Door hinge bushing/pin repair

JHZR2

Staff member
Joined
Dec 14, 2002
Messages
52,636
Location
New Jersey
My 96 Ram needed new hinge bushings. A few were coming out, and the door had a bit of play as a result.

One bushing needed a chisel to get out, most just fell out.

I used a partial kit from LMC Truck, a partial kit from the Dorman Help line, and reused one of the OE pins which had a tighter fit.

Two of the holes had either been drilled previously, or had worn oblong, because no bushing fit. I mixed up a bit of JB Weld to just help take up some of the play, it’s such a minor amount I’m not sure it makes a difference (door closes very nicely now), but figured tighter was better.

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Pins were easy enough to get out. some bushings just fell out


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The hinge spring was one of the things I was most concerned with. It turned out to be relatively easy to control, without much compression from this point. A nail set worked well to hold it in place for removal.
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I bought a Steck 21910 (USA made) spring compressor for like $20. Didn’t need it to reinstall, but it made removal safer and easier.

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A couple of the bushings in the kits I had were smooth. Two of the holes were slightly too big - I used a bit of JB Weld to help make up the tiny space difference. The rest I either drilled out the hinge bracket, or could tap into place.
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Door has no up/down play now, and closes better, though that may be because we aligned it when bolting it on. The other door I got on easier. This one my wife and I had a hard time getting lined up right, and I did chip a bit of the paint on the door leading edge. The doors are big and heavy. Overall though not a hard job, taking off the door card is the worst part.
 
Very nice. I’ve never done a job like this before. It’s been so long since I used JB Weld I couldn’t even remember what color it was LOL.
 
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