Removing a door hinge, modifying the hinge and resetting.

[VW_Jimbo]

Hoping this helps someone out in the future. I could not find a decent run through of how to replace the hinge. So, with that being said, I borrowed this from my build thread.

Jimmy V’s 54 Oval Project
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=722610

Removing the hinge to rebuild the hinge. This is the extreme case, where everything is rusted together! This is taken from my 54 build thread, should you need anything else.

Started on the door hinge pin, again. This is my 10th day in a row trying to get the hinge pin out. I have been hosing this pin down with PB Blaster for 15 plus days. So, that was step number one, today!

Last week, after attempting with a pipe clamp, I figured I would buy a tool, which is made to push the pin out. Armed with knowledge (I have done a ton of research) and high hopes, I ordered the hinge pin remover from Eastwood.

Finger crossed, I set the pin remover tool onto the car, taking care to keep the stationary side on as much solid steel as was possible, as I also tried to line up the working end, so I could turn the bolt, without damaging the door or front quarter panel.

With the pin remover in place and the hinge squeezed, in an effort to align the hinge leaf holes. I started turning the bolt. Got about three full turns, then it stopped. Unable to move it any further, I backed it out. Remember, the tool comes with hardened steel pins. Check this out!

So, the hinge pin pusher did not do anything but mushroom the hardened steel pin. That was my last hope.

So, onto drilling shit out. I mean screws and rivits.

Screws first. Let’s get the door off the car. Started with 1/8 inch bit. Moving up 1/16 of an inch, at a time, and only drilling in about 3/8”. Finally at the 5/16” bit, the head came off.

Now for the other 7! And then.....abra cadabra

With the door standing there, I figured I would get the hinge out and get it on the press. Same process as before. Started with center punching the rivits.

Then drilling the heads off.

And there’s the rivet head!

Onto the other 3.

Then punch out the other side of the rivit.

All four rivits out!

I threw the light into the door frame, just to be sure all was removed.

Then, I thought I would be able to pull the hinge out. Nope! So, I took a hammer and lightly tapped on the hinge while pulling on the hinge. No luck!

Then, I drilled a 1/8” hole, at the interior side, in direct position to hit the hinge, with a punch, to help persuade it to exit the door. NO LUCK AT ALL!

Set the door up and tried to pound the hinge out of its home. I figured after drilling the rivets out, that this would be super easy. NOT SO! This was more difficult than I had anticipated. Thankfully, stuff like this does not phase me. I hit the punch so hard, it bent. The hinge did not move.

Decided that a larger hammer was needed, along with a bigger punch!
Also, I drilled out two more holes and enlarged the middle one, so that a larger punch could be used.

Hitting it at the three different points, it started to move!

Freedom!!!!

With the hinge separated from the door, I took it over to the drill press. Set it up in the vice and drilled out the hinge pin.

The pneumatic hammer beat the end of the hinge pin pretty badly. I had a hard time getting a drill bit to center up. So, I chucked up a carbide rasp.

2nd time.

Now , I can run a drill bit! Started with a 1/8” bit, stepping up 3/32” a few times.

Finally separated!

With the hinge leaves separated, I took one of the hinge leaves and secured it in the vice. I then took my small saw all and made a slit across the barrel, where it will, for the most part be out of sight.

And the end result....

I then took the other hinge leaf and went through the same task. After that was cut. I reset the leaves, one at a time, back into the vice, to squeeze the cut barrel back together.

The other leaf was much harder to get positioned in the vice, but I did manage.

I then took my cutting wheel and notched a V groove across the pinched joint in the barrel. This will get me a better penetrating weld with a larger surface to weld to. You can make out the groove in the picture.

Check out the embossing on the hinge.

So, worth saving!

Back into the vice, so it can be welded.

I then hand filed it back to shape and slipped an 8mm bolt into the barrel. A tiny bit loose! That is awesome!

I need to rebore an oil lube hole. Don’t let me forget!

Almost like it never happened!

The last stop will be at a local machine shop. I need the barrel reamed for the pin. I do not have the correct reamer and I have no reason to buy it! This is the very first hinge that I have done this to. First one worn enough to make me do something!

Ready to go to the machinist tomorrow!

Well had no time to get the hinge to a machine shop to get reamed, so I found another way!

Got a reamer off of Amazon. It a first oversized, .318”

The pin.

Chucked up the reamer into my drill press.

Placed the hinge leaf in a vice, lined up the pin hole and reamed it. Did the same to the other hinge leaf.

What was removed.

Then I put the two leafs together and installed the pin.

DONE!

I bought rivets as well.....

So, first I drilled that oiling hole out!

Then went over to the door and slide it in place.

And drove it home!

All lined up!

I then set the rivits and hammered the them home. Would have taken pictures but had no hands free and could not let go. (***I will attempt to get some pictures of the door up in the air, to complete the thread. It was when I was riveting and had no hands free. I will stage something for the visual impact they may have.***)I balanced the door on top of a large steel block I have, which I placed on top of my cast steel table saw top. I wanted the energy from the hammer to be absorbed by all of that steel and not me. With the rivets in place and the heads against that giant block of steel, I inserted the air hammer into the interior of the door. While looking through the window crank hole, I aligned the punch onto the stem of the rivet and pulled the trigger! Managed to get all four of them in and the hinge was firmly attached to the door. One rivet was slightly loose, so back up on the block and one more squeeze of the trigger got it tight.

And look, the hinge even works! Bonus!

On to the moment of truth!

Went on with no issues. All the screws in place.

I used a small air hammer with a riveting bit. It finishes it off in a semi circle, much like the original ones. The original are slightly taller.

_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[RareAir]

Awesome job, especially the rivet! Most people just install a nut/bolt which is what a genuine VW hinge repair kit included
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1947 Typ 11a
1954 Typ 117
1956 Typ 151
1959 Typ 117
1959 Typ 265
1961 356B
1966 Typ 151
1966 Typ 241

[sunroof]

I admire you for being willing to drill out the rivets, I absolutely did NOT want to do that. It certainly made the hinges easier to deal with. I def want to see your setup for squashing the rivet down, that was what really stopped me from doing that, I could not see a way to do it. Nut and flat head bolt seems like a good method to me as well if you can find the right bolts.

Don
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Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

[VW_Jimbo]

[tomsbuggered]

[sunroof]

It surprises me a little that this topic was not covered in the past, it must have been a big headache for some previous restorer.

Don
_________________
Better and better mistakes!

[VW_Jimbo]

So, here was my process...

NOTE: This was my very first time. Looking back I would buy the punch. I made mine from an extra pointy one I had. I cut the point off and ground out the tip so that it was concave.

First, the rivets. I got them from Virtanen. Buy extras!

Then I set up my bucking block. This is a solid piece of steel that I have had since I found it, on a construction site, at the age of 7.

Then I hoist the door up on the block, placing a rivet or 4, through the hinge and door.

Then make certain the bucking block is totally in contact with the head. Slide the air hammer into the door cavity. Place the gun on top of the rivet’s stem.

And pull the trigger, while pushing down. Maybe 5 seconds. Check to see if the rivet is tight by trying to wiggle it with a finger. If not get everything back in place and lined up. Then squeeze that trigger for another 5 seconds. (About the same time for a few small burst from a full auto machine gun). Go through all 4 of them in this manner. When complete, the end should be mushroomed down onto the interior steel and the head should be flat with the door edge steel.

_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[mynameismud]

I have a later door that I cannot get (1 hinge) off for the life of me and a replacement door with yup (1 rusted hinge) that I cannot remove to swap doors...So, I will be sending both your way Jimbo..
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Even YOU can prevent FIRES!
Click to view image

[VW_Jimbo]

Sounds great! Be sure to send payment as well, $475 a hinge! PayPal works for me!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!

[mynameismud]

[Dan22]

Heat can be your best friend for situations like this. Cherry red then let it cool. Kroil or your favorite juice, repeatedly. Then one of those fancy presses or clamps may work, or a air hammer with punch.
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1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

[VW_Jimbo]

[aa390392]

Used Dans method on OG 55, Kryoil+heat. Not a single broken bolt nor nut on 65 yr old car.,.no muss no fuss.
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.
getting grumpy & less tolerant!


55 ragtop
56 delux sedan
56 Kabriolet

[mynameismud]

[Zwitterkafer]

Great post. Reminds me of a super-tight hinge pin that I fought with once. Even with the much bigger and heavier hinge pin removal tool that I have, the hinge pin did not budge. However, the tool kept pushing and did not lock up.
Soon it was apparent that the hardened steel pusher pin had forced it's way off center from the hinge pin, and had started to bulge its way THROUGH the steel of the hinge! The hardened steel pusher pins used did not deform in any way. They are probably more likely to shatter under extreme stress, at which point a shield or bullet proof vest might come in handy. Bottom line, know when to give up and drill out the hinge pin instead, as VW Jimbo has done.
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"Criticism comes easier than Craftsmanship"
- Zeuxius, 400 BC

[mr-jynx]

[Redlabel6]

The drivers side lower hinge on my 57 was broken into 3 pieces. I ended up removing the hinge and trying to press it our with a 20 ton press. It didn't budge! I sliced it lengthwise to gt it ope enough to get it out.
I ended up using a 64 lower hinge. Drilled the extra hole for a rivet an milled a slot for oiling like the original. it was even close to the right color!
D
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1957 Oval Window Beetle
1973 Karmann Ghia Coupe
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=666792&highlight=73+coupe

[Dan22]

I wanted to share what I did to get all the door hinge pins out. I first used a combination of heat and a proper sized diameter air hammer pin and I was able to get three pins out.

BUT the last upper pin was a big challenge. The air hammer got it to move maybe 2mm but then nothing. Turns out the slight angle caused too much deformation of the pin and it mushroomed itself into the leaf. No amount of heat would help.

I rigged up a puller frame to use with my OTC 17 1/2 ton push/pull tool and some scrap bar. Welded 5/8" nuts to it, and drilled a hole to house a pin as the pusher. My first pusher pin was not hard enough, and it just bent and mushroomed to the now deformed shape of the hinge pin. Pushed off angle, again due to the air hammer off angle damage. DANG. I was defeated (for the moment)!
The setup:

I knew I had to square up the mushroomed pin and remove the beat up/expanded part that welded itself to the leaf. I would try to drill it at the bottom. I rigged up an extension to a 5/16" drill bit that would go all the way through the lower hinge. I just welded a 1/4" rod to a good drill bit. Guaranteed straight on alignment. I did not know how difficult it would be to drill the hard pin. Turns out, it worked beautifully! I drilled in about 3-4mm worth then set up my press.

I tried my puller on the original door hinge with no heat, and it worked too.

The long drill trick worked nicely so I hope others can try this on their upper hinge pin replacement.
_________________
1-0900722 die langsame grüne Schildkröte
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765074

[VW_Jimbo]

VERY NICE!!! Love how you utilized the lower hinge barrel for aligning the drill bit! Nicely done!
_________________
Jimbo

There is never enough time to do it right the first time, but all the time necessary the second time!