1949 P 17 DOOR HINGE PINS AND BUSHINGS

[1949 p17]

what door hinge pin and bushing kits are you using?

[Eneto-55]

Did/Does you car have bushings?  (The P15 - what I have - was just steel on steel.)  I would also be interested in hearing what the diameter of your pins are.  I was told mine were originally 5/16", and that it was common to drill out for oversized pins.  The couple that I was able to get out in one piece were 11/32".  Most were twisted off right below the serrated area, and I had to drill them out of the hinge tongue.  Was planning to drill them all out even larger & use sintered bronze (oilite) bushings, but now I'm not sure what size they were to start with.

Edited March 24, 2023 by Eneto-55
spelling error

[1949 p17]

it doesn't have bushings. we are soaking them in penetrant and will air hammer them out. we will post pictures. we will have to install bushings because the holes are enlarged. we knew that we would have to make something, we just thought someone had used a kit from another car.

[westaus29]

My 38 7 passenger Plymouth has 5/16 pins about 2 -3/4 inch length, drivers side no wear, passenger side lots of slop. I sourced GM pins advertised as 11/32 but when they arrived they are undersized and sloppy fit in 11/32 drill hole. Asked Andy Bernbaum about their pins, they are way too small at 17/64 and 2 inch length. Thinking of buying 5/16 hi tensile bolts and hand finishing them, can always upgrade the passenger side later.

[Eneto-55]

8 hours ago, westaus29 said:

My 38 7 passenger Plymouth has 5/16 pins about 2 -3/4 inch length, drivers side no wear, passenger side lots of slop. I sourced GM pins advertised as 11/32 but when they arrived they are undersized and sloppy fit in 11/32 drill hole. Asked Andy Bernbaum about their pins, they are way too small at 17/64 and 2 inch length. Thinking of buying 5/16 hi tensile bolts and hand finishing them, can always upgrade the passenger side later.

I'm curious if you measured the new 11/32" pins with a micrometer, and if so, would like to know the brand/source, so as to avoid making the same mistake.  

By the way, a drill bit will always make an oversized hole.  Not because of wobble or any other issue in how it is drilled, but simply because drill bits are actually a bit larger than the nominal size.  If you want a close fit, it is better to drill within around .007" of the finished size, then use a reamer to finish it.  (I have no training as a machinist, but I personally like to use a reverse spiral flute hand reamer for this.)  A reamer should produce a hole which is .001" under the nominal size.  (And I'm told that bushings are typically .001" over their nominal size, which gives you the preferred interference fit of .002".)

[westaus29]

Thanks for your sound advice. The Bernbaum pins are listed for 28-48 bodies. I bought my 11/32 pins on eBay, now nil stock but these look like the same

https://www.millsupply.com/auto-body-rust-repair-panels/chevrolet/blazer/1973-1991/73-91-chevrolet-blazer-hinge-pin-98759p.php

 

The advantage is they are cheap compared to many pins. They are designed to go with bushes and you can buy kits that include bushes but I intended using them without, as per original.

 

The pin dia is 0.338 inch compared to 11/32 which is 0.344 inch. I did buy a reamer but unfortunately it is adjustable 3/8 to 11/32 so is no use. I played with it a bit in a 21/64 drill hole which is a tad over 0.328 inch. It is a bitch to use, ended up mounting in drill press and turning by hand to get a decent result. I think I will order a smaller reamer and persevere as I can't see an affordable alternative and I need to restore the passenger side hinges. I am pretty sure my Plymouth was a taxi for much of its life which would account for the hinge wear pattern.

[MikeMalibu]

I’m rebuilding the hinges now on my ‘49 P17.  The original pins measured approximately 0.34”+/-. Replacement pins were too loose. My first thought was to bore out for a bushing, but decided to just ream the hole for a 0.37” pin. If that failed, I could go larger for a bushing. I used a 9.4mm & 9.5mm core drill bit to get close, then used a hand reamer for a tight fit on each pin. That was easy. The more difficult part was dealing with the flanged holes in the bracket for the pins. The bracket is not thick enough to hold a bushing unless brazed in place, and the flange walls are not thick enough for the 0.37” pin.  I used TIG to run a bead (1/16” rod) around the flanged holes to thicken the side wall, then bored & reamed to 0.37” to set the knurled head of the pin. Seems sturdy. I haven’t mounted the hinges yet to test.

 

I did find some pins that measured 0.342 and was able to ream one of the hinge tongues from 0.341 without enlarging with the drill. 

Edited December 27, 2020 by MikeMalibu

[Bobb Horn]

I used pins from a 3hp Briggs and Stratton small mower, exhaust or intake valves.....     Fit great on my 38.

[westaus29]

I finally completed the hinge rebuilding last week. Purchased a smaller 5/16 to 11/32 reamer and silver soldered a 1/4" extension to it so it was long enough to go all the way thru the door hinge half. That also meant I could mount it in my trusty little Bosch drill, with an extra long extension so I could reach the middle hinges on the front doors.. Bought an 8.5mm drill to rough out the hinge holes to about 0.334" then used the reamer in the Bosch to ream out to about 0.340", hand held at low speed with torque set near minimum so that I did not destroy the reamer each time it grabbed. Very slow but got there in the end (the hinge plates are bent to form the hole for the pin, with the result that there is a slot in each hole which grabs the reamer). Thanks MikeMalibu for hints!