Everyone says the doors are noit the same for a wagon as they are for the hatchback pintos,but what about door hinges does anyone know for sure if theyre identical or not? And can I just replace the upper hinge to fix the sagging? And either way can they be done one at a time without removing the door altogether? I need this info to make the decision,replace my doors are not.
What you need to do is replace the hinge pins, not the whole hinge. If you got a replacement hinge it would probably be just as saggy. Do a search for hinge pin & you should be able to find the link on here to replace the sagging pins.
I have read that there are oversized bushings for the hinge pins but it seems like it would be beyond me to do the machining involved Im not set up for it nor do I have the knowledge. But I did help change a door once so I think changing a hinge shouldnt be any more difficult.
Quote from: tonij1960 on July 29, 2010, 11:10:50 PM
Everyone says the doors are noit the same for a wagon as they are for the hatchback pintos,but what about door hinges does anyone know for sure if theyre identical or not? And can I just replace the upper hinge to fix the sagging? And either way can they be done one at a time without removing the door altogether? I need this info to make the decision,replace my doors are not.
The early hinges are a little different than the later ones so if you end up replacing them make sure they have the same number of bolt holes as the ones that you already have. Wagon or hatch hinges are the same. As Matt said you can replace the pins if the hinge holes are not too badly worn. Take a close look at the condition of the pin holes before you attempt to change the pins. They may not be worth it.
There is a lot of egg shape so either oversized pins and bushings or replace the hinges Im sure
I will take a look at the hinges on that spare door of mine and see how they look. I think they are loose but not sure how much...
I took a look at my spares and they are loosey-goosey as well.
The bright side is that the Pinto, like most other cars of the era, use pins and brass bushings.
The bushings usually take the most wear, being a soft metal.
The hinges I have have totally worn bushings - paper thin in places.
Look around for a pin and bushing set.
Installing them will be similar to how I restored those on my Oldsmobile:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robsalbum/4438651018/#in/set-72157602930020786/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/robsalbum/4438651018/#in/set-72157602930020786/)
The door will need to come off the hinges for sure - drill out the top if the pin and tap it out through the bottom. Bushings will pound out and new will press in with a vice.
Not too bad a job.
Those are super easy to change. I did that on my 77 sedan & it locked them up good & tight
yes they are easy to change.Look in my thread 78 Cruising wagon restore, I have instructions and pics.