PDX1978Guy

just curious has anyone on here had to replace there door hing bushings before? it seems as the ones my driver front door are bad it has a lot of play in it and does not seal up i hear a lot of wind noise and such i want to replace them and thought i could get them at auto zone or napa but apparently they dont have them there i was lookin a bit closer and they are plastic whats up with that? i always thought they were brass or something like that anyway i want to get some but cannot find them does anyone know what the exact sizes of them are before i take the door apart and end up with the wrong ones? also anyone have any tips on removing the pins and getting this done relativly fast?

thanks in advance!!

Michael

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

buy the entire hinge from a dealer.. the new ones are brass, even if the old ones aren't. they're like $12-15 per hinge. not a lot.

you'll also have to paint them. I just got a set in for mine the other day and they're gold (zinc plated), so they'll have to be painted so they don't stand out.

PDX1978Guy

thank you for the info but i would really rather just replace the bushings so i dont have to paint the hinges and also realign the door so if anyone knows the size of them that would be great!!! im still hunting for them and not having the luck i was hoping for!

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

just buy the new hinges. you'll thank me later. you still have to completely remove the hinges from the car to replace the bushings anyway, and unless you can find the bushings aftermarket, you're not going to get them from a dealer without the entire hinge attached.

PDX1978Guy

it just dosent make much sense to me to buy the entire hinge when its JUST the bushings i need i dont want to have to paint the hinge and then have part of it welded on the car and then the other part bolted on and then have to readjust the door... just seems silly to me... if i only replaced the bushings then i would not have to readjust anything just take the pins out and put the new bushings on... thank you anyway

PDX1978Guy

so i did it.. i got the new hinges i was not aware they just dont make a kit at all for only the bushings, taking the door off sucked you cant get to the bolt with anything other than a regular wrench i wanted to use a rachet.. oh well but its done the door lines up pretty well and the wind noise is a lot less now i think since it was sagging so much the door is kind of bent out of wack a bit or maybe just the seals are now to flat there? hmm who knows but it is better! thanks for the previous info about the hinges

nubiannupe

iTrader: (9)

So, did you have to take off your fender or anything to get to the hinge assembly? If not, do you think it would be easier if the fender WERE off?
And as far as holding up the door while you're doing this, how'd you get that done? I guess I'm trying to figure out if this operation can be done by one person or is it imperative that two people do it?

Nissan-R

I would also like to know!

Thanks.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

I did it last weekend.. took me a little over an hour total.. you need to remove the fender to replace the hinges, but it's not that bad. just be careful not to bend or scratch it while removing/installing it.

once you get the fender off, you can use a ratchet with a 12mm socket and remove ONE HINGE AT A TIME. leave the door closed and just remove one hinge.. replace... then pull the other hinge and replace. once those are on, open and close the door a few times to make sure everything's lined up.. if not, then loosen the bolts on the fender-side hinges and raise/lower the back edge of the door a bit to that it lines up properly, then retighten the hinges. also be sure to do this with the car NOT on a jack. jacking up the car will tweak the frame and cause the door not to align properly, so when you bolt it all back down, nothing fits right.... so just take the time to drop it off a jack and let it sit on all 4 wheels when you're doing it.

Nissan-R

Thanks, Matt.

nubiannupe

iTrader: (9)

Yeah... thanks! I think I will do mine now!

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

have fun pulling that fender!

DARHAW-MAX

$15.00 per hinge??? I am going to do mine as soon as I get the parts. For that price, I will get them brand new from the dealer instead of the salvage yard.

Tick Tock

I had a local body shop do this last spring. They have some special wrench to get that one bolt. It was a little over $100 including hinges, painting, installation.

Matt93SE

iTrader: (44)

bah... $70 went to their pockets for that job, and there is no "special wrench" needed.

nycibbyryder

$10- $15 I'll just get the dealer themselves to do it. Kinda ridiculous that we all have the same problem though....