One of the greatest irritations with an older car is the way the door will sag as it's opened and swings out. Even worse is having to lift the door as you close it so you can get it to latch. I would like to offer a few photographs and an explanation to describe one of the ways to recondition the door hinges on your project car.
The worst are the large 2-door cars, like this Chevrolet G body car, because they're so heavy. The pins in the hinges are bushed with thin, little bronze bushings that under normal wear are usually broken or missing on cars that are 30 years old or more. Such was the case on the '79 El Camino in my shop so I spent a couple of hours to correct it.
In the photo you can see half of the hinge assembly, I've separated the two halves by removing the hinge pin and damaged bushings. The two holes were quite egg shaped with wear so I welded the portion that was obviously the worn side of the hole just slightly. Then I took a round file and worked it until it would accept the bushing. I don't recommend using a drill to make the welded hole the correct size because you may not be able to control where the drill bit takes the metal away. If you accidentally drill the hole a bit off, then the pins won't line up properly and the result will be premature bushing wear or failure.
One of the bushings in the set has serrations on the outside perimeter to lock it into position. Be sure to stop filing the hole when you have an "interference clearance" for the serrated bushing. This means that you stop filing the hole when the bushing almost fits easily into the hole. It must fit snugly into the hole or be driven in with light taps from a hammer. In this way you can be sure that it won't spin in the hole but remain immovable and let the pin do the moving inside the bushing. Here's another picture of the hinge half and tomorrow I'll post a picture of the hinge pin and bushing (if I have any more lying around).
Yes, I have an owie on my finger. I'm fine now, thanks.
Just to let viewers know that things can work the way they should, I'm going to include a short video of the primer-covered door working as it should. It will fit snugly once the new weatherstrip is in place, but for now, I'm very pleased with the way the cleaned, repaired and lubricated mechanism works.
The worst are the large 2-door cars, like this Chevrolet G body car, because they're so heavy. The pins in the hinges are bushed with thin, little bronze bushings that under normal wear are usually broken or missing on cars that are 30 years old or more. Such was the case on the '79 El Camino in my shop so I spent a couple of hours to correct it.
One of the bushings in the set has serrations on the outside perimeter to lock it into position. Be sure to stop filing the hole when you have an "interference clearance" for the serrated bushing. This means that you stop filing the hole when the bushing almost fits easily into the hole. It must fit snugly into the hole or be driven in with light taps from a hammer. In this way you can be sure that it won't spin in the hole but remain immovable and let the pin do the moving inside the bushing. Here's another picture of the hinge half and tomorrow I'll post a picture of the hinge pin and bushing (if I have any more lying around).
I wanted to mention that after welding the hole, I took the bracket to the grinder and ground the weld smooth on all sides so that when it was assembled the mating surfaces would have just the clearance they need and not bind by hitting the weld material.
Yes, I have an owie on my finger. I'm fine now, thanks.
Just to let viewers know that things can work the way they should, I'm going to include a short video of the primer-covered door working as it should. It will fit snugly once the new weatherstrip is in place, but for now, I'm very pleased with the way the cleaned, repaired and lubricated mechanism works.
Thanks for looking!
Doug
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