Time to bring this thread back to life for a little deeper dive! I read this thread at the time and I learned that later trucks did not have 4 bolts like my 48 and 47's do. Last night I found another difference that might be of use to folks down the road. I am putting the doors back on the 47 panel to get the gaps correct when installing the lower outer cowl patch panel. The upper passenger hinge I had was very stiff and the door was just not right. I sourced a used original gm hinge and replaced it thinking they were all the same. Only the trucks were different without the captured nut for the 4th bolt right? Wrong. The hinges are different too. The 47-48 hinges open wider. The 49 and newer hinges have a stop that will not allow the door to open as far. I believe they also have a different hinge arm profile as the door now sits inboard by about 3/64. Thinking I was only solving the 3/64 problem and unaware of the stop issue, I took to widening the slotted holes and grinding on the nub in the back of the hinge mount so I could adjust it outward. When I put it on to check my work I opened the door and the top was solid but the bottom was wobbly and clearly not at the end of it's travel. I checked all 4 hinges on the 48, all four hinges on the 47 p/u and all the extra hinges I have from over the years. None had the stop in place that this hinge had. I called the guy I got it from and he looked in his pile and all of his 20 or so hinges had that stop except for 1. Another difference is my original hinge had only 1 spring and only a place for that one spring. The newer hinge has two springs and they are shaped differently. the patent number stamped on both hinges is the same. Given that the 47 p/u I have is an unmolested original in its original paint, I would bet dollars to doughnuts the hinges are original. My best guess (not assuming here
) is 47-48 hinges are stand alone items. That being said, everybody go check your extra hinges and post an upper passenger one for sale please
.
