difficulty installing the
pins, then this is most likely the cause. Try to check all the bushing bores for
alignment before installing the pins. Bent hinges may require professional
realignment to correct.
Step-by-step
-
If the door has any power
accessories, power windows, mirrors, etc. then remove the door panel
and disconnect and remove the wire harness to those accessories.
- Using the appropriate tool,
remove the tension spring for the door check.
- Remove the spring
steel retainers. The retainers are made of lightweight spring steel. Remove and discard
them. The retainer for the upper hinge pin is frequently found to be
already broken. In this case the only thing keeping the pin in place is
the door check spring.
- Remove the upper and
lower hinge pins. It may be necessary to tap them out with a small punch.
Normally they can be removed with pliers.
- Remove the door, and set it aside.
- Remove the bushings,
if they have not already fallen out. The bushings for the upper door hinge
are in the body portion of hinge. The bushings for the lower door hinge
are in the door portion of the hinge.
-
Prepare the hinges to
accept the new bushings. This involves removing any trace of paint,
rust, grease/oil, etc. from the area of the hinges that the flange of the
bushings contact, using a surface preparation
disc or 180 grit sandpaper. This is done to give
the chemical bonding agent a clean surface to bond to.
-
Non-welding installation;
-
The new bushings are designed to be a “press fit”, sometimes referred
to as an “interference fit”. Use an Acetone based solution (nail
polish remover works well) to remove any traces of machine oils from the
busing OD, and flange contact area.
-
Test
fit the new bushings into the hinges. If any of the bushings can be fully
installed by hand then they will need to be welded
in place.
Otherwise you can use the normal installation procedure.
-
Apply
the chemical bonding agent (red
Loctite) to the flange/body joint assuring that it to the full 360
degrees. Insert the bushing into the bore of the hinge. Take care to
ensure that the lubricant ports on the bushings face to the rear, and
positioned so that they can be lubricated after installation.
-
Attach the bushing installation
tool
to pull the bushing
evenly into the hinge. Once the bushing is fully installed
the excess adhesive should evenly distributed around the perimeter of
the flange. Repeat this procedure for the remaining bushings.
-
Re-attach the door using the new pins. The new pins do not have spring
steel retainers as the old ones did. Install the new pins with the upper
hinge pin from bottom to top, and the lower hinge pin from top to bottom.
-
Install a retainer
on
the end of each pin. A 3/8” 12 point box end wrench works well for
pushing the retainer down into position. If the bore in the hinge for the
pin is excessively worn, then it can also be “tack welded” into
position.
-
f)
Lubricate
the
bushings. It is a gratifying feeling to see actual grease going into the
hinges.
-
Install the door check spring using the appropriate tool.
-
Prior to closing the
door for the first time, check for any misalignment or interference of the
door and body to prevent any damage to the paint, or bodywork. Adjust as
required.
The installation is
complete.
Re-lubrication is
recommended semi-annually in normal service. In commercial service,
lubrication is recommended every oil change.
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