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Old 09-15-2020, 01:08 PM
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Default 1980 hinge replace fender front clip pull forward

I have a 1980 TA that I want to remove and rebuild the door hinges. All the information I can find has the door open using a jack for support but have heard some body guys claim the loosen the whole front-end, fenders with hood and front clip, pulling the whole front body forward to expose the hinges. This way would allow the door to remain closed for the whole process.

I dont really want to get into adjusting the doors but was hoping someone who has done this might chime in. The procedure makes sense but while I wait for my hand to heal from surgery I could make a plan.

Was going to replace the AC heater core while everything is loose too.

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Old 09-15-2020, 02:27 PM
Grand73Am Grand73Am is offline
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Seems like too much extra work to me. When I repaired/replaced my hinges, I first marked the door and cowl around where the hinges were mounted, so I could put the hinges back in the same place when I re-installed them. You could use masking tape, a marker, spray can paint or a combination of them to mark the hinge locations. Then I removed the door, and then the hinges. Rebuilt the hinges. Bolted them back to the same marked spot on the cowl. Installed the door and lined up the marks on the door, and it fit well. I only made a small adjustment to make it even better. That's about it.

For the heater core, I took loose the bottom of the right fender, and kept track of the shims that were there. Being able to pull the bottom of the fender out a bit made it easier to remove the inner fender, giving full access to the heater and a/c parts under there.

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Old 09-15-2020, 04:42 PM
TAKerry TAKerry is offline
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Rebuilding a hinge takes about 5 minutes. Getting it off the car may take 10 minutes. I would take one hinge off at a time, using a jack to hold the door in place whilst the hinge is off. If you want/need to clean and paint that may take a bit longer for the paint to dry. Just make sure the door is secure and wont fall free. If you door is lined up properly I would not take it completely off. Its not all that hard to align them but if its not something I would do just because.

Get a spring removal tool it will make the job super easy. I got the pins and bushings off of ebay, cant remember where.

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Old 09-16-2020, 10:06 AM
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I have realigned doors with fenders on, it is NOT a 10 minute job! Getting to all the bolts with the door an jack means the door is way open. then off the jack swing it to see alignment-off some repeat, repeat. Also getting them to even move on the body when the bolts are loose is tough sometimes. Working on my 81 driver door right now. Body shop supposedly had rebuilt hinges -NOPE! so hinges have to come off. Since I have not put fenderwell back in pulling the fender was pretty easy.

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1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
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1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
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Old 09-16-2020, 02:50 PM
TAKerry TAKerry is offline
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To clarify, taking a single hinge off the car is pretty easy. Once the hinge is on the bench, cutting the pin out of the way, drilling and inserting new bushings, putting the hinge halves back together is pretty straightforward and easy as well. Taking a door completely off, removing both hinges and re-installation, then hanging and adjusting the door is quite involved.

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Old 09-16-2020, 07:05 PM
Aus78Formula Aus78Formula is offline
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I rebuilt my door hinges in 2008.
The fenders and hood still haven't made their way back on since.

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Old 09-16-2020, 07:17 PM
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My old Fisher body manual has an S shaped wrench for door hinges that is no longer available.

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1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand
1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project
2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4
1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs
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Old 09-16-2020, 08:54 PM
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A buddy mentioned that wrench in 1/2" to access the hinge bolts that are in behind skip. I think it is J-24353 for the F body cars.

Thanks again Ben Aus78 for assisting is finding some manuals for me to reference. I was wondering if I might end up doing the same thing getting the hinges done but creating more work for myself. But you know what they say, Rome wasn't built in a day pal.

So if I were to open the door, remove one hinge at a time while supported with a jack I should be okay as long as the hinges original position is marked? The pulling the fender forward has me wondering if this might be a solution too to any further advice would be great.


Last edited by P@blo; 09-16-2020 at 09:03 PM.
  #9  
Old 05-15-2021, 08:49 PM
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Just to update this thread for other members. The way I ended up replacing the hinges was to remove the front clip, hood, all fender to skirt bolts (skirts stayed in place), and removing both fenders. Did one hinge at at time with the door closed and came out perfect with doors staying in position all the way through. Also had a door spring compressor in my tool chest which is a must for this processs unless you want to close the hinges while under spring pressure and not mounted. Drive out old bushings and lightly tap in new ones once the hole is dressed with some emery cloth. One larger bushing for the top hinges top bushing was larger diameter the rest were the smaller OD versions so six smaller bushings, two larger bushings, and four pins is all that is needed. Well, new strikers too I should mention.

Easy access to the heater core and replaced the blower while I was at it. Took 3 hours start to finish once I tore into it.

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Old 05-16-2021, 07:30 AM
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Pic of aforementioned J-24353. These occasionally pop up on Ebay:



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  #11  
Old 05-17-2021, 11:30 AM
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Yep that looks like it.

I had to do the same on my 81 earlier this year. The body shop put a skin on the door when someone backed into my daughter. Did not line up well and being the picky guy I am I had to before I aligned the windows after new PW motor.
Pulled the hood, and that driver's fender. Replaced hinges as the bronze bushing put in a few years ago by a different body shop wore out/broke already-they are brittle-Repop hings already have bushings in them. got door lines up to rocker and rear gap. But had to move fender forward almost 1/2" as it hit at wide open. Maybe they put skin on wrong. They added a tack weld on the old hinge so it could not open all the way!Then jacked with fender then replaced Turbo hood with a Shaker hood. Moving fender forward gave me a larger hood.Now a gap at that corner. Hood itself is square. I found body shop instead of replacing bottom J nut and a longer bolt for the bottom shims just freaking welded the bolt in!

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1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand
1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project
2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4
1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs

Last edited by Skip Fix; 05-17-2021 at 11:39 AM.
  #12  
Old 05-17-2021, 07:39 PM
Aus78Formula Aus78Formula is offline
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Hope your daughter that was backed into was ok, or maybe she was in the car at the time!

Was the tack-weld to limit door travel and then hitting the fender? Were they the rebushed original hinges?

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Old 05-17-2021, 09:13 PM
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You can get a 16.00 set of S wrenches from Harbor Freight. I used them on my car and worked great, I did one hinge at a time.
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Old 05-19-2021, 04:49 PM
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My daughter was over at her grandmother's and it was parked out front. Neighbor backed into the door. Hurt the skin but that was all. She drove it in high school back then so I've been getting it freshened up so she can drive it again. ICU nurse now.

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1978 Trans Am original owner 10.99 @ 124 pump gas 455 E heads, NO Bird ever!
1981 Black SE Trans Am stockish 6X 400ci, turbo 301 on a stand
1965 GTO 4 barrel 3 speed project
2004 GTO Pulse Red stock motor computer tune 13.43@103.4
1964 Impala SS 409/470ci 600 HP stroker project
1979 Camaro IAII Edelbrock head 500" 695 HP 10.33@132 3595lbs
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