Anyone replaced door hinge pins?? How hard is it?

I need to replace two hinge pins in a 1500 beetle door....So, is it a painful job? It looks easy, but that usually means it's hard !!

Any tips?

Is it worth the trouble?

Cheers
Craig t

Hey Craig punching the pins out is pretty easy,but putting new ones in is a bastard
because part of the pin is a different size,i had to get them machined up & knurled
@ one end & hinges drilled to suit,i also took the hinges off the door to get cad
plated,worth doing for a nice car.

U need a reamer the correct size and 3 people to hold the door

dutchy wrote:Hey Craig punching the pins out is pretty easy

You have got to be kidding! Punching the old pins out can be virtually impossible!!! If they are at all rusted inside (as many are) they can be completely siezed. It can take a blowtorch and/or drilling to loosen them... obviously the blowtorch ruins your paintwork but sometimes that is the only way, which is why this job is best done as part of a resto.

Handy Hint: punch the top pin out UPWARDS, if you punch it down it will gouge the door before it is all the way out.

$70.00 PER PIN
i WAS QUOTED THIS NOT 1 HOUR AGO IN SYDNEY. SEEMS CHEAP TO ME.. IF IT TOOK ME 4 HOURS FOR 4 PINS I WOULD DEFINATELY RATHER SPEND $280.00 AND GET AN EXPERT TO DO IT..

TYP-114,

If you have the tool, you could make aa lot of money hiring it out , or, you could be really generous and post technical drawings for making one on AVD.

Matt.

I have made one years ago that used a fine thread bolt ground to an end and a piece of high tensile welded to the end, then a piece of steel with hinge type mounts welded to it. Picture a chain tool.

[http://www.parktool.com/images/products/productimages/det_CT-3_2005727_65746.jpg]


Pused the pins out eventually. Heat, penetrine and perseverance. Dont rush it. Thermal cycles are your friend.

Purple Martin wrote:[Handy Hint: punch the top pin out UPWARDS, if you punch it down it will gouge the door before it is all the way out.

hmmm............sound like a voice of bitter expierence :P

koolkarmakombi wrote:I have made one years ago that used a fine thread bolt ground to an end and a piece of high tensile welded to the end, then a piece of steel with hinge type mounts welded to it. Picture a chain tool.




Pused the pins out eventually. Heat, penetrine and perseverance. Dont rush it. Thermal cycles are your friend.

you mean this tool.

Sounds like it's easier to just relocate the external trim holes on the later door, instead of replacing the pins in the 1500 door.


Cheers to all.

this makes like easy

Bugboy,

I"ll have a sex change and do whatever I can to have your babies, to get one of those hinge pin tools.

Unfortunatelly, I'm on a carer's pension, so I can't afford the operation, drawings via u2 would help. I'm pretty sure I know a retired fitter & turner (who is also an AVD'er) Who could make one.

If not (technical) drawings then maybe some pics from different perspectives with same camera settings & distance from lense etc.

Matt.

Matt i have a drawing of one which was made by a member of our club ,i will send it to you in a u2u
Pod (paul)

[ Edited on 14-10-06 by pod ]

Mr Oxy heats em up easy.

DUBB61 said he got his pins out by making a bowl of blu tac around the top of the hinge and filled it with WD-40 and let it sit overnight, next day it just popped out with a punch and hammer.

Craig Torrens wrote:Sounds like it's easier to just relocate the external trim holes on the later door, instead of replacing the pins in the 1500 door.

Sounds like you could be repainting anyway, in which case you really should take this opportunity to replace the pins. They already have 30 or 40 years of wear and so this is the perfect chance to put new ones in to last the next 30 to 40 years.... much better than having saggy doors like many bugs do.

The later door has perfect hinge/pins, with no movement at all.

Dont use wd40, its a useless penetrator.

Use a proper penetrating compound or deisel.

Thermal cycles are your friend!

koolkarmakombi wrote:Dont use wd40, its a useless penetrator.

Use a proper penetrating compound or deisel.

Thermal cycles are your friend!

Jet A-1 turbine fuel and Jet oil in a 50-50 mix is the business, use it at work and free's anything it touches, too bad it aint available to the public, that jet oil is a nasty synthetic product and at $30 a pint it aint cheap either.

66deluxe wrote:

koolkarmakombi wrote:Dont use wd40, its a useless penetrator.

Use a proper penetrating compound or deisel.

Thermal cycles are your friend!

Jet A-1 turbine fuel and Jet oil in a 50-50 mix is the business, use it at work and free's anything it touches, too bad it aint available to the public, that jet oil is a nasty synthetic product and at $30 a pint it aint cheap either.

It's a pitty about the Jet oil because Jet A-1 is readily available, can you say kerosene.

Can someone post here the HEIGHT of the hinge, PROTRUSION from the skin and the diameter of the hinge pin. This subject came up some time back and I now have some time to look at making a tool for the pin removal.

As I only play with Type 3s I haven't any Bug stuff on hand to measure.

DH

1500S wrote:Can someone post here the HEIGHT of the hinge, PROTRUSION from the skin and the diameter of the hinge pin. This subject came up some time back and I now have some time to look at making a tool for the pin removal.

As I only play with Type 3s I haven't any Bug stuff on hand to measure.

DH

I can bring you a door to practice with?

Are you close to Meadowbank Graig?

DH

We're OK with a drawing from Matt on this one now. Will see how we go with some of them soon.

DH

Can bring to Meadowbank if need be.

Wow,
some great looking pin pusher outers there....

if one of them could push the old pin out ...
Do You just knock a new pin in with a punch and hammer??
or use a pin putter in tool ????

I have tried to knock My door pins out without success...
the passenger door is OK...
the drivers door needs replacing...
the door isn't drooping,, but as i oil the pins every few weeks, i end up with oil all over the door...

I have never had any success driving the pins out of spare doors either... even after soaking for days...

Lee

http://community.webshots.com/user/vw68autobug

Craig & Matt

Some VW clubs have tool libraries where you can borrow VW tools.
It may just be worth the membership fee!

Someone from Club Vee Dub Sydney may be able to tell you if they have a door pin tool

Craig

Ive had no experience with beetle doors but on splittys its easy.
1...Take the door off , turn it upside down.
2...Lean it as close to virtical against your bus on a rubber mat or carpet.
3...Then fully support the hinge with a length of heavy steel tube or bar to the floor.
Preferably with anouther steel plate laying on a concrete floor.
4...Hammer out the pin with a punch

If this doesnt work you could try core drilling the top half of the pin to release some of the tension, but ive never needed this.

Mark

Craig. Have drawing from Matt and have a couple on the way now. Will let you know how they are going next week and you can pick one up and give it a go for us to see if it works OK.

DH

Craig. Have one of the tools from Matt's drawing. Give me a call.

DH