Hello,

Today I ventured into changing my door hinges since I've had replacements for a while but finally got around to attempting it. The P/O already changed the bushings and while they're sort of warn out I thought I'd replace the whole upper hinge since the springs are also broken and I live in a hilly area of the world.

Taking out the pins to the existing hinges was easy and I supported the door via ratchet straps to garage rafters. With the door disconnected and hovering nearby I had enough room to get a universal in to remove just the upper truck-side of the hinge. However this is where I stopped. After removing 2 out of the 3 bolts the backing plate with the threads seemed to be extremely loose. I'll admit I got scared that if I removed the 3rd bolt the plate would be lost inside the firewall/dash area forever. So I put everything back as best as I could. Problem is the alignment seems to be off now. I have a gap in the door seal near the top of the window (vertical seam near the jamb) even after adjusting the striker pin very far inward to get it tight. I'm a little lost on where to go from here! First I need to know if its even possible to remove the hinge from the truck side without losing the threaded plate. 2nd, If I cant then how do I straighten out my door so the weather strip seals correctly and the door reveals are correct. I never touched the lower hinge (truck side) but I did loosen all of the bolts on the door side which was likely a mistake.

 

YES! Very easy to remove the hinges and NOT loose the backing plate.

I think it's 13mm, fine thread. Either way, remove the one bolt. Then run to the hardware store and match it to the right size thread and pitch. Get long enough bolts , and cut the heads off. Then thread the studs in as you remove each bolt. Viola!! Easy peasy!

I saved a thread from this forum that was dated a long time ago, but cannot find it. It went through the same problem you have, except, the poster pull a 3 bolts and the backing plate fell behind the sheet metal!!! Luckily he was able to use a magnet to retrieve it and secure it.

There you have it!

 

I like that tip.

 

Are there any good full write ups/how to's on adjust door alignment, replacing the bushings, and adjusting the striker properly? My passenger door sits beautifully, locks/unlocks well but my wife has a hard time pulling it open. The driver side door looks like it’s a 1/16th low looking at the body line by the handle. It opens and shuts well. When I replaced the locks, I replaced the striker too. It took forever and a large washer to get it where it would shut but it is difficult to unlock when shut. I saw a post on here that made me think to check it when the door is open and the lock cylinder moves freely, so I think I have some adjustments there to do.

 

It's pretty much trial and error.

 

I definitely like that tip too. One day very soon I will need to change at least one of my hinges and all of my door pins and bushings.

 

The hinge mounting plate (E0TZ-1002638-A) is unlikely to fall out of place as it has a tab holding it in place, and if it did it wouldn't be that terrible to find and put back in place.

I found the easiest way to adjust the door is to remove the front fender so you can make adjustments with the door in the closed position.

 

what year hinges are compatable with a 89 f350? my lower hing is wore bad around the pin