by lukekyd Sun Dec 28, 2014 12:39 pmI am prepping all my doors for paint. I just wondering ow hard it is to get the replacment door "caps" that cover the bolts that hold the door hinges? That is presuming I damage them. Which seems inevitable. I am prepping this for someone else that is doing the final paint job. Has anyone ever just left the hinges on? It seems like I would have to pull them off to get rid of any sealer. Any help would be awesome. Thanks.
5 posters
door hinges
lukekyd- Number of posts : 10
Location : Gabriola Island
Registration date : 2012-03-17
vanny- Moderator
- Number of posts : 14775
Location : Ashburnham, MA
Age : 65
Registration date : 2012-09-22
Here's a thread on getting the old ones out. I'm sure someone from the Chevy side will jump in with suggestions on where to get replacement pins and whatever else you'll need.
https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/t38458-door-hinge-pin-success?highlight=hinge
https://vintage-vans.forumotion.com/t38458-door-hinge-pin-success?highlight=hinge
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econopoor- Econoline Guru
- Number of posts : 1747
Location : Jackson TN
Registration date : 2010-04-18
I don't know if anybody is making the plastic plugs. I would think they could be found. We had some plugs at work in various sizes that we got from our nut and bolt supplier. but I don't know if any were the same as the ones in Econolnes. I'll have to check into that.
I don't recommend removing the hinges. They are riveted to the doors. The rivets can be drilled out and replaced with bolts but I've heard that it's hard to keep those bolts tight. I'd just knock out the old sealer with a punch or screwdriver tip and put new sealer in before painting. Paint over the sealer.
Duane in Tennessee
I don't recommend removing the hinges. They are riveted to the doors. The rivets can be drilled out and replaced with bolts but I've heard that it's hard to keep those bolts tight. I'd just knock out the old sealer with a punch or screwdriver tip and put new sealer in before painting. Paint over the sealer.
Duane in Tennessee
lukekyd- Number of posts : 10
Location : Gabriola Island
Registration date : 2012-03-17
thanks so much!! thats what I thought. I'm just going to clean out the seam sealer and reseal it before paint. Cheers
Old Skool- Econoline Guru
- Number of posts : 1306
Location : North Hills, CA
Age : 72
Registration date : 2009-06-13
A WORD OF CAUTION,,,, I have been yelping about rebuilding and aligning doors BEFORE YOU PAINT for a while now. WHY is it always a question and also a new dilemma about aligning doors AFTER A PERSON PAINTS THE TRUCK????????????? Is seems to me that is the wrong time to worry about it?? LOL..
My point is and for those that are interested,,,,, the doors can only be aligned (door gap) by bending the hinge!!! On late model cars there are FOUR BOLTS to adjust the doors in any direction that you need to,,,, on ours there are ONLY TWO,,,, and they will only adjust the door in and or out,, NOT FORWARD OR REAR WARD....
Just recently I went through this again fixing another one that didn't do it before he painted,, and it was a nightmare. I had to also strip and repaint just the hinges and was very lucky to get it perfect.
SO,, my point is,, rebuild the hinge with new pins and adjust it correctly BEFORE you paint.
Here is how to do it,,,,,,
Purchase or borrow the tool for removing the hinge pin and buy new ones ahead of time as you will need to take the hinge apart in order to adjust the gap. The slot in the body is not wide enough to allow enough spacers in order to adjust the gap on your doors.
In order to adjust the gap on the door it means that the door needs to either move rear ward or forward and in a balancing maneuver one against the other in order to achieve an even and balanced gap both up and down the door as well as from front to back with all the gaps the same.
Its NOT OKAY to depend on your door latch to lift the door up and into its correct position as this can only mean that the hinge pin is loose and worn out or that the rivets in the door itself are also loose.
The correct way to move the door rear ward or forward is by bending the one half of the hinge that is not riveted in place. OF COURSE this does not mean a Chevy (Donivan, LOL),,, as those hinges have bolts on both sides,, LOL...
Anyways,, if you want to move the door direction you need to take the hinge apart and clamp the straight part of it in a vice so that the only part sticking out is the bent part. If you want that hinge to move the door rear ward, then you would tap the hinge with a hammer so that the bend changes and moves the door in the direction that you want it to move. Remember that any movement you do will affect the other direction so its a balance issue between the two hinges. If you want the top of the door to move rear ward then you would decrease that hinge half bend by taping it with the hammer to decrease the bend. This will move the top of the door rearward and also decrease the bottom hinge front gap at the same time. If you need BOTH the top and the bottom of the door rear ward then you would to it to both the top and the bottom hinges.
By bending the one half of the hinge you can adjust the front and the back door gaps against each other so that the door now sits perfectly square. Bending the half of the hinge and moving it will also change the gap in and out, but as there are the two bolts there in the 1st place that is as easy as moving the door in or out by loosening the two bolts provided.
If you take the time to put new pins in and adjust the door gap BEFORE you paint the truck it will come out much better and no chips in the new paint allowed,,, LOL.... Also,, quite often you will also have to BEND the door as that was even recommended by Ford,,,, Especially the side and the rear doors. On our trucks I have found the front door pillar very touchy and it seems even the slightest of dents in the front can affect it which after all is what controls the whole thing in the 1st place. So you may find yourself also pushing the pillar with a hydraulic ram also. Hopefully,, not.... but if you cannot get the door gap correct that is usually the issue about 99% of the time.
IT WORKS!!
BTW,,,,,, I have seen body plugs for sale as an assortment package on Ebay for many years now,, just never bought any as of yet. If I had the link I would send it but have seen them for sale. Havent checked out Au-Ve-Co,, but that would be a good source to also check. If not I have literally boxes full of Econo parts to include plastic plugs, plastic wire loom panel plugs,, etc, etc, etc,,,
Vic,,,, Old SKool
My point is and for those that are interested,,,,, the doors can only be aligned (door gap) by bending the hinge!!! On late model cars there are FOUR BOLTS to adjust the doors in any direction that you need to,,,, on ours there are ONLY TWO,,,, and they will only adjust the door in and or out,, NOT FORWARD OR REAR WARD....
Just recently I went through this again fixing another one that didn't do it before he painted,, and it was a nightmare. I had to also strip and repaint just the hinges and was very lucky to get it perfect.
SO,, my point is,, rebuild the hinge with new pins and adjust it correctly BEFORE you paint.
Here is how to do it,,,,,,
Purchase or borrow the tool for removing the hinge pin and buy new ones ahead of time as you will need to take the hinge apart in order to adjust the gap. The slot in the body is not wide enough to allow enough spacers in order to adjust the gap on your doors.
In order to adjust the gap on the door it means that the door needs to either move rear ward or forward and in a balancing maneuver one against the other in order to achieve an even and balanced gap both up and down the door as well as from front to back with all the gaps the same.
Its NOT OKAY to depend on your door latch to lift the door up and into its correct position as this can only mean that the hinge pin is loose and worn out or that the rivets in the door itself are also loose.
The correct way to move the door rear ward or forward is by bending the one half of the hinge that is not riveted in place. OF COURSE this does not mean a Chevy (Donivan, LOL),,, as those hinges have bolts on both sides,, LOL...
Anyways,, if you want to move the door direction you need to take the hinge apart and clamp the straight part of it in a vice so that the only part sticking out is the bent part. If you want that hinge to move the door rear ward, then you would tap the hinge with a hammer so that the bend changes and moves the door in the direction that you want it to move. Remember that any movement you do will affect the other direction so its a balance issue between the two hinges. If you want the top of the door to move rear ward then you would decrease that hinge half bend by taping it with the hammer to decrease the bend. This will move the top of the door rearward and also decrease the bottom hinge front gap at the same time. If you need BOTH the top and the bottom of the door rear ward then you would to it to both the top and the bottom hinges.
By bending the one half of the hinge you can adjust the front and the back door gaps against each other so that the door now sits perfectly square. Bending the half of the hinge and moving it will also change the gap in and out, but as there are the two bolts there in the 1st place that is as easy as moving the door in or out by loosening the two bolts provided.
If you take the time to put new pins in and adjust the door gap BEFORE you paint the truck it will come out much better and no chips in the new paint allowed,,, LOL.... Also,, quite often you will also have to BEND the door as that was even recommended by Ford,,,, Especially the side and the rear doors. On our trucks I have found the front door pillar very touchy and it seems even the slightest of dents in the front can affect it which after all is what controls the whole thing in the 1st place. So you may find yourself also pushing the pillar with a hydraulic ram also. Hopefully,, not.... but if you cannot get the door gap correct that is usually the issue about 99% of the time.
IT WORKS!!
BTW,,,,,, I have seen body plugs for sale as an assortment package on Ebay for many years now,, just never bought any as of yet. If I had the link I would send it but have seen them for sale. Havent checked out Au-Ve-Co,, but that would be a good source to also check. If not I have literally boxes full of Econo parts to include plastic plugs, plastic wire loom panel plugs,, etc, etc, etc,,,
Vic,,,, Old SKool
Big W- Number of posts : 3282
Location : Saskatoon,Sask,Canada
Age : 60
Registration date : 2011-01-13
Thanks for that info again Vic. I will be doing all that when summer comes back around. I unfortunately found a way to adjust the doors the wrong way...lol. While backing up, I failed to notice the rear driver doors location and folded it around the taillight and snapped the bottom hinge. I did however invent a few new cuss words. Now I have matching back doors, as it appears a previous owner did the same thing with the other door...lol.
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