Hollander interchange won't cover this as the front and rear hinges are different part numbers. Has anyone used the rear door lower hinge to replace the front door lower hinge? I know of a couple differences. First, the front part of the hinge is shaped differently so the overall length is slightly different, but there doesn't appear to be a reason (nothing in the way that requires the different shape). The second difference is the stud pressed into the forward mounting hole. No big deal. The stud can be pressed out. The last noticeable difference is the front mounting hole is a slot on the front hinge, while it's just a round hole on the rear so the stud can be pressed in. There might be about a 1/8 inch difference in the bolt location between the two, which could be fixed by making the hole for the stud into a slot. Again, this can be very easily changed. It would seem that none of these differences would be a show-stopper.

My driver's side door lower hinge is worn and I was going to try using the rear door hinge because it gets way less use than the driver's door. However, the junkyard price on hinges isn't $2 anymore and don't feel like spending the extra dough on something if it won't work. I know I could always use the passenger door lower hinge, but that gets more use than the rear door on the average Explorer. And, I could also get a door pin hinge kit for the price of a junkyard hinge, but replacing the whole hinge seems easier. Removal takes just a few minutes.