Shoebox Door Hinge Rebuild - Cheap and Easy
by the-rodster aka Rich
Stock shoebox door hinges are usually shot and in need of work.
Saggy doors aint cool.
As far as I know, rebuild kits are not available, probably because the original hinges didn't use bushings, just steel pins.
Some folks offer door hinge rebuild services for $160 to $300.
I figured that there was surely a readily available pin and bushing kit that would do the job, so I went to the parts store and started measuring.
Turns out, mid 70's GM hinge kits fit the bill nicely.
HELP! Part number 38391

First, remove your stock hinges.
This may or may not be an easy job, the stock phillips head screws can be a real pain to remove.

Next, take a hacksaw and saw through the hinge pin at the top and bottom joint.


And remove what is left of the original hinge pin.

Chock up an 11/32 bit in your drill press, and drill thru both the top and bottom tabs of the female hinge. Do this as straight as possible.

Drill the male hinge with the same bit, again, as straight as possible.

Next, chock up a 13/32 bit, and drill down about 1/4" into the top and bottom of the male hinge, just enough to fit the new bushings.


Install the new bushings to the top and bottom of the male hinge.

You may need to grind just a little from the top and bottom of the female hinge, in order for the pin clip to fit.

Install the hinge pin and clip, and your done.
Nice, tight, smooth operating hinges.

Return from Door Hinge Rebuild to Tips and Tricks
Return from Door Hinge Rebuild to How-To-Build-Hotrods
Dig this page? Please let other hotrodders know! Here's how...
Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?
- Click on the HTML link code below.
- Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment,
your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.