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

hinge-rebuild01

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.

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

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And remove what is left of the original hinge pin.

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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Install the hinge pin and clip, and your done.

Nice, tight, smooth operating hinges.

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