a door hinge question

[chengny]

Correct, there is one bolt on the upper hinge that faces in the opposite direction from the other 5 bolts. Instead of being threaded into the door pillar like all the others, that one threads into the hinge. It is accessed from inside the cab through a circular opening in the pillar (the access hole is way, way up - almost as high as the dash speaker). Use a 9/16" socket and a 6" extension to release it.

The reason for this configuration is unknown (at least to me). I have read many theories but none that really ring true. My feeling is that it had something to do with the assembly line process - but don't ask me what.

Earlier models do not have that one renegade bolt (like the 80's). The reason; who knows? If we knew why the 70's didn't have a backwards bolt, we'd probably know why the 80's did.

But, to answer your question, the different configurations are according to model year and were not based on whether the door was equipped with PW/PL options.