One of the first jobs I did last summer when I got my '98 Jimmy was to replace the hinge pins and bushings on the driver's door. The lower bushing for the upper hinge pin was broken. I have plenty of experience replacing door hinge pins and bushings on several GM vehicles, especially B-body sedans of the 80s.

Now that I've done a bunch of other stuff to the truck and I'm driving it regularly I've noticed that the bottom bushing on the upper hinge has broken in three places and two of the pieces of the bushing have fallen out. I'm going to replace the bushings and hinge pins for the door again. Before I do, I'd like to know if there is a better quality, stronger bushing available than what I used before. Previously I used the Dorman pin and bushing set from AutoZone. It didn't last all that long. Should I get a set from the dealer?

I suspect the hole where the bushing failed might be eccentric (out-of-round). If that's the case I'm going to fill the eccentric space with JB Weld to ensure a firm fit for the bushing.

 

I suspect that the bushing cracked on the original install or not enough lube

IMO rain water washes the hinges
I keep a can of lube in the cup holder and spray them regularly

 

By parts source/Canadian tire here in Canada that these were the only ones available. I took a sample into a bushing/Bearing distributor here and was told that was the best I was going to do.

Glad to see that this has been an issue with others as well as myself

Good luck

Don

 

As stated in a lot of threads on the subject of door hinge pins/bushings, the biggest problem with replacing the hinge pins and bushings is that the holes are not checked for wear and repaired. If you just stuff in new pins/bushings and the holes in the brackets are egg-shaped, the replacement bushings will fail quite quickly.

 

How would go about fixing a egg-shaped hinge? @swartlkk????????

 

Here are the options that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. Replace the hinge bracket
2. Weld up the holes in the area of the wear then re-bore to match the factory bushings
3. Bore the holes out larger then use custom bushings
4. Attempt to back the bushing up with some kind of hard filler (JB Weld, etc).

The first three options are labor intensive and require a good amount of skill to pull off properly, but would have the best results from a longevity standpoint. Alignment of the holes is critical to having a long lasting bushing. If they are not aligned, the problem will return.

The last option I have done several times myself with varying degrees of success. If there is only a slight egg-shape to the hole, the last option works quite well. Too much of a gap and the filler is isn't rigid enough to keep from deflecting under load resulting in a broken bushing down the road.

 

you can turn a 5/8ths in copper rod to the size of the bushing and then grind a flat spot on the side of it.

put it in the hole and use a wire welder to fill the gap then use a round file if needed to get the bushing in.

i have done this on my 2000 blazer and it works well and if it wears again i can always weld it up and put a new bushing in

 

So weld up the hinge pin holes as covered in #2 of the post you quoted. Check.

The real problem with all of these is using crappy bushings. Practically all of the bushings that are available are powdered metal which doesn't stand up well to impact. Having custom bushings made, even to use in stock sized holes, would make for a much longer lasting fix. You could even use some oil impregnated bronze for longer intervals between lubrication.

 

yes number 2 weld the holes but doing it the way i am talking about means no drilling to get the hole back..

you are right about the cheesy bushing that they sell they are made to fail.

i used the copper slug and welder fix on my front passenger door and it worked great.

i still need to fix my front driver side door i will get some oil lite bronze and turn new bushings on my lathe ..

i do like your idea about making good bushings that are not the crap the auto parts sell.

i have to wait for warm weather to work on it as i have to do it out side.

i live in michigan so you know what that means..

using the copper slug to repair the hole and get it round again and making the new bushing from some good brass or bronze may prove to be the way to go..

i would like to know your thoughts on this.
we may be able to come with a fix that works well the first time and is easy to do for every one.