Want to take the doors off

daveydog · #1 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 06:35 PM

Here's a couple of shots of the passenger side door hinges. To get the door off the body I reckon I need to take the pin out of the door limiter. Is there any special technique? Of course, then I have 8 hex head screws to remove. Just douse them with Liquid Wrench and start torqueing away? How about the hinge pin? Just tap it out with a drift or is there a special tool? Gotta remember, righty tighty lefty loosey

Thanks all!

**rogerspeed** · #2 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 07:03 PM

done it, first remove the limit pin (save) then you remove the door with hinge from the body, use a hand impact driver (the kind you strike with a hammer) not air gun. Make sure you support the door as you remove the machine screws, first two screws from the upper hinge, two from the lower, one from the upper, one from the lower and then the last two, one upper and one lower. When I did mine I found it worked well using an extention on the impact tool.

**rogerspeed** · #3 (**permalink**) 06-03-2008, 07:27 PM

Follow-up, the hinges are aluminum! Once the door with hinge is removed from the car you can then remove the hinge from the door. Centerline sell a pin & bushing kit for renewing the hinge, you will need to press out the pin, I used a large bench vise, be carefull.

daveydog · #4 (**permalink**) 06-04-2008, 05:54 AM

Thanks for the tips rogerspeed! I've already bought the hinge replacement kits from Centerline and will be installing them once the doors are cleaned up. There's a bit of rust and gooey tar/undercoat issues that I'd like to attend to before I send the car in to the body shop for work. And of course, the driver's door has way more play than the passenger side. You gave a really good tip there on removing the screws in a kind of upper and lower crisscross pattern. Thanks again!

**green 69 gtv** · #5 (**permalink**) 06-06-2008, 01:10 PM

Also, you probably know this but just in case, the main hinge pin comes out from the top of the hinge. BTW, I had a horrible time trying to get it out with the hinge in a vice. I ended up using a drill press (the pin is very soft metal) and carefully drilled until only a very thin cylinder remained of the old pin. This was then easy to tap out without damaging the aluminum. After inspecting the outside of what was left of the old pin, it was so pitted it was no wonder pounding on it hadn't worked.

The replacement kit from centerline is fantastic, although I had to hand sand the flares on the inserts to thin them enough to put the 2 hinge halves back together. Very tight fit. After adding a washer between the car body and bottom hinge at all screw points, the door clicks closed like on a new car