The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk '46 - Removing the Door HInge Pin?

Man, who knew putting mirrors on a truck could be so hard?!

I tried to remove both door upper hinge pins on my '46 today and only succeeded on the driver's side. The passenger side defeated me...for today only! DOH!

On the driver's side it had the longer mirror length pin already and all it did was mushroom when I beat on it. Having to hit it upward from below was a pain. I ended up grinding off the additional length of the pin, then BARELY driving it out. I think it was mushrooming in the bore as I hit it.

Question: Smarter now, I'm going to soak it repetitively in PB Blaster a few days, then do you think it advisable to grind off the head and drive it downward? As you may know, just below the head the pin has flutes on it so I'd be driving that through the hinge bore. Advice appreciated.

I don't know about the 46 but on the next series of trucks, we do it off the vehicle. We cut the hinge pin between the hinge body and the strap, separate the two and then use some heat before driving it out. That is about the only way it will work on the AD trucks.

Your idea of the PB Blaster is a good one. I would not try to drive it down from the top. As you said there are flutes on the upper end neat the head. I don't think you would be able to drive them down through the hinge, it would just get stuck for good.

Some heat from a torch is a good idea also. How tight are your hinges? If you have some slop you might try having some one lift up on the door as you try to drive the hinge pin up and out. Just a thought.

Use a punch just a hair smaller than the pin. With a little patience you'll get it done.

George

PB Blaster is good. You could try cutting the head off then soaking with the PB Blaster. It may allow the PB to penetrate better. Agree with George on not driving them down. Soak them and maybe try some heat. Or a bigger hammer! I guess I was lucky as mine came out pretty easy. Have fun and good luck
Dan

When I drive them out, I use a small punch (smaller then the pin) and drive the pin out with the punch form the bottom. This stops the "mushroom" effect and it seems easier to slant the punch slightly, outward so you can hit the punch square with the hammer.
Just my two sense.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I think I'll still grind the head off, but just use the access to keep putting PB Blaster in there over and over. Seems like that is my best chance to get it to soak deeply into the length of the pin. I agree with you guys that driving the pin down - much as it would satisfy my desire to beat it - would only end up getting it completely stuck. But driving the pin up, especially the lower hinge pin is so awkward. Its so hard to get a clean, hard hammer blow on the pin.

Speaking of pin, I didn't have a drift large enough so I used an old house hinge pin. This is a pin from a 1926 house so it is good old fashioned American steel. It worked on the driver's side but it ultimately mushroomed the end of it (I reground it down, then it bent(!)when trying to use it on the passenger side. That pin is in there solid. If this doesn't work I'm gonna go buy a MAPP gas torch and heat that hing up. I'll keep you posted.

Soak it good with the Blaster. I had sucess with using a punch and driving up to the point where I could get vise grips on the head and twist as well

Hey Dan,

You ever get anything done with this? I'm in the same jam, mushroomed pin end and ground off head. Thinking about putting a socket over the ground off end of the pin and trying to press it out with a bench vise. I'm worried about the hinge bolts in the body though; I know I'm gonna torque the heads off those things.

You can get at the back sides of the bolts that hold the hinges to the body, try PB Blaster and or heat there. Last resort, drill them out and retap the threads. I had to do this on one of mine and still have not found a replacement screw.