I found the following video on repairing door hinges.
I bought the recommended parts from The Filling Station. It went well except for the 11/32 drill size suggested. Now my rebuilt hinge is sloppy. Question: how much tolerance is needed for the pin and hinge? The new pins are .339 and the 11/32 drill bit is .343 at the shank. The video shows the slop. Anyone used the same pins from The Filling Station ?
If the 11/32 cut true, the .005 clearance will not produce a noticeable "wiggle" over a 2"+ deep hole. The drill may have cut oversize. I have seen this so much over the years that I always drill a test hole of the same depth in a scrap piece when I'm doing a precision fit. If the drill is a little dull on one side more than the other or is sharpened incorrectly it will cut a bigger hole. If the bit was slightly bent it will do the same. Also the part really has to be securely clamped in the drill press vice, perpendicular to the travel of the drill. Even a slight angle will cause the drill to deflect as it tries to follow the hole. i also like to let the vice float so the bit self centers. I just did a set of hinges for the 48 using the same pin set. When I tested my 11/32 drill I found it cut several thousands over. Rolling the bit across a surface plate I could see a slight bend. Probably happened the last time I used it in a hand drill. The new drill was right on. BTW, when opening a hole like that and not doing the last cut with a reamer, I always run the next smaller drill through first so the final cut doesn't have to work too hard.
Makes sense Jim, when I rebuilt mine, using the pins from Chevys of the 40s, I stepped up all the holes, rather than using only a few, probably used about 5 drills to get the size. Most of the bits were new, carbide I think, also used a cutting fluid (Re-lion) and drilled very slowly. They came out tight, and noticed the top hinges with the new hold open springs and very tight to open, they almost have to be put back into the hinge pocket in order to move back and forth. That make sense, being very, very tight? Mike
Mr Mahoney, did you use a drill press or hand drill, and any kind of drill guide to make sure the drill bit was going in perpendicular?
Thanks fellas, I will use the methods you shared. I was concerned about drilling off center so I allowed the hinge bar to move freely as I drilled on a small drill press.
Any tips on making sure the bore hole is aligned with drill path when in a vice?
About how many thousandths would you take per pass?
I've done several hinge repairs and it amaze me the different in the pins all from the same vendor...so much so that I have to always measure the pins before drilling the holes.
On the tech tip here on the bolt there is mention of having to sometimes use LETTER drill bits to get the correct size. Luckily I haven't had to use a Letter bit yet but I have a couple just in case. Mr__Mahoney, depending on the size of your existing hole don't forget the pins are plenty long enough to accommodate installing bushing's in these hinges as they did in later years.
...and the guys have all given some good advice. Let us know how you come out.
As Dads50 said a smaller drill or transfer punch works. Hold the drill press in the down position while you tighten the vice, then if you can raise the drill press with out it trying to lift the piece, it's good.
If I remember, the 11/32 is the clearance drill for the hinge body. on the 48 the knurl grabs into the hinge frame and that is a different size drill.
I have rebuilt many of these hinges and have yet to see one where the door part of the hinge was worn needing drilling oversize. The looseness is always caused by the pin locking up in the door part of the hinge and turning in the cab mount part. By installing a standard size pin and welding it to the cab mount part has fixed all of the ones I have worked on perfectly. Most people do not realize that there is a hole in the hinge that leads to the pin for lubrication. Most of the box stores sell a bottle of light oil that has a long extendable tube connected that works well for lubing these hinges.
11/32" for the hinge frame and Letter R for the hinge arm. If you do not have these or your bits are questionable, get new ones. Most people do not get the lettered and wire size bits, but they are indispensable in these situations. In this case, without a Letter R you are going to either be beating that pin in too hard, or you will have slop.
Update: the gentleman who made the video replied to my email and discovered the new hinge pins they are selling are a bit smaller than the ones he used in his video. He offered to make it right, so I am shipping my hinges to him for machining. He has updated his video to specify the smaller bit needed. (letter R bit) So thankful for his desire to help.
