Can anyone suggest an easy way of removing the hinge pins from a model A door? Don't have the tool to do it with.
The tool costs like $25 and is well worth it, that and a little heat and I can't imagine an easier way to take them apart. I suppose you could hammer a smaller diameter pin through, instead.
The tool would probably help If there not stuck to bad. Had to drill out a couple of mine even bent the hell out of one of them. Put a little Kroil or something similar on them every day for a few days and that might help some to. They can be a bitch good luck.
Grind the tops off and push them down from the top.. I just removed 6 original pins and they came out fairly easy.....
scrap metal 48's method works well. If you can get it out at least a 1/4" either up , or down. weld a length of 1/4" rod to it. Attach slide hammer, and it will be much easier to remove without distorting the pin from hammering on it.
I grind the tops off, then drill as far down as the knurling at the top, which is all that is holding the pin, then push them down from the top. I drill slightly under the size of the knurling, and make sure I center it. Red
I purchased one of the tools and I gotta say. The only pin it would push out is one that would nearly fall out on its own …. worthless
Worked fine on some that were on a cowl that had been sitting, rotting, outside since the '50s. I just heated them first with a propane torch.
Buy and use the tool. Maybe a little heat. Drilling, only a small amount off center will screw up the hinge itself. Don't forget that you will have to install new pins in the old hinges, unless you buy replacement, thye aren't cheap.
The hinge pins have a knurled area under the top button the seals VERY well to the hinge. And, if it has been there since it was made, it probably is very content to stay there. Penetrating oil helps, I also have used the C shaped tool-from Bob Drake, and heat and I have drilled them out,too. One problem you may not immediately think of-which I encountered on three of my 6 hinges -is as the door and pin wear, the hinge can wear a shelf or ledge onto the pin.Then you cannot drive it out with out finding the proper position (toward hing open or toward hinge closed) that will let you drive the pin. Once you find this spot, then it's a LOT easier-and liekly is the same or close for the other pins on that side. You do not want to buy new hinges-$525 at Mac's!
The hinge pin tools don't work as well as they are advertised. One problem with the tool is that the pin that actually does the pushing is too small in diameter and wobbles around in its holder and will bend. I replaced the pin with a piece of the base of a long 1/4" drill. Worked much better but still wouldn't do it. Heat and Kroil and tightening over time finally did it.
X2 Father-in-law bought one, took out the ones that would have came out anyway, and then gave up the ghost on the stuck pins.
I tried this too, but you have to be REALLY careful as drill steel is not meant for compression like this and can break. Also, the original hinge pin diameter is just a bit less than 1/4" (0.233-0.236 according to Mac's)
The hinge pin tool was useless when doing mine. However I put heat to the pins then after cooling off enough to touch I put 3PB Blaster Penetrating oil on top of the pins. I did this everyday for over a week til finally the started to come out.
best tool for the job is a air chisel with a thin punch tip. i ground down a bit to the size of the pins and can usually remove even the rustiest pins sometimes without heat, or ruining the paint. a body dolly or large hammer head placed on the top of the hinge to absorb shock helps also.
If you want one of the tools dont buy one-pm me your address and I will send you mine!! I would hate to see a fellow hamber waste $25.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll keep soaking them with penetrating oil and patiences. All so thanks to elricho for you generous offer.
And if all else fails, talk to the guys and gals at Blue Chip Engineering in Minnesota. They make a beautiful repro of Model A hinges with a choice of wit or without brass bushings. Will sell full sets, singles and even halves. Canuck
this is what I use it works very good. I also heat mine first to loosen some of that old rust up. My air chisel punches are from snap on there the only ones Ive ever see make them.
I'd be concerned that grinding changes the temper of the metal. Iif you've got a ridge worn in your hinge pin, you'll be changing the hinge itself with that excessive force. Again, also keep in mind that a 1/4" hole will require purchasing over-sized hinge pins as replacements.
Good to know, but I'll bet they're not cheap. If a set from Mac's or Bratton's runs over $500-and is probably made overseas, I can imagine a custom made hinge might be a tad pricey? Plus I don't think I'd want a brass bushing and a steel hinge pin. That sounds like a bad wear situation to me unless you had absolutely perfect door alignment (and then it wouldn't be a Model A!).
Repros selling on E-bay (I know) for $350 for a full set with bushings (I think they were $50 extra when I bought a couple of hinges). WAtch for a location in Minnesota. When I looked at the time I had spent trying to remove the pins from hinges that looked reasonable to me. Someone had used a hammer on the bottom of the pins, effectively making the pin into a rivet. First saw theses at Back to the 50s. When compared to original hinges, they are exact fit. Only way you can tell is instead of rust pits they are smooth. What I liked was I was able to order two hinges, all I needed. They told me they would also sell any halves that I needed (if removed with a hot tip wrench). Good people to deal with. Canuck No, I am not associated with them in any way, just a quality product made in North America.
I tried the tool with no luck.. soaked the pins with gibbs brand for a week, smacked it with a hammer , still nothin.. I'm going out right now and try the air chisel method..
Here is a photo of the hinge pins I removed form my '31 coupe doors-these are the middle and lower pins. I had already drilled out the uppers for hinge pin mirrors. It took a combination of heat,penetrating oil, the C clamp pin removal tool, drift punches, blood and some colorful language. And, finally, just moving them a tiny bit each time until I found the right spot to drive them out.
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