Vent windows, door pins & door weatherstripping

[nlped]

I actually tried my air saw with a metal blade, but the pins were so hard that it didn't ever get a good bite. I ended up taking the door off and using my cut off wheel and it went through it like a hot knife through butter. Much easier!!!

BTW...I just put the new Striker Pins in and tweaked on the doors a bit more with the adjustment tool & OH WHOW!!! It closes perfect and there is absolutely no movement in them at all now.

[Oilbrnr]

Question about the Eastwood tool. It looks like it adjusts only one of the three axis that the door resides in, correct? If that is the case, you'd only want to remove the body side hinge correct? (Assuming that your door is OK alignment-wise other than the typical rear edge sag) Or is it that easy to get the door side alignment back to where you had it marked b4 removal?

[nlped]

With 2 people or the handy dandy hydraulic shop chair it is very easy to get the door back to its original "setting". I don't think you can even remove the body side hinge without removing the front fender. Anyway, to answer your other question, Yes the Eastwood tool only adjusts the door adjustment up & down, not in & out (striker does that), and the actual alignment at the hinges is responsible for aligning the front body line. The last two are pretty simple, but the one that the tool helps with becomes much easier with its use...rather than trying with a floor jack and a block of wood.

Hope this helps brnr.

[67c10rustbuket]

i never cut a pin before , and usually the stock paint is a good alignment tool when realigning the doors. just replaced the pins on my 93 today. used a jack with a 2x4 on the bottom of the door and my engine hoist strapped to the window frame at the top to keep the door from flopping over. not much fun thanks to GM using glue to hold the hinges on the cab and door instead of bolts.. really?, glue ?... that will last forever ....not.. the older trucks with bolt on hinges are much easier.

[tucsonjwt]

So, my 83 needs new hinge pins, and I keep looking for that definitive answer to the question "Can you change the hinge pins without removing the doors." I can see how you can support the door, cut the pins with a dremel tool cutoff wheel, drive out the broken pins - but can you get the old bushing out/new bushing in/install new hinge pins with the door still attached? There does not seem to be a lot of wiggle room between the hinges and the body of the truck. My 83 has power doors, so I would rather not have to remove that boot and harness to fix the hinge pins - I have had enough trouble with door wiring already.

[hatzie]

Originally Posted by tucsonjwt

So, my 83 needs new hinge pins, and I keep looking for that definitive answer to the question "Can you change the hinge pins without removing the doors." I can see how you can support the door, cut the pins with a dremel tool cutoff wheel, drive out the broken pins - but can you get the old bushing out/new bushing in/install new hinge pins with the door still attached? There does not seem to be a lot of wiggle room between the hinges and the body of the truck. My 83 has power doors, so I would rather not have to remove that boot and harness to fix the hinge pins - I have had enough trouble with door wiring already.

It can be done without moving the door far away from the body and without removing the hinges. You will have to move it away some to get working room. Hang the door from something overhead or use a door dolly.

[RandyP]

Originally Posted by 67c10rustbuket

i never cut a pin before , and usually the stock paint is a good alignment tool when realigning the doors. just replaced the pins on my 93 today. used a jack with a 2x4 on the bottom of the door and my engine hoist strapped to the window frame at the top to keep the door from flopping over. not much fun thanks to GM using glue to hold the hinges on the cab and door instead of bolts.. really?, glue ?... that will last forever ....not.. the older trucks with bolt on hinges are much easier.

If I had $1 for everyone I'd ever heard say their hinges were glued on, I'd be a rich man. You're seeing seamsealer, not glue.

[tucsonjwt]

Hatzie - so you leave the hinges bolted to the door, but cut the pins - which allows the door to move away a little bit - enough to allow the new bushing to be installed, without putting too much strain on the door wiring and boot. When the door is moved back into position is there still enough room to drive the pin straight down from the top? Looks pretty tight at the location of the top door pin. The inside of the door sheet metal has a bump inward which would seem to prevent driving the pin in place with the door on. See pic. Do you have to unbolt the top hinge from the door to be able to move the door about 3/4" forward of the hinge to allow the top pin to clear the bump on the door above the top hinge?

[67c10rustbuket]

Incase it was not clear. the pins i just put in were on a 1993 that is a 1988 - 1998 body style gm truck. not a 1973 - 1987 body style gm truck. 1973 - 1987 trucks have bolts holding the hinge to the cab and bolts holding the hinge to the door. The 1988 - 1998 trucks DO NOT have bolts attaching the hinges to the cab and the door or i would have unbolted the hinge from the door. so the hinges are either glued on, or welded on. i just checked the back side of the upper driver side hinge and it feels like there are some large plugwelds ? i cant get my big head in there to see. maybe thats how GM attached. either way they are not easily removeable. LMC and other aftermarket companies sell replacement hinge kits for 88-98 that have bolts, but the stock ones do not.
I was able to push the door out about an inch to get the bushings in and slide the hinges back together an insert the new pins. And yes there is enough slack in the wiring and boot to move out an inch (88-98). I have done 2 of the 73-87 trucks and i always unbolted the door from the hinge to make it easier. and they were manual window/locks so no wiring in the jam. i know the trucks are a little different (73-87 and 88-98) but it is a very similar job.

[tucsonjwt]

OK. Thanks. When the time comes (soon, I hope) I will give it a try. I just need to figure out a way to support the door without buying/renting an engine hoist to do the job. With the bolts out of the door I should be able to coax the door forward about 1", which I think is all I need for the top pin, and do the bottom pin at the same time. When/if I get there I will post pics and the procedure (unless it turns out to be a disaster, then I will keep it to myself)

[67c10rustbuket]

.A little tip before you go after it. Put some blue painters tape on the door edge and the edge of the fender then put some duct tape over that just incase you bump the door edge into the fender this will protect your paint from chipping. The blue tape is good because it is easy to remove when done.and the duct tape is for protecting the paint. but you don't want to put duct tape right on the paint because it will leave residue on your paint.I did not do this because I need a paint job and don't care too much , I only suffered a very minor chip but its good insurance if you have a nice paint job or don't want to further ruin your existing paint.
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[tucsonjwt]

Roger Wilco. My old truck needs a paint job, but I don't need any more chips in the finish. Most likely I will never repaint it because it will most likely get banged up in a parking lot as soon as I get it painted.