Door Hinge Repair Kit

Sooner or later your lower door hinge will go bad and you will either have to repair it or replace it. Ford only sells the hinge as a complete unit (unpainted) which will cost you over $50 each. Super Coupe Performance offers a Kit for repairing the lower door hinge on your Thunderbird, Cougar & Mark VIII.  All parts needed to rebuild one lower hinge assembly and realign your door are included.

To begin you will need two people as the door is very heavy and you do not want to damage the door during the repair. You will need to remove the lower hinge from the car to perform the proper repair. A padded floor jack is handy to support the door while the hinge is off.

Inside nut will have to be removed first. Remove the kick panel and remove the two supporting bolts for the foot rest if equipped. Removal of the foot rest is not necessary to allow access to the single 13mm nut. Note: Be careful as the nut can easily fall in between the frame. Tip: loosen the nut while keeping pressure to prevent the nut from falling and with one hand reach in and grab the nut and socket.

Next open the door fully and with a floor jack support the door. A second person is recommended.
Then with two 3/8" wobble sockets combined you will be able to remove the two 13mm hinge bolts.

Using a 13mm box end wrench remove the two bolts holding the hinge to the door.

Loosen the upper two bolts at the door to allow enough movement in the door so you can pull the lower hinge out.

Optional is cutting the hinge bolt before removing the hinge. Pulling the two apart makes it easier to remove from the car.

Note: Mark the location of the hinge before removing it from the car it will help you locate it when reinstalling.

You will have to wiggle the hinge around until it comes out. Be careful not to scratch the paint as you remove it.

Now that the hinge is out you will need to determine if it is able to be rebuilt. If the brass bushings are worn or missing and the hole that the brass bushing fits in is out of round you may not be able to repair the hinge. You can still try to repair the hinge. It may be time to either get a junk yard hinge or new Ford hinge (unpainted). To color match just get a small 5oz can of auto body matching paint.

After the hinge pin has been cut and the two are separated you will need to examine the holes for signs of uneven wear.
If the inner hinge holes are worn larger than .470" it is time to get another hinge.

The door hinge roller assembly.

Hammer the old pin that holds the roller out using a punch or similar tool.

Insert the new roller and hammer the new pin through the roller so it is centered.

Hinge disassembly.

The 15/32" or .468 drill bit opens up the hole to allow the .478" OD brass bushing to be hammered into the hinge.

The brass bushings are hammered into the hinge from the outside of the door side hinge assembly only.

Hinge pin installation.

Both hinge assemblies may need to be realigned to provide a tight fit between the two sides of the hinges.
A vice and/or non metal hammer will work to bend the outer hinge assembly so the two fit tightly.
Then insert the pin and hammer it down so the head is flush against the outer hinge assembly.

Insert the E-Clip over the pin and snap into place.
The hinge has been rebuilt and is ready to go back into the car.
Striker bolt install
Before removing the striker bolt mark the location.
Using a T50 Torx bolt remove the striker bolt. Install the new striker bolt to the same location and position.
After the door hinge and been reinstalled in the car test fit the door alignment.
If the door alignment is off it can be corrected by tightening the 13mm nut from inside the car while another person holds the door shut.
The striker bolt is another adjustment point. For further instructions on door alignment procedures please see your shop manual.
Super Coupe Performance

bill@supercoupeperformance.com

www.SuperCoupePerformance.com