anyone have a good source for the pieces needed to fix my sagging door hinge problem. do i really have to spend $200+ on a few pins and such? makes me want to cut the hinges and make something completely different.

 

http://www.andyz28.com/

 

I sell the kits too. TDS 200370, $74. TDS 201370, $96.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

My drivers side door was sagging. Turned out it simply needed a pin and 2 bushings. Cost me $8.

I don't know where you all are going spending large cash

 

Most sagging doors need more than just a pin and bushings...

I and other's have had great service from TDS and Lon.

Raf

 

you just did the lower, these kits are upper and lower.

 

At $78.70 or $99.70 per kit, 2 kits required, there's the $200 he didn't want to spend...

Same for Lon's kits.

Spending the $ though, is pretty much the only way to fix them. Never quite understood why you can spend less than $10 to do the lowers, from local stores, but have to spend another $190 online, to do the uppers.

 

Has anyone seen where the bushing wears the hinge itself causing the door to sag? I tried a bushing kit and it did nothing because it's the hole in the hinge that got enlarged by the bushing itself.

 

Simple answer; just one manufacturer makes the upper hinge rapair kit, which pretty much controls the price you'll pay at any of the half-dozen or so suppliers.

Lon

PS: The long answer is that the upper hinge kit pins and bushings are CNC machined of superior materials compared to either the lower pin and bushing materials or the OEM upper hinge pin and bushings. Also the pins are electroless nickel plated for superior corrosion resistance. Not only is it unfair ot compare the lower pins and bushing materials, construction and tolerances. You also have an economy of scale in effect. The lower pins and bushings are manufactured in the millions. Bottom-line: You get what you pay for with these kits. If you don't think so, then bay all means check your dealer for the price or the replacement hinges.

 

I agree completely but 200 for 2 repair kits is better than 200 for 1 (aftermarket) upper hinge plus time and effort to replace it and get it right. I haven't found anything better and I searched for a long time. It took me a long time to work up to spending that much for it.

I only did the driver side on mine since I normally don't carry passengers and the pass side wasn't half as bad as the drivers.

Jproz: thats the good thing about this repair kit it takes that into account and reworks it real well. I am more than satisfied with the repair on mine it eliminated one more rattle, From what I have read it helps strengthen the body cause the door moves around less.

 

looking at what's involved it burns me to have to spend that much on such a small section but it is what it is...

so to do both doors i need just the upper and lower kit for both sides. lon do you have a number i can call and talk directly to you. i only want to do this once and want to make sure it's absolutely perfect. if i'm going to spend the money i want my doors to open and close like new. everything else on the section of the car is minus this so i'm assuming it's my only answer.

pm me a number i can get ahold of you direct please.

on another note... what's the reason for having them greasable? is it worth the extra $30+ to have that option?

 

No squeaks

 

TDS: 626-369-0040.

It is difficult for me to answer the question for you. IMO it is a matter of your opinion if it is worth the extra $22 per door for the greasable kit. If you sleep better at night knowing that the grease has positively gotten to the interface of the pin and bushing by the force of pressure from the grease gun instead of hoping it migrated there via the wicking action of the grease then I'd say yes. If instead you sleep better knowing you saved $22 a door and got the very same quality of bushings and nickle plated pins as in the more expensive kit, just lacking the tiny hole and curcumferential groove, then choose the option of non-greasable. Maybe the fact that I'm out of stock on the greasable kit until I get my latest order sometime early next week will help into your decision?

Lon

 

I'm going to get one set or the other just not sure wich set.
But I think Lon just cleared up wich one!

 

yes that works for me. i'll call in the morning.

 

The front of my passenger side door is sagging and touching the rocker panel. The ins do not seem to be sagging. Is it possible that I need to replace the whole door hinge?

 

To answer your question you need to do a test. Open the door and have someone lift the door from the bottom and release it while you inspect the upper and lower door hinges for movement with a flashlight. If there is no movement it could be that your door hinges have bent from the weight of the door. If that is the case you either need to visit a body shop or use my E-Z store door alignment tool (TDS 300350, $24.95).

http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=95

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

Lon, do your kits and alignment tool work for 4th gen F-bodies, too?

 

Big thing about 4th gens are not the pins wearing out, but the actual fiberglass on the doors cracking where the hinges are at making it either repairing the door, or replacing with one that isn't cracked.

 

Hmm, interesting. The fiberglass around my driver's side door hinges doesn't seem to be cracked, but that door sure does have a lot of sag...hits to rocker area every time I close it. I'd really like to get it fixed.

 

Yes. The tool has several door latch pins to accomodate various vehicles.

Lon

 

Ok, so the tool will work, but how about the repair kits that you have? Do 4th gens use different hardware than 3rd gens?

 

Fourthgen F-bodies use two Upper hinge repair kits per door. The lower pin and bushing from the kit is unused as the upper and lower hinge pins and bushings are like the upper ones on a Thirdgen. Upon request I could delete the lower pins and bushings from the kits for a minor cost savings. I've done so in the past for customes that had alredy purchased a lower hinge pin kit hoping that was all their door would require, then finding that the upper hinge was worn out too.

Lon

 

Lon, I am going to send you a PM so that I don't hijack this thread any further.

 

got my kit... didn't get the lower spring parts i wanted though for some reason but i wasn't charged so it's all good.

definately makes a difference i must say but once i got my parts i was able to find everything at my body shop as well so for those looking a little more research and you can find the parts for a fraction of the cost.

at least it solved my problem so i'm happy..

 

well i finally finished everything. i'd like to extend my thanks to lon and his company. great company and service. however in my particular case the new items actually caused my doors to work worse. my car had only 52k miles before this job, i replaced them because the doors didn't open quite like perfection and through a new repaint of the car i wanted everything new.

maybe this was my hope of something that isn't possible but it didn't help my car, could have been my hinges who knows but the kit actually made my setup worse. so not to fault lon or his company as there's always a few i'm sure but it did not work for me. i have since had to order new hinges from gm and have my doors reconstructed with something completely different so they would open the way i wanted. had i known i was going to need to do this it would have only been another $64 dollars in actual parts cost and a days worth of work in the body shop.

but now my doors open and close truly like a mercedes... or at least like a new gm door should.

 

when you go to your local auto parts store ask for oversized bushings,drill your hunges and instal,just did the upper and lower on my drivers side door for $14.89 plus tax,nice and tight again.

 

mine were very tight, my problem was i wanted a "smooth" open and close.

replacing the upper bushings and pins with the new parts actually caused my doors to move a little bit where they didn't before. this was sort of fixed once the spring was put back into the lower door hinge but they still moved a little.

i thought that the unsmooth opening and closing ( the door actually would swing on it's own to the half way point) was abnormal. with the new detent pin and bushing this was pronounced even more.

as i said obviously this kit has worked for others but it did not work for me. you would think it isn't rocket science but i had issues every part of the way and then the doors got worse so i personally wouldn't recommend it but it's just my review. the new upper hing bushings and pins had play in them when i got them but i looked past this hoping that wouldn't be a concern.

the new lower pin and bushings fit and worked well. the lower hinge detent pin from the factory was a nightmare, impossible to remove with the door on the car. once it was out even though the detent pin bushing on my car was good you could see the new one was better but it didn't help at all?

again though the customer service from lon and his company was great and this kit has worked for others so take it as you will however my overall cost in just the parts and tools was up around $300. the tools did help alot though..