The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Question about door hinge pins on my 1946 Chevy truck

I purchased a running 46 Chevy truck. Needs a little love but is drivable. I want to put the mirrors on the door hinges. I have the pin loose on drivers door. I used pb blaster and hammer taps then a punch. My question is do you guys recommend grease or anti-seize on new pin in case it needs to come out again? Thanks

Ponchogl - First off Welcome to Stovebolt and congrats on your recent truck purchase! Your post may get better answers in a more specific forum, but is general enough to stay here for the time being. Folks should be along to provide suggestions and thoughts on your question soon.

Once again, Welcome!

You need to keep them greased so the door opens and closes without a lot of effort. With that being said, keep an eye on the pin in case it wants to back out. My '37 uses a similar hinge setup and I use mirrors on both doors. The drivers top pin kept moving upwards till I rebuilt the hinges. I believe the loose hinges kept the door moving which worked the pin out. Since the rebuild, the pin has stayed in place, even with the grease.

I understand the need for lubricant. I was meaning the top part of pin with grooves would be ok with grease or if anti-seize would be better if the need to remove pin for any reason in the future. I have read some guys have to use a torch and I would like to avoid that if possible. Thanks

Rust and wear (wear shows as grooves on the pin) make hinge pin removal difficult just like kingpins on the front suspension.

You want grease where parts move against parts. Grease makes the parts last longer. When the hinges and pins were new, the grooves helped to hold the pin in place, so grease is not necessary at the grooves. Some greases evaporate/decompose over time so periodic maintenance is needed. I've seen clothing spotted by brushing up against a hinge so the grease that may last longest may not wash out of clothing. On a farm, where many of these trucks were used, the farmer selected whatever oil/grease he/she had at the time and applied it in the easiest/quickest manner possible.

Great. Thank you so much I will do it this. Someday I will repaint the truck after I get the the other little issues fixed and I may have to remove pins. At that point they shouldn’t be in as long they have been.