I'm noticing some paint scraping where the bottom corner of my driver's side door meets the car. I'm assuming this is being caused by door sag.

What's the best remedy? Tightening something up or new hinges? If new hinges... which are the best to buy? I'd also like to replace the passenger side as well!

Thanks!
Bill

 

http://www.andyz28.com

 

Thanks for the fast response!

Which is better, the greaseable or non-greaseable? Has anyone tried this product? Do you all like it? Are there any other manufacturers of similar products?

Thanks again!
Bill

 

I see that top-down solutions also has a kit. I'm a bit confused because the kit says to include 4 pins, but yet it only replaces the upper hinges. Won't 4 pins replace both the upper and lower hinges on both doors?

 

The kit includes the two upper hinge pins and bushings and lower hinge pin and bushings. One kit repairs one door.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

TGO guys and gals do you reccomend the andy z-28 kit, the tds kit, or something else??

-Bill

P.S. Lonsal, do I need the door striker bolt and the GM door spring tool? Anything else I should get?

 

holly crap, 75 dollars just to repair one door!?!? the andy Z28 is way too expensive...and i just looked at the TDS hinge kit, its 96 dollars!...why is it so expensive for these pins? Is there any other way?

 

I bought some hinge repair pins off of Ebay that were about $30 per door. They were very similar to the other kits avalible. I haven't seen any for sale lately but you can e-mail at hingerepair@ccfbg.com to see if they are still available.

 

honestly in my opinion all you should need is some new bushing. its a total of about 10 bucks at auto zone correct me if im wrong.

 

Guys, let me clarify a few things. First off, the TDS 200370 Standard Upper Hinge Repair kit is $74 and is the same kit that AndyZ28 sells for $74 and change. The
TDS 201370 Greasable Upper Hinge Repair kit is $96 and is again Andy sells the same kit for roughly the same price. The only difference is that I add zerk-fitting covers to the kits when I re-pack them.

Yes there is someone from Canada making and selling a hinge repair kit that looks similar on ebay. CAUTION: it is very much inferior to the kits we (Andy & I) sell. I have a sample of that kit. The guy that sells that kit on eBay really screwed up! First off, he completely left out a bushing for the new upper hinge pin. Instead he has sized the hinge pin to fit directly into the hinge, no bushing at all!! So you now have a hinge pin wearing on the thin metal of the hinge frame rather than in a close tolerance phosphor bronze upper hinge bushing. I can guarantee that your door hinges will quickly be much worse using that eBay kit than when you started.

Second the machining of that pin is very crude by comparison and has just a thin zinc plating on it. By comparison the hinge pins in the kits we sell is made of high strength 4041 steel and is electroless nickel-plated. The nut used on the eBay kit is a standard commercial cad-plated nyloc nut more than likely grade 2B. The nuts used on the kits we sell are Boeing Aerospace 12 point high tensile nuts.

The kits I sell are $74 and $96 respectively. Get a GM door spring tool and you're looking at under $100 a door to repair it YOURSELF. That is the beauty of these kits. You save a bunch on labor because you did the work yourself. The other cool thing about the kits is that you don't have to un-wire the door. You hang it either with a nylon strap and engine hoist or a floor jack and ladder with towels to steady the door. You don't un-bolt the hinge from the A-pillar, which means you won't have a problem with alignment of the door when you're done. You just grind off the heads of the upper hinge pins and drive them out then pull the lower hinge pin. Then carefully pull the door away from the hinge so you can get out the upper & lower bushings. Compare that to GM's hinge repair method. You've got to un-wire the door harness (PDL's & PW's). If you think this is easier or you want to pay a shop to do it then by all means, go for either of the other kits.

Yes you should have a GM door spring tool. You can pry the spring out without it (just duck when it flies out), but you can't get it back in without one. Whether you replace the door striker bolt and door latch mechanism is up to you. Yes it will be better. It all depends on how worn yours were. I hope I've helped steer you guys in the right direction with regards to repairing the door hinges.

Oh, in closing, let me also say the following. Please read and follow the instructions that are included with the kits. If you're not mechanically inclined and can't tell a lower door hinge pin from a pin for the door spring detent roller, then please have someone with mechanical skills do the work for you. Check this thread and you'll understand my need to make this statement.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

Thanks Lon! I appreciate the feedback. Just a question. Will I need the door striker bolt, and if so, how many will I need?

Bill

 

I agree that all you need is a new hinge bolt and supplied bushings that are sold @ Pep Boys, Advance Auto, or Autozone...cost is about $4.00 per door. I just replaced mine and the biggest PITA was installing the spring. I didn't have the specified tool so I had to compress the spring in my shop press, saftywire it and then install it. I'd recommend you either rent or purchase the spring compressor tool before you mess with it. Good luck and let us know what the outcome is.

 

What's the deal with the door striker bolt?

 

Look at the door striker bolt. If there are grooves worn into it then replace it. The grooves will allow the door to move. There is one striker-bolt per door. The doors play an important part in the solidity of the chassis especially on t-top and convertible cars.

I disagree with the advice that you need to replace just the lower hinge pin and bushings. Yes it is common for the lower hinge pin and bushings to wear out. But before you can make the decision of what needs to be replaced you need to inspect your door hinge area, both the upper and lower hinges. Open the door part way and have a friend lift and release it while you inspect the hinges closely with a flashlight. If you see any movement in the upper hinge pins and bushings, then replacing just the lower hinge pin and bushings won't cure the problem. The upper hinge pins and bushings will also need to be replaced.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

I agree about completing a thorough inspection of the area. In my case only the lower hinge had play in it and required replacement. Good advise though.

 

So I was checking out my door today... and I couldn't find the striker bolt. There is only one of these per door?

Also, the top hinge looks like it has 2 tiny pins and the bottom looks like there is one big pin. Does your kit replace to the 2 tiny pins on the top hinge with one long hinge?

Thanks!
Bill

 

Check out the photo. http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=38

2 short hinge pins for the top and 1 long pin for the bottom.

The striker bolt is on the body of the car, the latch hooks on to it when the door is closed...
http://www.top-downsolutions.com/pro...products_id=70

 

AH, wow I'm an idiot. When I finally have everything together, how can I tell that it's perfectly lined up? On my car, the door's look fine. The only indication of door sag is some scratched paint.

Bill

 

someone needs to get a group purchase on these things, both my cars need them but i dont have $400+ laying around to blow on doors.

 

I'm looking at the same kind of problem here too.

However I have noticed something about the pins on the upper hinge, they are pressed in and DO NOT MOVE, instead the door part of the hinge moves on them.

So I'm going to try the idea of cutting the smaller overlap off them, pushing the pin out, replacing the bushing, and then pressing the pin back in, and if need be, putting a small weld in there. I'll let everyone how it goes. It may sound crude but we'll see.

 

You mean like this one less than two months ago? I was dissapointed that it received only lukewarm participation.

Lon

 

it's hard to justify $200 for each car when you can buy a set of non sagging doors complete for half that. But I'll be putting in order in eventually, just don't have that kind of money right now, theres other things that need alot more attention than the doors. I'm sure that's what everyone else goes through also.

 

I'd already bought a set from you... Oh well....at least I'm not embarased to open my door anymore...(creak! groan! ka-clank!)

 

lets do another group order! haha

 

my doors are sagging too...My local chevrolet dealers body shop is going to charge me $150 to repair both doors...that includes welding up the upper hinge hole if worn and all parts and alignment of the door.......Dude check with a dealer or even with a local body shop...it is a bit** getting these doors off and back on and lined up right...(first hand knowledge)

 

Saw that Lon, I wanted in on it, but the timing was bad for me. Now my car is finally in the paint shop, I can start getting on stuff like this. I will definatley be ordering a set from you in the next week or so, as this is a job I only want to do once. Any chance you could open the deal back up?

 

How did I miss the GP??? Any chance we can get another one going....I'd definitely be in for the greaseable uppers....I'm ready anytime.

Thanks,
- Joel

 

:chants: Group order, Group order, Group order :chants:

 

See what I mean? Only 3 people are interested in doing another Group Purchase for the upper hinge repair kits.

Lon

 

Thats because in the opinion of me and many others they are far to overpriced and the reason why is only 1 person is making them.

 

AMEN!!!!

 

When you really look at it, it's not THAT much. Consider what the kit is doing; fixing your sagging door- the complaint of many thirdgen owners.

I think it's just silly when people complain so much about wanting a solution to a problem. When the solution is found (or product is producted for this matter) the price is just "way too much" and still.. the complaining continues.

You're getting a quality product for your $74 dollars. Besides you might as well just do it right the first time and get it over with.

 

Well $74 I could do for a set of doors. But thats a single door. And when you have 2 F-body's and multiply that by 4 it adds up and when you want something thats going to last a long time and want the greasable ones at $96 each door that's around $400 with shipping if it was around $50 a door I'm sure he couldnt sell enough of them.

 

careful. You could have other issues for sagging doors besides for pins and bushings.

 

You know I have a hard time seeing how this can be such great QUALITY for 74 bucks. From what I have seen the new bushing is still bronze, which means it WILL wear out again. Then since the origional pin is a solid peice pressed in and peaned on the end, I don't see how basically a fancy bolt is going to stay in there with just locktight in the threads. I mean locktight is good, but it only works for so long.

It would be a great fix for everyone if it wasn't soo much money.

Since it is however, its not really the cheap solution everyone is looking for, much like new hinges and new doors aren't the cheap solution.

I know that if I was selling the kit for that much I would be laughing all the way to the bank, and back to my car to get the rest of my cash.

 

New door hinges/pins bring emotions on par with a new girl friend, life is good. Only problem I had on a Monte was door alignment after I replaced the hinge. I worked for two days with three jacks (I marked the original location before removal) I gave up and took it and my embarassmet to the body shop for alignment. Think it was 53 bucks for them to finish my job. Money was well spent, aligning the doors made me feel like the fool of the week.

 

I see misconception of the purpose of the loctite provided in the kit. The loctite is used to secure the new phosphor-bronze bushing to the hinge. The OEM bushing is secured with serrations and an interference-fit. The new bushing is designed to be a slip-fit with the hinge and is held in place with the loctite. The new aerospace grade 4140 steel sholdered hinge pin is secured in place with an aerospace Mil-Spec 12 point Locking nut. It's not coming loose unless you wrench it off. Both the bushing and hinge pin are constructed of superior materials to what GM originally used.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

You had an alignment issue because you removed the upper hinges from the frame. That is necessary if you're replacing JUST lower hinge pins and bushings. As you experienced aligning after is a pain. The beauty of the aftermarket hinge-repair kit I sell is that you DON'T remove either the upper or lower hinges from the door pillar. So alignment after the hinge repair is much less of a hassle. There is need to align the door using a tool such as the E-Z Store alignment tool IF the hinge has bent due to the weight of the door. Using this type of tool will quickly re-bend the hinges back to their original shape. Unfortunately you won't know if your door has bent hinges until after you've repaired the hinges.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

lonsal,

I just ordered a non-greasable kit from your site, and was wondering if it could be shipped COD? If not it's ok, I was just wanting it to get here a little bit quicker.

Thanks,

Matt

 

Yes, there is a COD fee that I'll need to add to the order. I'll e-mail you the details.

Lon

 

Why are the $75ish pin kits superior to the ones from GM or the auto parts stores? I can see superiority of the ones with a grease fitting. A couple of years ago I replaced the hinge assembly on my Monte Carlo with GM hinges for 55-60 each.

Why do i ask? Because my hinges are going to be repaired when the doors come off for paint.

Forgot I made a previous post here. I had to remove the upper hinge because I replaced the hinge not just the pin/bushing. Also why the body shop is doing it again this time on the Camaro. I discovered that I really suck at door alignment and also discovered that I have zero desire to learn this skill.

 

Read lons post, superior due to better materials.

 

Lon,

I received my kit today and a money order is on it's way back to you! I will hopefully be fixing my door tommorow after I get off work. I think I am going to go ahead and take off the fender so I can get to the hinges easier. I'd rather do it that way anyway. By the way, do you know if I can rent a spring compressor from Autozone, O'Reillys, etc.? I work at O'Reillys but I dont know if we have them or not. If not, I'm sure that I can fab something up to compress it.

Thanks,

Matt

 

the door spring compressor is a pain in the ***.I have one.to get the spring in you have to really compress the spring then you cant get the tool out with out prying it with a big screwdriver.

 

True, but if you come up with a better method to remove and reinstall the door detent spring I'd like to know it.

Here's what I recommend: Install the spring tool into the coils of the spring. Compress the spring coils solid using a wrench. Remove the spring. Now open the spring tool and reinstall it onto the spring capturing one more coil than it captured initially. Then compress the spring coils solid again. When you install the spring it will go in easily, open the tool. You'll find you need to pop the tool free of the spring using a large standard screwdriver as blackroc68 mentions. I suggest doing it this way rather than just trying to reinstall it with the spring still compressed as it was when you removed it because you'll find the spring doesn't quite want to fit over the tabs that hold it in place. You will be tempted to try and compress the spring further by tightening the spring tool, but that will only break the tool. The spring coils can't compress any further than solid. The only thing that can give will be the tool which will break. By removing the spring and reinstalling the tool onto it to capture one more coil you'll be able to compress the spring enough so it will easily slip onto the tabs. It is a simple matter to pop the tool free of the spring with a screwdriver.

An alternate method: Some people pry the spring free without using a spring removal tool. I hope you're wearing eye protection if you try this method. They mention compressing the spring in a bench vise and wiring it in this compressed condition. Then they cut the wire after installing the spring. I haven't tried this method, so I can't recommend it.

Back to fast83camaro's question about renting a tool. I doubt you'll find any auto parts chain having a tool to rent. The tools are commonly sold to the body shops, not the general public, since they are the ones that usually do a door hinge repair. It wasn't until this hinge repair kit was created that the job became one that a car owner could attempt.

Lon Salgren
Top-Down Solutions

 

But by the time you buy a set of non sagging doors, then sand them down, primer paint and put the trim back on, you will have way over the price of 200 bucks in two doors.

 

The main reason being, you can't find the short pins for the upper hinge anywhere at all. None of the major parts houses carry them.

 

I got the greasable set from Lon, delivered last week. The quality looks good, and I'll be installing them on the doors once they are pulled from the car for stripping/paint. Will be a while before the car is back together to see the final results, but I'm thinking that this will be one of those "wow, glad I did that" kinda things. A bit expensive yes, but a job that I would rather not have to do twice.

 

I didn't see this answered in the post or on the website so, Lon, what is the warranty on your hinge pin kit?

 

I just ordered the non-greasable set from Lon Saturday, should get them this week and installed in as well, will post up what I find out when putting them in.