petrock

My girly's drivers side door is sagging slightly just before it closes all the way, making it difficult to close the door properly. I took a look inside and it looks like the door hinge pin bushings are shot. So I'm going to replace them. Only problem is how do I go about removing the pins in the first place? I've read up on it and most people cut the pin in half, but on her ride there is a plate thing thats part of the hinge that blocks the middle section of the hinge (including the pin) when the door is all the way open. So I can't get in there with a grinder or hack saw. Any ideas? Thanks...

Daehawk

http://www.youtube.com/user/realfixe.../1/vFkYOTKTFgQ

petrock

Yeah, I've seen that video before. I subscribe to that channel. Lots of info on that channel, especially on diagnosing electrical issues. Saddly, that video doesn't apply in this case. On my girly's ride, the pins are capped on both ends. So there isn't a clip or anything to remove to slide the pin out. Also, the hinge on that truck is wide open and easily accessible. On my girly's ride its not easily accessible do to the plate thing. Thats why I posted this thread. Thanks for the reply...

NeoTokyo

Yeah, that vid doesnt quite help too well.

When I removed mine I unbolted it from the body leaving the hinge on the door.
These doors are very very heavy.

Taking off the door panel and speakers will help with the weight a little.

You could also make a sling for the door out of some tow straps by suspending it from anything from an engine hoist to rafters.

trashpickinman

I replaced a pin/bushing set in my 96 last year. Same problem, couldn't cut it in half.

I used my Dremel with a grinding wheel to grind down the mushroomed top part of the pin until it was flush with the hinge metal. Supporting the door, I just drove it out with a punch and a hammer from the top.

petrock

AHHH HAAAHHHHH!!! Didn't think of that. Thanks for the tip...

petrock

Bringing an old thread of mine back from the dead….

I finally got around to doing this tonight. Other, higher priority issues (including, but not limited to, pulling the motor to repair a bunch of leaks, rebuilding the front suspension and some collapsed lifters) got in the way.

So I ground off the mushroom top like trashpickinman suggested and used a punch to push it through. It was a little tricky for the top hinge pin since there wasn’t a straight vertical shot onto the pin. I had to hit it at a slight angle all while making sure not hit the door or A-pillar with the hammer. I got lucky in that regard… I only have the top pin out and the door supported with my motorcycle jack right now. I had to stop for the night to avoid pissing off my neighbors with a lot of banging/grinding late at night. I’ll finish up tomorrow.

Anyway, I noticed one peculiar thing. The replacement pin is about 3/4” longer then the stock pin. To be more specific, the distance between the mushroom top and the whole for the cotter pin is about 3/4” longer then the entire stock pin. Is this correct/expected? The pin & bushing kit is made by Dorman, part #38395. Rockauto.com, summitracing.com, oreillyauto.com & autozone.com all list this kit as the correct kit for this car. Is it correct or is there a better kit available? If it is correct, is it OK to install it with the cotter pin on top? The pin won’t fit in the top hinge from the top due to the door frame being in the way. I don’t want the cotter pin spinning and scratching up the paint (more).

Thanks in advance...

beeker

When I did this to my foxbody I put it in upside down (from the bottom) and put a washer over it and then the clip. It worked fine for years.

petrock

I got everything done. Turned out Dorman has the wrong part listed for SN95’s. The auto parts store and Dorman’s web site both list part #38395. After flexing my mad Google-Fu skills, I found the correct part # 38438. The 38438 kit is a perfect match. The new pins even have the groves on the end like the stock ones so it would bight into the hinge like the stock ones did. The 38395 kit appears to be for Fox body mustangs and the 38438 kit is for SN95’s. Anyway, I made a fairly detailed (in my opinion) video of my install and posted it up on YouTube. Hopefully it helps someone out...

warthogdriver

well done. i hope i can find this when the time comes on my ride. thank you for taking the time to do the vid.