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Door Hinge & Pin Change

2096 Views 5 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  MudFlap, 
E
I need some advice. I need to change the pins and bushings on my '88 RC and I am thinking about taking the door off the hinge before changing the hardware, but I am worried about having to realign the door. Will it be easier to remove the pins instead of removing the door?
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BrianT
Actuyally u need ot be able to syupport the door once u get it off and while removing it form the RC . that and u will want a friend or 2 help hold the fdoor to get it back in alignment vcan be tricky . Unless u spend the dough fora body shop door hanger then it isa one man job .

Over all it's not a bad job to do just have some help when u do it . I think u can do one pin at a time as well . Contact Dodge88 ( Randall ) he didi it and said it was not too bad of a job .
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K
I just replaced the lower pin and bushings on my driver's side door. ( 88 RC) .Before I loosened the door, I placed a jack stand & board under the open door to hold it up, Used a welding glove to keep the board from scratching the door. If you use this method, make sure the door isn't resting on the door skin. You should still have someone there to hold the door. Next step was to drive out the lower pin using a length of rod with the end drilled out a bit ( just enough to keep the rod from slipping of the pin while hammering). You could use a long 1/4 inch extension, but you run the risk of damaging the extension if the pin is stubborn. I then removed the three bolts that hold the lower hinge to the door and then loosed the bolts holding the upper hinge to the door. Once the upper hinge is loose, then you can ( with a bit of wiggling ) slide the outer half of the hinge out. Once it is out, you can install the bushings. Slide the outer half of the hinge back in and drive in the new pin. Start the 3 bolts that hold the lower hinge on to the door .You shouldn't have too much difficulty getting the upper hinge bolts snugged down with the hinge in exactly the same position. There will be marks in the paint that show where the hinge and bolt heads were located. Now go back and tighten the three bolts on the lower hinge. You might have to loosen the bolts and move the door a bit if you're not lucky the first time. I didn't have to do the upper hinge pin, but I'm sure that you could handle it the same way.... or you may find that it is only the lower bushings that are gone. Feels like a different truck now that the door doesn't clunk and sag when I open the door. Good luck.
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K
PS. If the bushings are completely gone and you have no referance to which way they go in.... The upper bushing is inserted from the top of the hinge 1/2 that is attached to the body and the lower bushing is inserted from the bottom. This way, when the outer half of the hinge is reinstalled, it holds the bushings in place.... and just to clarify my description above... don't remove the bolts holding the upper hinge to the door, just back them off enough so that you can lift up on the bottom of the door and gain enough clearance to pull out the outer half of the lower hinge.
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BrianT
Thanx K C . i knew someboy would have good in depth of how to do this i never done a set of hinge pins yet but i am sure i will some time down the road
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MudFlap
Maybe we can get together this weekend and work on that beast. Dodge88 and I are prolly gonna pull the engine outta my pickup this weekend and replace the cam plug. Perhaps you wanna join and we'll work on yours too.
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