Hinge pins

[Terry, NJ]

I'm taking the doors off my 30 coupe. The hinge pins are stuck! I got the two top ones out, difficult but not really. Broke the heads off of two of the lower ones. (?) And I can't get the broken or the two whole pins out. I have saturated them with WD40, heated them blue, and pounded them with a two Lb hammer. I have hit them so much, I'm worried about distorting the hinge or the mounting. Anybody got any got any secret method. The mini wheel pullers from the vendors don't seem to work. Also, does anyone make stainless steel pins?
Terry

[katy]

How about trying a pin punch type fitting in an air chisel gun?
Instead of WD40 try using Kroil or the acetone/atf mix.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Terry, there is not really a 'secret method' to these. Sometimes they are just frozen in and the only way we have removed them is to set them up in a mill and drill them.

[vern hodgson]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

I'm taking the doors off my 30 coupe. The hinge pins are stuck! I got the two top ones out, difficult but not really. Broke the heads off of two of the lower ones. (?) And I can't get the broken or the two whole pins out. I have saturated them with WD40, heated them blue, and pounded them with a two Lb hammer. I have hit them so much, I'm worried about distorting the hinge or the mounting. Anybody got any got any secret method. The mini wheel pullers from the vendors don't seem to work. Also, does anyone make stainless steel pins?
Terry

Try this

[SSsssteamer]

When I have a tough hing pin, I usually end up drilling the pin out over half way and using a drift punch the rest of the way. I have never yet had to drill out the full length of a stuck hinge pin. I have done over a hundred hinge pin removals. Heat also helps loosen their grip.

[Oldbluoval]

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Often, they get worn to the point of having a "shoulder" worn into the pin that hangs on the other hinge pieces.....if that makes sense.
Might help to take the pressure off the door a bit and try a pin press as noted above. Heat is usually a friend here too as stated.

[30 Closed Cab PU]

Would one these do the job?


https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/S...d=hinge%20tool

[rocket1]

A ball joint press might do the trick if you can borrow one,the C clamp might not be able to handle the stress.

[chap52]

Originally Posted by SSsssteamer

When I have a tough hing pin, I usually end up drilling the pin out over half way and using a drift punch the rest of the way. I have never yet had to drill out the full length of a stuck hinge pin. I have done over a hundred hinge pin removals. Heat also helps loosen their grip.

I haven't done a hundred but the few I have done were done as posted above. I tape a layer of cardboard around the door post to protect the paint.
I will admit that I got my 36 year old son to do the process on the last one that was removed. Chap

[duke36]

Originally Posted by 30 Closed Cab PU

Would one these do the job?


https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/S...d=hinge%20tool

I made one like the vendors sell before they were on the market.Soak in Kroil or other penetrant, and as stated protect the door skin with layers of cardboard, blue tape etc. The top and bottom of the hinge will get scratched from the pressure. A little drilling up from the bottom to allow the hinge tool pin to start will help.

[vern hodgson]

Originally Posted by rocket1

A ball joint press might do the trick if you can borrow one,the C clamp might not be able to handle the stress.

Of course you need a large c clamp to fit over the hinge post etc. My score so far is 4 hinge pins removed, 0 c clamps broken, this after using a mallet and drift punch, you just keep tightening until “bang” out comes the pin!

[Terry, NJ]

Thanks Guys ! I've been thinking of the C- clamp idea. I may go and buy a sacrificial clamp this AM. I am also ready to apply the some home brew penitrent , ATF & acetone.
Terry

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by 30 Closed Cab PU

Would one these do the job?


https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/S...d=hinge%20tool

I have used this on my pickup with good success. I have also loaned it to friends that have used it, even on newer vehicles, and have had good success.

[Purdy Swoft]

In worse cases I cut the top off the hinge pin and drill the pin from the top side . I drill the pin a little better than half way . I use a pin punch to drive the remainder of the hinge pin out .

[Lona]

I have read many comments regarding difficult to remove hinge pins. Sorry for all your trouble but I have the opposite problem. The pins in my roadster door loosen all by themselves and every month or so, I have to tap them back in place. If I forget, the doors get loose in the hinges and I know it's time to tap them in again.

Glen

[Purdy Swoft]

My 30-31 roadster door pins do the same way .

[ronn]

PB Blaster works great- wd40 is useless...........

[vern hodgson]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

Thanks Guys ! I've been thinking of the C- clamp idea. I may go and buy a sacrificial clamp this AM. I am also ready to apply the some home brew penitrent , ATF & acetone.
Terry

Hoping you try it anxious to hear of your success, the c clamp I use is an older one I picked up at a yard sale. Be sure and orient it so you are pushing up wards.

[Res731]

Sometimes the pins/hinges get a bit bent, try opening the door part way and then removing them. On my passenger side, this did the trick and made them very easy to remove.

[Benson]

I had a really hard time with the first pin I took out years ago.

This is MANY years before most heard of the internet ...

Actually we were using the Internet in (1968 and 1969 in Vietnam) and later 1970 ... it was called the ARPANET back then.

I had borrowed one of the removal tools but the pins were damaged beyond being useful so we made new ones.

Did not work very well ...

Then I noticed that the pins that Ford installed at factory are 15/64ths inch and the ones I made for the tool were 1/4 inch that is 1/64 larger than the original pins!

No wonder we had so much trouble.

I had measured the replacement pins as example and they were 1/4 inch (16/64ths) so the pins for tool were made to be 1/4 also.

If you read instructions for removal look on Snyders by looking on their web site you will find their pins (for the tool) are 7/32nds or 1/64 smaller than the 15/64ths original pins.

[Terry, NJ]

Benson! I've heard of Arpanet but never met anyone who actually used it. It was only active in about 4 or 5 western cities as I recall. It was followed by the expanded Darpa IIRC That's interesting about the sizes. Thanks for sharing!
Terry

[vern hodgson]

Did you ever get your hinge pin removed? And if so by what means?

[Terry, NJ]

Originally Posted by vern hodgson

Did you ever get your hinge pin removed? And if so by what means?

Vern, No I didn't! Rather than ruin the hinge mountings from hitting it too much or fooling around with more tooling, I'm gonna leave it alone. They're really in there! I used ATF w/acetone, nothing! I have a set of pin drifts from my toolmaking days and a 2 lb hammer that I could not budge them with. I then tried to take the hinges off and the screws cannot be turned. So I'll just work around it and do the car with the doors on it. I don't like it, but what else is there?
Terry

[Purdy Swoft]

If you don't have to worry about damaging paint , I heat the cowl half of hinge red hot where the pins go through . Heating red hot expands the hinge so that the pins can be more easy to remove . If failed attempts have been made at driving the hinge pin out from the bottom , the pin is probably expanded . This is why I prefer drilling the pin part way out from the top side and driving the remainder of the pin out from the top side .

[Oldwanus Eddie]

I recently had great, even dramatic success using an air hammer with a punch attachment. I had tried a couple of the c-clamp type tools and had soaked the pins/hinges in Kroil for two weeks prior to making the first effort. Could not get the pins to budge with those but the air hammer worked like magic! Suggestions: cover the surrounding body areas with something to protect it, and drop the air pressure down to about 50 pounds. We started off with too much pressure and couldn't control the punch.

[Big hammer]

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Originally Posted by Oldwanus Eddie

I recently had great, even dramatic success using an air hammer with a punch attachment. I had tried a couple of the c-clamp type tools and had soaked the pins/hinges in Kroil for two weeks prior to making the first effort. Could not get the pins to budge with those but the air hammer worked like magic! Suggestions: cover the surrounding body areas with something to protect it, and drop the air pressure down to about 50 pounds. We started off with too much pressure and couldn't control the punch.

X-2, that's what I did, well worth the 19.95$ for an air hammer kit.

[holdover]

Air hammer works good, but when all fails and it comes time to drill one of these works great https://www.ebay.com/itm/7PCS-Self-C...item3b0e6d1622


This tool has changed my whole outlook on drilling out studs in delicate situations. It would be best to replace the drill bit with a quality one to make it work even better. It works so good that I have purchased a few of them and given them to friends that do the same sort of things like I do. And for the price it can't be beat, even when you use it for its intended use of drilling hinge holes!

[shew01]

Originally Posted by Oldwanus Eddie

I recently had great, even dramatic success using an air hammer with a punch attachment. I had tried a couple of the c-clamp type tools and had soaked the pins/hinges in Kroil for two weeks prior to making the first effort. Could not get the pins to budge with those but the air hammer worked like magic! Suggestions: cover the surrounding body areas with something to protect it, and drop the air pressure down to about 50 pounds. We started off with too much pressure and couldn't control the punch.

Can you post a picture or link to the air hammer and bits you used?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[john charlton]

My son and I built a 30 CCPU from parts collected from Sammy Guthries "bone yard". The cab was off an AA tanker truck which was restored with a much better cab . The cab was in dire state and the pins were frozen solid so I drilled,heated etc etc to no avail . I could see I was on a hiding to nowhere (English saying) and was beginning to disturb the hinge pillar connection .So I bit the bullet and with a thin cutting disc I cut a slot in the hinge and with a chisel I slightly opened it up and the pins then punched out .After the doors were off I ground a flat and migged the slot closed then with the deft use of my trusty angle grinder with a flapper disc the repair could not be seen . Doors went back OK but one pin migrates upwards over time but that will be an easy fix .

John in Suffolk County England .

[Conaway2]

Our local club had a work day last weekend, and we removed hinge pins on a Tudor sedan. The owner had soaked the hinges with kroil for several days. When a hammer and punch didn’t work, we used an air hammer and the pins popped right out.

[Juggler]

Originally Posted by john charlton

My son and I built a 30 CCPU from parts collected from Sammy Guthries "bone yard". The cab was off an AA tanker truck which was restored with a much better cab . The cab was in dire state and the pins were frozen solid so I drilled,heated etc etc to no avail . I could see I was on a hiding to nowhere (English saying) and was beginning to disturb the hinge pillar connection .So I bit the bullet and with a thin cutting disc I cut a slot in the hinge and with a chisel I slightly opened it up and the pins then punched out .After the doors were off I ground a flat and migged the slot closed then with the deft use of my trusty angle grinder with a flapper disc the repair could not be seen . Doors went back OK but one pin migrates upwards over time but that will be an easy fix .

John in Suffolk County England .

I think these were those ones Dad. They weren't coming out any other way

[Paragon]

For my 30 standard coupe, I've removed my pins with a bit of difficulty and found the drill both sides method, then punch through works best. The "C" clamp shaped press was a waste money! Once I examined the removed pins, I found they were misshaped which adds to the problem of pushing them out without relieving resistance by drilling first.

Does anyone have a surefire means of selecting replacement pins? Some sample pins I purchased of different diameters fit holes in some of my hinges and not in others. Since all hinges are removed from the body and doors, it will be easy for me to drill the same size holes in all hinges and use the same size pins. Can any of you provide what worked uniformly for you as to size of drill bit and hinge diameter? Second question - any benefit of using stainless pins versus steel? I'm not concerned over the authenticity, rather am focusing on the functionality. My thanks.

[1929]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

If you don't have to worry about damaging paint , I heat the cowl half of hinge red hot where the pins go through . Heating red hot expands the hinge so that the pins can be more easy to remove . If failed attempts have been made at driving the hinge pin out from the bottom , the pin is probably expanded . This is why I prefer drilling the pin part way out from the top side and driving the remainder of the pin out from the top side .

This method worked on 1 stubborn pin that I could not remove.

[Big hammer]

Originally Posted by Conaway2

Our local club had a work day last weekend, and we removed hinge pins on a Tudor sedan. The owner had soaked the hinges with kroil for several days. When a hammer and punch didn’t work, we used an air hammer and the pins popped right out.

That way has worked for me !

[Roger V]

Originally Posted by Paragon

For my 30 standard coupe, I've removed my pins with a bit of difficulty and found the drill both sides method, then punch through works best. The "C" clamp shaped press was a waste money! Once I examined the removed pins, I found they were misshaped which adds to the problem of pushing them out without relieving resistance by drilling first.

Does anyone have a surefire means of selecting replacement pins? Some sample pins I purchased of different diameters fit holes in some of my hinges and not in others. Since all hinges are removed from the body and doors, it will be easy for me to drill the same size holes in all hinges and use the same size pins. Can any of you provide what worked uniformly for you as to size of drill bit and hinge diameter? Second question - any benefit of using stainless pins versus steel? I'm not concerned over the authenticity, rather am focusing on the functionality. My thanks.

Didn't know there were different sized pins other than straight vs. slant window. On a '30 I had I used the straight window pins. Did a clean-up drilling. Then I used the appropriate thickness shim stock to make a shim for the new hole to allow a couple thousandths clearance.

[holdover]

This is an old post but I will hopefully help someone in the future. For over 60 years I have been dealing with this problem of removing pins, screws etc that do not want to move. I have tried about every means to get the task done. When it comes to the final option of drilling them out, there has been the fight of getting the hole where you want it. A couple of years ago I was watching a Youtube video of various methods and there was one particular tool that impressed me and it was inexpensive. It is used to drill guide holes for hinge screws, but the presenter said it was the best drill aligner he had ever come across, I agree also. The first thing you need to do when you get one is scrap the cheap drill bit that comes with it and replace it with a quality bit. In the past few years I have used it a number of times with success. Here is a link to the tool. Best of luck

https://www.ebay.com/itm/15pcs-Self-...0c8d0b14cf6a4b

[desotoguy]

Stainless steel pins are available oversize at 0.245". I used a 0.250 reamer to size the holes in my hinges as they had some wear. I suggest a reamer rather than a drill bit as the size will be more precise. I also machined the top side of each door side of my hinges for a thin nylon washer to eliminate the metal to metal contact which is a source for chipped paint and rust and makes the operation smoother.

[Paragon]

Hey desotoguy, that was the information I was seeking. I understand the location where you place the thin nylon washer. Could you send a picture? My care is a user, not a point car and I like your suggestion. Thanks!

[desotoguy]

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