• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Has anyone done this hinge rebuild kit?

manic_mopar

Well-Known Member
Local time
12:26 AM
Joined
Sep 9, 2016
Messages
119
Reaction score
55
Location
Houston
Hey guys, has anyone here done the rebuild kit on this style of hinge? Any guidance or suggestions? I cant really find anything on the web to show the procedure. It seems straight forward enough but i really dont want to screw something up here. Luckily i have a press here in the garage should any of these old pins need extra umph to remove. I have the body repair manual but it doesnt even acknowledge these hinges exist. The alignment is perfect right now on these doors, and im pretty scared to remove a hinge and it all go to hell.

0518171800.jpg
 
Hey guys, has anyone here done the rebuild kit on this style of hinge? Any guidance or suggestions? I cant really find anything on the web to show the procedure. It seems straight forward enough but i really dont want to screw something up here. Luckily i have a press here in the garage should any of these old pins need extra umph to remove. I have the body repair manual but it doesnt even acknowledge these hinges exist. The alignment is perfect right now on these doors, and im pretty scared to remove a hinge and it all go to hell.

View attachment 424697
Unless someone chimes in sooner, if you're patient I'm about to undertake this this weekend on a 71 Charger. I'm using an aftermarket part store kit. Punch out the upper bushing in each, drill out the lower think. The bottom of the pins need a dremel taken to them to remove also I believe. A buddy just did his 67 Coronet with the same kits. Seamed pretty straight forward. Easy. They pivot nice now
 
Awesome, yes please share the adventure when youre done. Ive been driving this car with no hinge springs for 15 years, a few more days wont kill me. Lol. Thanks!
 
I did this rebuild a year ago on my "72 Satellite Sebring Plus. In my case, four items were tricky.

a) there was no instruction sheet so I had no idea what diameter hole was needed for the pin bushings. Based on my measurements, I found it necessary to special order a drill bit at ACE hardware. The drill bit was specified by a number and not by a fraction (i.e. #50 vs 3/8) but I don't remember what the number/size was. You need a press fit.

b) the portion of the lower hinge that holds that little dogleg piece for the spring had spread open/apart on both doors. I had to sqeeze that portion of the hinge more closed after things were all taken apart to return it to its original size opening. Actually I forgot to do this on the driver's door and now that dogleg that holds the spring rides up too high (won't stay centered on the roller) but so far the door on that side still opens and closes OK.

c) Since the stock hinges are made without bushings, I had to clearance one portion of the hinge by grinding so the shoulder of the bushing would clear. This may weaken the hinge a little but no big deal. You also will have to decide whether to insert the bushing from the top or bottom.

d) getting the spring in place while putting the hinge together was a little tricky, needed a big vice and a buddy with another pair of hands. It is entirely possible to make a mistake and reassemble something backwards/upside down (just ask me how)

Of course, if you have step by step written instructions, by all means follow those and disregard everything I just said. If you do have instructions, please, please send me a copy! You might want to do only one side at a time so you have a correct reference.
 
Last edited:
I wish i had an instruction sheet, but unfortunately all i have are you guys! Thanks so much for that info.

What did yall do with the door during this? Left it hanging on the top hinge with support, or took the whole door off and set it somewhere? How was alignment afterwards?
 
I think you meant to say fortunately, not unfortunately (lol).

I took the doors off after having marked the hinge location. The passenger door is lined up perfectly and opens and closes better than new. The driver door needs to come up just a tad more but I am so concerned about scratching the new paint that (for now) I have left it alone.
 
Last edited:
Haha quite right! I can see that came off different from what i meant. Lol. Good to know. I'll just unbolt the whole thing and set it down on an old quilt or something in the garage. Glad i have a bunch of those foam gym tiles lingering around.
 
Subscribed. I have a a rebuild kit sitting on my work bench but dread getting around to it.
 
Unless someone chimes in sooner, if you're patient I'm about to undertake this this weekend on a 71 Charger. I'm using an aftermarket part store kit. Punch out the upper bushing in each, drill out the lower think. The bottom of the pins need a dremel taken to them to remove also I believe. A buddy just did his 67 Coronet with the same kits. Seamed pretty straight forward. Easy. They pivot nice now


I know this is a forum for 71-74 B body, however FYI 66-70 B and and 67-76 A body you can use a dodge ram van lower hinge from up to 1995. Just have to drill out the body side fwd threaded hole in the new hinge to a 3/4" hole for the bolt. I recommend the new dorman lower door hinge from the ram van since you can get them brand new for $33 at rock auto, they work if you drill the one hole, and they come with bronse bushings already installed.

OEM lowers for these years do not have bushings but use a hardened steel pin against a mild stamped steel hinge. Its very hard to align bore these holes correctly to accept bushings if they didnt come that way originally

For the upper hinges on 66-70 B and 67-76 A body. Buy one dorman bushing kit with long n short pin. Cut the long pin same length as the short pin, and use the 2 pins and 4 bushings from the 1 kit to rebuild your original uppers.

I never built up a set of 71-74 hinges.
 
Last edited:
I did this rebuild a year ago on my "72 Satellite Sebring Plus. In my case, four items were tricky.

a) there was no instruction sheet so I had no idea what diameter hole was needed for the pin bushings. Based on my measurements, I found it necessary to special order a drill bit at ACE hardware. The drill bit was specified by a number and not by a fraction (i.e. #50 vs 3/8) but I don't remember what the number/size was. You need a press fit.

b) the portion of the lower hinge that holds that little dogleg piece for the spring had spread open/apart on both doors. I had to sqeeze that portion of the hinge more closed after things were all taken apart to return it to its original size opening. Actually I forgot to do this on the driver's door and now that dogleg that holds the spring rides up too high (won't stay centered on the roller) but so far the door on that side still opens and closes OK.

c) Since the stock hinges are made without bushings, I had to clearance one portion of the hinge by grinding so the shoulder of the bushing would clear. This may weaken the hinge a little but no big deal. You also will have to decide whether to insert the bushing from the top or bottom.

d) getting the spring in place while putting the hinge together was a little tricky, needed a big vice and a buddy with another pair of hands. It is entirely possible to make a mistake and reassemble something backwards/upside down (just ask me how)

Of course, if you have step by step written instructions, by all means follow those and disregard everything I just said. If you do have instructions, please, please send me a copy! You might want to do only one side at a time so you have a correct reference.

Hey Dibbons, do you have a picture of your finished hinges? I think im going to pull the drivers side door this week and start tackling it. I wouldnt mind seeing one done with all the bushings in it and everything.

After you press fitted the bushings into thw hinge, was it tough to push the pin through?
 
Thanks matthew for the info! Ill keep that in mind for the uppers.
 
No need for kits as far as I'm concerned. For mine the passenger side was slightly sloppy so I bought larger pins and reamed them out. The driver side was really bad so I welded the holes shut and drilled new ones, works perfectly.
 
No need for kits as far as I'm concerned. For mine the passenger side was slightly sloppy so I bought larger pins and reamed them out. The driver side was really bad so I welded the holes shut and drilled new ones, works perfectly.
For my situation i did, i had no springs, roll pins, roller, or anything. Lol
 
I rebuilt my hinges about 2 months ago on 71 charger

the bit youll need (if its same) is a .4130" Z HIGH SPEED STEEL

Measure the pin size to be sure.
 
thanks for that. When you drilled the holes for the bushings, how snug are those in the hole? Is the hole size exact to the bushing, or slightly smaller and get pressed in?
 
The bushing gets pressed in, definitely not a loose fit, but you have to be careful. I messed one of them up somehow and that's when I purchased the box of "Help" #38375 spares that are listed as for GM on the package (see my foto of the box above). And Velrob was right, the drill bit was a "Z" size.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top