[gnnash]

I went to replace the door hinge pins and bushings in the Turbo Z this weekend, and was met with a nasty surprise...

I got the hinge pins and bushings out, noticing they were slightly different than the new ones (the Dorman kit for our cars), then dropped the new ones in, to find they are horrendously loose. The bushings that were in the car (as best as I can tell) are these:
http://www.fastenal.com/web/products/detail.ex?sku=0162920

They are the lower bushings for certain GM vehicles, and are about as large of a bushing as you can get. Now for the really bad part:

I had to put the door back on with the old parts, because the new bushings obviously weren't going to fit, and I needed to get the car back together. I noticed on removal and installation that the bushings were loose on the bottom hinge. After re-installation, I lifted the door to try and see where there was looseness in the system. The bottom bushings can be seen noticeably moving in the hinge...

I'm now at a loss as to what I should do. The GM bushings are the largest I've found, and they won't fit in the bottom hinge without moving around, and their ID is slightly too large for the proper pins. The best substitute I've found is a set for certain Jeeps: http://www.dormanproducts.com/p-7451-38422.aspx?make=Jeep&parttype=Door%20Hinge%20Pin%20and%20Bushing%20Kit

The pin is (I believe) the same diameter as the correct pins, and the bushing has a larger OD than the correct ones, but I believe I will still have about 20-30 thousandths slop around the bushings, and more than that on the bottom... can these be shimmed somehow?

Otherwise, am I looking at needing new body-side hinges? I just hope someone hasn't reamed out the door side of the hinge like they did the body side...

Passenger side doesn't sag, and has the proper chrysler pins and bushings.

 

[ChargedDust]

You could try finding some generic bushings at www.mcmaster.com

 

[gnnash]

I've looked a bit more, and unfortunately can't find any appropriately sized bushings. Are shims worth a try, or should I be looking to repair the enlarged hole through welding, or is hinge replacement my only option?

 

[dana44]

Are the hinges that are worn able to be removed? Some are now part of the body or door, which makes it difficult, but oversized bushings that can be used and the hinge drilled out to the proper oversize is the way to go, Hate it when they are so worn out you have to weld a plate with the proper hole to pin size and then re-grind and re-paint to make it work, but that is the last resort option.

 

[gnnash]

The worn part is the body side of the hinge, which can be removed, though I'd have to wait around until the snow melts at the junkyards to get a replacement... I suppose that is the best option though.

 

[dana44]

If they can be removed, great. Get them on a drill press after you find some bushings that are decently larger than the existing holes but still enough metal to hold the weight of the door, drill them out and press the new ones in. Been there, done that, Or, without bushings, find a pin that is the next size larger, still drilling out the hinge to install the new pin without a bushing like factory, many of them are pins on metal and no bushing.

 

[plumkrzy3]

What keeps the pin in place between the two hinge halfs? I don't really see a clip per-say, but since the one pin goes in from the bottom, something must be holding it in place to keep it from falling out.

 

[gnnash]

There are some splines toward the head of the pin - they are driven into one side of the hinge so that they don't fall out. Many also have a small clip in the middle as shown:

Thanks for digging up this thread, you reminded me that I need to finally fix this. I put a new striker bolt in last spring, which hid the issue for a while, allowing the door to close easily. I still need to fix the root problem when I get the car out for the season again...

 

[plumkrzy3]

Thanks for the reply.

I did see a little tab sticking out in the middle of the pin, which must be that clip, but when I put a screwdriver to it to see what happened, the little tab broke off, so I guess I don't see how the clip comes off. They must be painted over after installation. I was at the pick-n-pull trying to remove a couple body hinge halfs and had limited tools with me. I tried to pound the top pin down, but didn't have a hammer or punch, just a ratchet and extension, but it probably wouldn't come out with the clip on anyway.

 

[plumkrzy3]

Got the pin out of the upper hinge, just needed a punch and a bigger hammer. Since the bottom hinge, the pin goes up instead of down, I could get it out as the car was sitting on the ground and not enough room to get the punch in there and still hit it. Well, I got half of what I needed.