B model hinge rebuild

[Shawn Barrett]

So have any of you out there in TV land found a suitable replacement for our hinge pins on the B models? I told myself I wasn't going to pull this truck apart and start a full on resto., yet I've found myself in the garage tearing the door off the truck....I cant stop myself. The door has been sagging at least a half inch and has a gouge into the door itself from the years of neglect and bouncing off the latch catch bolt on the cab....I cant take it anymore!!! So the door came off and the hinges came out and they are soaking in a WD40 bath, now I have to work on rebuilding these bad boys. I know Im not the only one, what have you guys been using?

[DodgeMan]

I think GM hinge pins. I`ll have to ask my dad what he used in his B61. We got them from our local napa.

[Rob]

I think GM hinge pins. I`ll have to ask my dad what he used in his B61. We got them from our local napa.

You can do it with those hinge pins without too much problems by "jigging" the hinge pieces in a drill press and line boring all three holes at the same time to ensure trueness of the hole but I like to use water hardening drill rod. This is available at most industrial supply houses. This is the high speed steel a lot of twist drills are manufactured from as it is easy to work with, and harden.

Rob

[Freightrain]

I did the generic pin rebuild years ago on my drivers door. Can't recall which "Help" kit from Azone I used? Measured the hole size and picked the next larger one to fit.

I also re arched the horseshoe springs that hold the door open. Works pretty good now, as long as you are decent level ground. Much better then getting swapped in the side as the door used to come close as you stepped in the cab.

[burnin oil]

Much better then getting swapped in the side as the door used to come close as you stepped in the cab.

Mine hits the air cleaner every time since the limiting rod doesn't appear to hook to anything inside the door.

[Maddog13407]

most b models with the turbo air cleaner had 1/4 inch blocks welded in the backside of the hinge to stop the mirror from hittin the air cleaner. could be someone changed the hinges out over the years or added a turbo style cleaner? my B61 has the blocks but had the bigger tophat style bonnet on the cleaner and if you open the door with the vent window open the window hits the air cleaner top. been lookin for an original extension tube for it. also rebuilt my hinges with GM generic pins and bushins from the parts store. just reamed them out with a reamer and used new pins. Matt

[Shawn Barrett]

Thanks for the info fellas and Rob I actually read the reply you gave that other fella a while back and even looked up the material but it sounded like one helluva science project. I was hoping somebody might have a pin close to what Im looking for without the easy bake oven tactics. It sounds absolutely genius just a little daunting. There is a Fastenal not far from me however so If it comes down to it and thats what I have to do I will do it.

[Rob]

Thanks for the info fellas and Rob I actually read the reply you gave that other fella a while back and even looked up the material but it sounded like one helluva science project. I was hoping somebody might have a pin close to what Im looking for without the easy bake oven tactics. It sounds absolutely genius just a little daunting. There is a Fastenal not far from me however so If it comes down to it and thats what I have to do I will do it.

You would never wear that pin out again as the hinge material is softer than the pin when hardened correctly. Use a bronze walled bushing in any case. Those off the shelf pins are surface hardened also but GM style pins are larger on the upper bearing point than the lower. The key is to align everything correctly and ensure it stays aligned when boring.

Rob