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Best/Cleanest Way To Remove Power Doors

nvrenuf

nvrenuf

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Ideally I'd like to remove the hinge pin and leave each hinge half on their respective body part. I'll be installing ORD tube doors which use the body half of the hinges.

I tried using a hammer and punch to drive the pins out but they didn't move. (I didn't get ugly with them, yet)

I thought about cutting the pins but there doesn't appear to be a clear shot.

I know I can unbolt the hinges from the door shells but I'd like to avoid that if possible. It would be nice to be able to just drop pins in if I ever reinstall the doors (no realignment).

What about the wiring harness? It looks like the boot is riveted to the body, do you typically get the doors loose and then drill the rivots? Seems like a pita.
 
You have to cut the pins. And honestly, marking the door and pulling it was easier for me. I went all the way around with the sharpie and made a hash mark at each corner for alignment.

I pinned the passenger side door like the How to B to C wrote up years ago. The door pins kinda suck to pull. Easier unbolting the door for me
 
Yeah the pins more or less press in. Unless you shave your pins down they'll never drop in like a lynch pin setup. I'd just take a 1/8 drill bit and drill 2 holes in each hinge plate where they bolt to the body (for alignment) and then unbolt them off the truck. You'll have far less trouble with alignment when it comes time to put them back on.
 
Ok thanks guys, I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing something obvious.
 
ONe thing i would do is get some all weather couplers for the electrics to make it easier to take the wiring loose.
 
The bushings are pretty small, but I think that may be a feasible option. I'm planning on pulling my door here soon to replace the pin. The one that would never come out, fell out driving through Moab...
:surepal:
 
rampage said:
Think it’d be possible to replace the pins with G8 bolts? You might have to drill the hinge pin holes to fit a standard size bolt and find new bushings. And for the electric wiring put in some contacts like these:
http://www.dakotadigital.com/index....t_id=103/category_id=406/mode=prod/prd103.htm
Click to expand...

I've been considering some of those contact pads for trying to figure out a way to mount the lights through my K5 top and have it be super removable. I think the only thing I would be worried about is when there is no top on, something ground out those contacts.. I could probably figure out some kind of rubber cover or another kind of contact pad..

Moving on to the door hinge and electrics, I think the only thing you would have to consider is how much the door moves around and if those contact pads can account for that (they probably can from the looks of it). If you drilled precisely then you could probably use some grade 8 carriage bolts or at least something that has a smooth shaft as the pin. Threaded hardened bolts will probably eat into the metal of the hinge pretty fast, which I'm sure is the reason why GM used pins instead of bolts.
 
rpcraft said:
I've been considering some of those contact pads for trying to figure out a way to mount the lights through my K5 top and have it be super removable. I think the only thing I would be worried about is when there is no top on, something ground out those contacts.. I could probably figure out some kind of rubber cover or another kind of contact pad..

Moving on to the door hinge and electrics, I think the only thing you would have to consider is how much the door moves around and if those contact pads can account for that (they probably can from the looks of it). If you drilled precisely then you could probably use some grade 8 carriage bolts or at least something that has a smooth shaft as the pin. Threaded hardened bolts will probably eat into the metal of the hinge pretty fast, which I'm sure is the reason why GM used pins instead of bolts.
Click to expand...
The hinges have (bronze?) bushings, that’s what wears out and gives door figments issues due to slop. I was thinking 1/4” bolts with a smooth shank and just enough thread for the nut.
For your concern about shorting out the light contacts just pull the fuse when the lights aren’t attached if they’re on an isolated fuse, or have a separate inline fuse you can remove.
 
Or IIRC since the upper pin needs to be inserted from the bottom up, you could use a longer smooth shanked bolt and demel a couple grooves on the sides to accept a spring clip that sits atop a washer.
 
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