Today's troubled attempts to install my door hinge rebuild set

Dibbons · Jun 18, 2015

I thought I would share this message I sent to the sales department where I purchased the product:

Re: 71-74 door hinge rebuild set

The eight bronze bushings included in a small, transparent envelope included 7 of the correct bushings (outside diameter .42") and one taller and wider bushing (outside diameter .492). I believe the larger bushing is made for Chevrolet, not Mopar. I believe you owe me one bushing.

And I would like to make a suggestion that some kind of instruction is included with the package. I already wasted more than $8 for drill bit (27/64"/.4192") that seems to provide no friction fit at all for the bushings (I could push the first bushing into my 27/64" test hole by hand). It would be good to know beforehand what is the correct diameter hole for the bushing installation. I used a dial caliper to measure before shopping for a proper diameter drill bit and it seemed a 13/32"/.4063" hole may have been a little too small (tight), so I purchased the 27/64" (which now seems just a hair too large). That leaves only very odd sized drill bit sizes between 13/32" and 27/64" which are "z" (.4130") and 10.5 mm (.4134"). There is also no mention of whether the pins need some kind of staking or if they are expected to remain in place after simply tapping them in. They are too short to use any type of locking clips. I would like to finish this project using all the correct procedures but it is difficult without some guidance. Thank you.

747mopar · Jun 18, 2015

Never cared much for the bushings myself. I'll tell you how I rebuilt mine for next to nothing but a little work. The passenger side was slightly worn so I just purchased a slightly larger set of pins (auto parts stores usually have a selection) and drilled them to fit..... DONE. Now the driver side was horrible and even cracked so I prepped them and welded all the holes shut, ground them smooth and drilled them to fit the original pins.

5wndwcpe · Jun 19, 2015

Ricks kit combines both oversized pins for the lower hinge and bushing for the upper. It's worked well for me in the past and he gives you the option to purchase the reamer as well.

http://www.restorick.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DrHingeRebuildKit

Bb70charger500 · Jun 19, 2015

I just buy the repop hinges there affordable and it doesn't take much time or effort I messed with bushings before nothing but a pain in the rear . To big to small . There to thin as soon as you shut the door they split and bind up not worth the aggravation spend a few bucks and buy the repops there great fit perfectly and have never had a problem out of them(minus paint you need to clean the hell out of them to paint them lots of grease remover )
Good luck

Hemi 354 · Jun 19, 2015

Damn, it's hard to read the sentence with NO punctuation.

mopar 3 B · Jun 20, 2015

Yep I know a few people that can brake more stuff than they can fix to. Does not make them bad people it just means someone else can sell them rebuilt parts that work.

Dibbons · Jun 22, 2015

Now I am really confused. I was ready to drill out for the bushings in the outer holes of the hinges. However, I just found a thread on this site where someone installed the bushings on the inside holes of the hinges! They had to grind the hinges and/or bushings for clearance because of the raised part of the bushings. Placing the bushings on the inside holes of the hinges seems to have caused them clearance problems. Is there a doctor in the house? Who is doing this right??

The discussion I found at last page of 71airgrabberRR's thread called: "71 Road Runner Restoration Started"

"I have the same rebuild kit. I have found that there is not enough clearance between the hinges to fit the flange of the brass bush. Did you recess your flange or did you spread your hinge a little bit? I hope this makes sense."

"I simply ground down the contact points a little to make the bushings fit in between the two parts. You will have to grind down enough to get the "E" clip to snap into position. Grind it down just a little, check it, repeat as necessary............."

One last question: anyone else besides me driving around today without any doors?

Maybe Lamborghini hinges like this youtube video:

https://video.search.yahoo.com/vide...mozilla-002&hsimp=yhs-002&hspart=mozilla&tt=b

71airgrabberRR · Jun 23, 2015

Hello Dibbons.

I just replied to your PM message. I used a large bench vice to hold the hinge parts during drilling / reassembly.

I used a set of calipers to measure the outside diameter of the bushings that came with my kit that I bought from Jeff at 521 restorations. My hinge repair set had all bushing of the same size.

I then measured the area on the hinge (where the bushings go), to see if any drilling was required. This area wears out as the pin passes through it, and it may actually be larger than the outside diameter of the bushing.

Then I drilled out the area where the bushings are pressed into, since my hinges were not excessively worn.

Once the drilling was completed, I had to grind off some of the hinge material along the edge, so that the bushings would fit in between the outer section.

I used the bench vice to hold the spring in place while I lightly hammered in the new roll pins and new door pins.

You will probably have to grind off a little of the outer hinge to allow for the "E" clip to be installed. The new door pins are a little short, but can be used.

Hope this helps.

- - - Updated - - -

- - - Updated - - -

Dibbons · Jul 11, 2015

Update:
Finished "rebuilding" the drivers side hinges. Bought some extra bushings beforehand (Help #38375 for GM vehicles) before I began. If the new hinges now available are satisfactory, I highly recommend using them in lieu of this painful rebuilding process for hinges that evidently were not meant for rebuilding in the first place. Some of my personal observations:

a) I did use drill bit size "z" (.4130") to drill the holes for the bushings. I had to special order it through a local ACE hardware store.

b) I only used one bushing in the upper hinge for the hole that was elongated. The second hole was still serviceable. I did not hammer them in, I used a bolt, nut, and washers as a "mini-press". I put the bushing in from the inside to avoid the grinding necessary for "collar" clearance. I don't know if that will have unforeseen consequences in the future. I did waste a couple of bushings during my trial and error learning curve.

c) In the lower hinge, I installed one bushing from the inside to avoid having to grind a relief on that side to reassembly the parts. That "collar" on the bushings causes nothing but problems because the factory hinges never used bushings. I did have to grind a relief for the second bushing. I just made sure to situate the bushings so the pin, when coming in from the top, entered both bushings first on the side that had the collar.

d) I lubricated parts during assembly with white lithium grease and/or motorcycle chain lube.

e) The "kit" I purchased online had no instructions and no e-clips. The two smaller pins were just cut down versions of the longer pins, so the relief made for the e-clips was also cut off in the process. That's why I did not use any e-clips at all.

f) After the door was reinstalled, it seems to be super tight, maybe too much so. I have little faith in the longevity of my rebuild. Nonetheless, I will lubricate frequently and open/close the door gingerly while I hope for the best.

themechanic · Jul 11, 2015

"I will lubricate frequently." :VB toast:

Chargerjase · Jul 12, 2015

Hmm, I think that bush will 'Walk out' given that you have put it on the inside and not sandwiched between the two. Brass is a self lubricating material so should not need much/none lubrication. I would definitely lightly grind the hinge as 71airgrabberRR has suggested to ensure the the bushings stay in place.

Dibbons · Jul 12, 2015

Not listed for 71-74 B Bodies

5wndwcpe said:
Ricks kit combines both oversized pins for the lower hinge and bushing for the upper. It's worked well for me in the past and he gives you the option to purchase the reamer as well.

http://www.restorick.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DrHingeRebuildKit

Only listed for up to 1970 B Bodies unfortunately (but appears to be the way to go).

Moparfiend · Dec 21, 2017

Dibbons said:
Not listed for 71-74 B Bodies

Only listed for up to 1970 B Bodies unfortunately (but appears to be the way to go).

Sorry to resurrect this old thread but why creat another? Does anyone know a good source for new hinges?

ODZKing · Dec 22, 2017

It has always been MHO that hinge repair kits are only a band aid and will only last a short while. New hinges are the only real solution unless you want to keep doing that every couple years. Lets face it, there is a LOT of weight on those hinges.
Just my 2 cents worth.

Moparfiend · Dec 22, 2017

ODZKing said:
It has always been MHO that hinge repair kits are only a band aid and will only last a short while. New hinges are the only real solution unless you want to keep doing that every couple years. Lets face it, there is a LOT of weight on those hinges.
Just my 2 cents worth.

yup add to that I have other pressing issues to fix so new hinges are what I am asking about. Who sells reputable ones? I don’t have much money left in my budget like I am negative as with most if us so looking for best deals.

ODZKing · Dec 24, 2017

I got mine from SMS, quite pricey but there are new ones out there.

71Beeper · Dec 28, 2017

I bought my hinges from AMD.

Moparfiend · Dec 28, 2017

71Beeper said:
I bought my hinges from AMD.

AMD?

Dibbons · Dec 28, 2017

Auto Metal Direct
http://www.autometaldirect.com/body-components-c-23.html

dodge1972 · Dec 28, 2017

Used a 74 charger AMD set for my 78 Magnum. Cost about $250. No Problems

Today's troubled attempts to install my door hinge rebuild set

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