Door Bushings aka, the good, the bad, the ugly

[Hardwarz]

So... I replaced my door bushings on my driver's side. It wasn't good....

First off, here's how the door bushings go in.

We rested the door on a floor jack

From the top, I used a 12" long 3/8" drive ratchet extension and drove the hinge pin downwards.

From the bottom, I used the hammer and pounded the hinge pin upwards.

We pulled the door away slightly. Door fell of the jack and scratched up the paint on the quarter pannel real bad.

I did everything I could to get the bushings out... I used a screw driver, hammer, etc, nothing worked. Finally, I used the 3/8" drive extention to drive out the old bushings.

I used a circular file to slightly open up the bushing entrances and then tapped them in with the hammer. The bushing's flat top goes between the hinge halfs. This is the part that actually wears away.

I put the pins back in and used the other end of the 3/8" drive extension (the open end) to drive the clips onto the pins.

Everything lined up after that and the door closes easily. I wish I had pictures, but I was more pissed off than anything about the paint getting f*cked up.

Hardwarz

 

[96ProCompTahoe]

sux about your paint, atleast it was only a couple scratches seeing how the doors weight a ton...

 

[Neil 98 K5]

Thanks for the info. Need to do mine soon.

 

[blk87brd]

Just did my drivers door as well. Similar to Hardwarz, I used a floor jack to support the door, with a rag to prevent scratches from the jack. I did the top one first, then the bottom one. What gave me the most grief was getting the door spring out and then back in again. The spring has to be removed prior to the pin coming out. I used a pry bar to pop it out and then while the door was tipped down, I put it back in place and held it there with a couple of pieces of thin wire that I removed after the door was back in place. I brought the jack up to support the door wieght, drove out the top one and then drove the bottom one out half way, which allows you to back off the jack enough so you have room to work on the bushings but the door remains stable. Instead of driving the bushings in, I used a bolt, nut and washers to pull the bushing into place.
I put the top pin back in part way and did the bottom ones.
The bushings that came in the kit were knurled on the outside and didn't want to fit. I went and got bushings that were not knurled and everything went great from there.

 

[fyremanpat]

It is worth the $12 to buy the GM door spring compressor. I found it easier to use a 2x6 on the jack also. It only took about 15 minutes from start to finish.

 

[Hardwarz]

It is worth the $12 to buy the GM door spring compressor. I found it easier to use a 2x6 on the jack also. It only took about 15 minutes from start to finish.

I got my spring compressor from Harbor Freight for $5.xx. I didn't use it because I don't have the spring in my door.

The spring retainer broke. I have to get that removed and replace that too before re-inserting the spring.

My spring tool had crapy instructions. How do you actually use it?

Hardwarz

 

[fyremanpat]

Loosen the bolt on the spring compressor so that it can be opened fully...Then you pretty much shove it into the spring, about one or two rings down. Tighten the bolt on the spring compressor until its almost fully compressed, and it should slide right out. Just be careful with the compressed spring. Put the jack under the door to support it. I used a flat head to get the retaining washer off. Slide the door back a little off the hinge to get access to the pins. Pry and/or break the old bushings out...DONT FORGET HOW THEY CAME OUT....Put the new ones in and reverse the process. I used a socket wrench extension to set the new bushings and pins...Good luck

 

[jwpotts0413]

driver's door pins/bushings change

i picked up my kit about 4 months ago on ebay for $7 for the upper and lower pins/bushings/retaining washers(stainless pins not zinc plated). same pins are $5 each(you need 2) @ o'reilly auto parts (didn't know this or would've bought 'em there...)


tools i used to install in 45 minutes last weekend:

1 - can WD-40
1 - small crescent wrench or needle nose pliers
1 - Long flathead screw driver
1 - chisel (blade is about 1" by 5")
1 - hammer
1 - large flat top cooler sufficent height to support door
2 - 1' 4x4 blocks of wood
1 - friend to keep the door from falling over and getting scratched and to
help hold the door still while i align and hammer in the pins


method:

open driver's door place cooler under door and support door with wood blocks

remove hinge spring by popping it out with the flat head screw driver (stick it between the coils and pry)

remove retaining clip on lower pin crescent wrench or pliers and the hammer

have friend support door while pounding the door pin out from the bottom (use wd-40 if necessary)

same for top door pin except pound it on the top using the long flathead screwdriver so u dont scratch your paint

carefully slide door away from body/hinges taking care not to go too far and screw up the wiring, while having your friend keep it from falling over and getting scratched.

use the chisel and hammer at a 45 degree angle to break the ends off of the bushings then tap out the cylinder shaped remains with the flathead screwdriver

bushings go in according to the diagram above (i tapped them gently with the hammer using the flat side of the chisel when necessary)

have yer buddy help you support door while you align and tap in the pins

install retaining washers using small crescent wrench/pliers and light taps from the hammer being sure you seat it properly with the groove in the door pin.

i tried the remaining 20 minutes to install the door spring and almost broke a finger before i gave up. not sure about that part. perhaps the right tool would make it easy(spring clamp). i am gonna see if i can't get a body shop to pop it in there for me. that damn'd spring is so easy to get out, yet so hard to put back in!

 

[y0diggity]

This is great. I just went out and bought my hinge pins this morning to do my passenger side door. I'll definitely be using this for a guide on how to do it (except for the part about dropping the door, I'll skip that step).
I know it isn't funny and you must've been furious, but the way you wrote it just made me crack up. Definitely not trying to be a jerk, I just wasn't expecting that part as I read through the write-up so it caught me off-guard.

 

[newmarketEOD]

Great write up, i need to do this on a couple doors. Im dreading it sense the truck is lifted and the doors are pretty high up

 

[blk87brd]

Great write up, i need to do this on a couple doors. Im dreading it sense the truck is lifted and the doors are pretty high up

I did the doors on a lifted Chev Pickup a while back. I used two step ladders, one board, some blocking and several furniture pads to support the door. Worked great, and did not have the holy christ posted earlier. A strong buddy works well as well although, the step ladders don't drink beer.

 

[Ken Puryear]

I tried to remove the top door pin. I have a '99 and it's rusted in place.I tried WD40, PB Blaster etc. No luck. I don't want to apply heat and risk burning the paint. Any Ideas? Thanks

 

[Hardwarz]

I sprayed with PB Blasters. Then I took a long 3/8" socket extension and a 2 lb hand sledge to pound the pin downward. That's all, nothing else.

BTW, it destroys the exentsion by doing this.

Oh... use a screw driver to pry up the retainer. Then use a pair of plyers and rip the retainer in half by twisting the retainer over and over.

Hardwarz

 

[blk87brd]

I would be very surprised if they were rusted in. Brass does not rust and I've never seen pins that had any amount of rust on them. BUT they are tight. With mine, I had to take a long punch from the top side, with the door fully open and a BFH to get mine out. I dimpled the end of the pin with a dremo so the punch wouldn't slip.

 

[jwpotts0413]

u could always try cutting it in half, that might make things easier if u have the proper tool to cut with.

 

[79powerwagon]

Just wondering, why didn't you just take the door off and do the hinges on a bench?

 

[Five]

saw someone say something about the stainless pins where did u find these?

 

[4x4Blazer]

"Tried the remaining 20 minutes to install the door spring and almost broke a finger before i gave up. not sure about that part. perhaps the right tool would make it easy(spring clamp). i am gonna see if i can't get a body shop to pop it in there for me. that damn'd spring is so easy to get out, yet so hard to put back in!"

I have the $10 spring tool now, But previously I have used Plastic Tie wraps. Loop a hand full through the spring about 1 coil in from each end, put spring in a vise and slowly collapse spring, (Don't crush it enough to slice the Tie Wraps) pull them tight while crushing spring. Remove spring from vise slowly and carefully, insert in Door hinge, slice or cut tie wraps 1 by 1 and your done... Good luck...

 

[ma87k5]

I've replaced many hinge pins. And I came to the conclusion that the reason the hinge pins and bushing go bad (especially in the driver door) is because the door latch and striker bolt has play in it from opening and closing the door. The door moves up and down while driving and wears out the bushings in the hinge. That's why you rarely need to change the rear side door hinge pins and bushings.

 

[lesterl]

Or someone has let the hinge bushings go too long and the holes the bushings drop into are not round anymore so it destroys the bushings.... :-(