Neto
Well-known member
I've been working on repairing my hinges (1946 Plymouth), and I've discovered that it already had over-sized hinge pins. I'm drilling out the hinge tongue, and pressing in sintered bronze ('oilite') bushings to go back to the original diameter pins. (Originally it was just steel on steel - no bushings at all. 5/16" pins. Several pins were twisted off, and they were all 11/32".)
But I'm not sure how to make the holes in the hinge frame itself smaller. It had holes that were punched & pressed, so that some of the material from the hole forms a lip around the hole. The pins have to fit in there really snug, of course, or it won't do any good to have done all this other work. I've searched for some sort of flanged steel 'bushing' I can press or weld in, or some sort of really thick washers to weld on in place of the lipped part. Also thought of trying to shrink the lip back smaller by working around it with a small punch.
Has anyone done this repair, and if so, what did you find to be workable?
But I'm not sure how to make the holes in the hinge frame itself smaller. It had holes that were punched & pressed, so that some of the material from the hole forms a lip around the hole. The pins have to fit in there really snug, of course, or it won't do any good to have done all this other work. I've searched for some sort of flanged steel 'bushing' I can press or weld in, or some sort of really thick washers to weld on in place of the lipped part. Also thought of trying to shrink the lip back smaller by working around it with a small punch.
Has anyone done this repair, and if so, what did you find to be workable?