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This has plagued me ever since I have owned my truck, 1985 model.
It has followed me through several hinge-pin replacements and numerous investigations as to the cause.
When I open my right-side door, I can feel it "drop"; it feels like it drops a foot.
The hinge-pins are new and there is no play nor wiggle there at all.
I can't see any cracking sheet-metal anywhere.
Hard to believe, considering how the door drops when it is opened; but, I can close it firmly with my little finger; just ease it together and it clicks and is closed tight.
It never rattles nor makes any kid of noise.
But, when you open it, you will think it is going to fall off in your hands.
I have never been able to find any reason for this.
Has anyone else ever experienced this mystery door drop and what did you find and how did you fix ?
Drops a foot? No exaggeration? The hinges do wear out. I replaced my driver's side a few years back. Replaced the whole hinge assembly, not just the pin. My door was sagging a bit, less than an inch, but required a bit of lift to close it. Got tired of the lift to close thing and got a replacement set of hinges from the ford dealer.
Maybe you can repair it by renewing the hinge pin. Maybe a PO did that repair and now it's toast? I recall that the hinge pins were kind of swaged in in the OEM hinge. So the easy fix was new hinges.
Isn't this what mechanics refer to as "Ford door"?.
So I am not the only one who has experienced this and my malady is common enough to have a name.
I have ridden in people's vehicles where I had to physically lift up the door to get it to close; mine is not at all like this; it closes smooth as silk with no hint that it is going to drop a bit when you open it.
If the fix is indeed a new hinge, just where on the hinge is wearing to exhibit this behavior ?
If it's a hole that used to be round that ain't round anymore, I can make it round again.
Brand-new hinge pins and bushings don't change a thing.
As best I can recollect, and that is from many years ago, the first time I replaced the pins, I seem to remember having to gring off the bottom end of the original pin as it was swelled like a rivet.
Can new hinges still be had from a Ford dealership ?
If not, are any of the aftermarket ones better than others ?
I guess I should go ahead and get both sides.
It is curious that it would be the passenger door and not the driver door that gets used ten or more times as often --- and, it has been doing this for years.
I'm not sure about getting them from your ford dealer these days. I replaced mine decades ago. There is the hinge pin replacement as shown in the link Max posted. Brand X hinges and genuine Ford hinges. I think I paid about 50 bucks for two hinges. I see the Ford ones on the link are an arm and a leg.
Maybe post a photo of your issue? Dropping a foot???
Maybe post a photo of your issue? Dropping a foot???
I was under the impression that the hinge pieces themselves were wearing such that the door 'dropped' even though the pin was sound/cylindrical. So, the only way to fix it was new hinges. But, if new hinges aren't fixing the issue, it sound like something else is loose or failing. There aren't that many parts involved here so I'm at a loss to identify what that part (or parts) may be.
Years ago, my originals were worn completely into two separate pieces.
The local Ace hardware, right across the street from our place, among all their many types of tubing on big rolls, sold by the foot, had some sort of very hard, very tough, very thick, plastic tubing that the I.D. was a dead match to the O.D. of the metal pegs.
I have no idea what type plastic tubing this was.
I cut two correct-length pieces --- he gave them to me --- split them lengthwise --- and replaced the much thinner worn-out originals with them; that was many years ago and they have far outlasted the originals.
I have either mis-typed somewhere or you have mis-read; I haven't yet tried complete new hinges.
Gotcha. Yeah, replacing the hinges might be the only solution. I believe the hole thru the two halves of the hinges, where the pins goes, has bee wallowed out (by wear) and this is what's causing the 'drop'.
