Door pin and bushing repair How-To!

[rental blazer]

after replacing ....get litiuimn grease in a spray can and keep relubeing it every month or oil change or so to keep it lubed up.... thats what i do with mine..

[BlazerLT]

Originally Posted by rental blazer

after replacing ....get litiuimn grease in a spray can and keep relubeing it every month or oil change or so to keep it lubed up.... thats what i do with mine..

Good advice, lube is the key here. No sense changing them if you are not going to lube them a lo or they will be bad in no time.

Kinda like replacing your balljoints and such and never greasing them, there is no real point.

[y2kblazer]

unless you have the sealed ball joints with no zerk

[BlazerLT]

Which is very rare on a Blazer.

[dss56]

can you just replace the top hinge bushings without taking the bottom hinge appart?
Looks like i just need the top hinge pin and bushings replaced.

thnaks

[DINO55]

Originally Posted by dss56

can you just replace the top hinge bushings without taking the bottom hinge appart?
Looks like i just need the top hinge pin and bushings replaced.

thnaks

NOPE, The bushings must be pressed in, You will end up dammaging the bottom bushing in the process, maybe even bending the bottom hinge.
Do both at the same time, Under an hour job. Make sure you use the GM DOOR SPRING REMOVAL TOOL, it will make the job a cake walk....

[george_k]

I clean and regrease mine with white lithium grease every 3000 - 5000 km so as to hopefully avoid (or at least prolong) having to replace them.

[rlith]

Originally Posted by george_k

I clean and regrease mine with white lithium grease every 3000 - 5000 km so as to hopefully avoid (or at least prolong) having to replace them.

Good rule of thumb

[alblogg]

Originally Posted by rtreptow

My 1/4" ratchet extension is no doubt shot. The end is mushroomed from me hitting it with the hammer to try and knock the pin out. Maybe it's not a quality tool? I don't know what to say about the bushing getting cracked on the way in. I did clean the hole out for the bushing and sprayed it down with WD-40. I did not grease it. I did make the little tool with a nut and bolt to squeeze the bushing into place. That worked slick! And yes, the bushings were in the right hole. Don't know why it would have cracked pounding the pin through? The only thing I can think of is if the door wasn't propped up enough and the pin was going through at a little bit of an angle? Does that make sense? When I did the first door a few months back, all went smooth. Not this time.

We all make mistakes some big some small, I've cracked a few in my time trying to get the bushing in the hole you had to weld up and drill out and sometimes it just don't seem like the hole is round because that bushing just ain't going in there.

[mixin]

Link to cheap door spring tool

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=95344

also available at the retail locations

[99Montana]

Well... I've got to do mine on my 97 Sonoma.

Left side drops very little so I probably won't have to weld but the right side is eggshaped.
Sounds stupid but...
What size drill do I use after I weld it?
And does NAPA have quality pins?

Thanks for the help and excellent post

[DINO55]

Originally Posted by 99Montana

Well... I've got to do mine on my 97 Sonoma.

Left side drops very little so I probably won't have to weld but the right side is eggshaped.
Sounds stupid but...
What size drill do I use after I weld it?
And does NAPA have quality pins?

Thanks for the help and excellent post

I would just Dab some weld on the egg shape part of the hole on the hinge, then use a round file on the new weld, Filing just to the point where the new brass bushing will go in about a quarter of the way, then compress it in the rest of the way with a homade compresser tool.

I bought my new pins and bushings from the dealer.
Good Luck and post us back......

[99Montana]

SUCCESS!!!
What I thought were going to be egged holes on the right side turned out to be little left of the bushings!!! Pins popped right out. Left side took a bit more work to get the pins out as it wasn't nearly as bad. Doing the worst side first prepared us for the left side. (Dad-in-law helped as he had a welder if we needed it.)
Spring tool worked slick (ratcheting box wrenches on the Christmas list!)
Pressing in the bushings worked even slicker (is that a word?!!)
Not even close to what I thought was going to be a difficult job but following all the great info and pics given here, this job was VERY EASY!!
THANK YOU TO ALL!!

[DINO55]

Welcome, You are now an honorary member of the......
"New Door Bushing and Door Pin Club"

[JediKnight2]

Doing this little repair next week....