VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1933-1936 removeing hing pins help needed

Hi there,
I have ordered new S/S hinge pins for my 34 std and am having trouble in removing the old ones.
I have adapted a 2 prong puller and have managed to move 3 hinge pins in readiness for the new arrivals.
The others wont budge, is there a special tool that is available for doing that job?

Peter

I use an air hammer with blunt tool. Once you get them to move then are not to hard to get to come out.

so what does this tool look like, got a pic or 2?

peter

No pictures yet. Boss has camera. May be able to take a shot or two later today.

I used a large C clamp to move the pins then s hex head bolt to push them out of the hinge on my 28


herw ae a couple of air hammers

Ingersoll Rand air hammer $59.99 at Northern tool:



Northern Industrial Air hammer (6) piece kit $13.99

The top tool shown with the Northern Industrial Air Hammer is the one I was referring to. Thanks Mack for the photos.

thanks for the info on air hammers.
Now I know what we are talking about.

My trouble is that the rear wheel guard is in the way, there is only 3inches of clearence between it and the bottom of the pin.
I did not want to go through the processs of removing the guard to just take out one pin?

I supose that I could drill a hole through the guard and stick the air hammer bit through it, but patching the guard is a much bigger job than I can manage!

Peter

AS the pin is pushed from above ..cut it off with a Dremel before it touches

Chip, I have that one also and the only thing I have done with it was cut the top out of a steel 55 gallon drum, and a muffler off of my pickup. I need to remember it is here and use it more.

I use my air hammer often. Any time I have remove a rivet, pin, bushing or other pressed part that is pressed in or need to install one (and can't get it to the shop press) out comes the air hammer. Have probably 20 different tools. I am about to re-rivet frame members and brackets. I will heat the shanks of the steel rivets and then peen over the ends with the air hammer with proper dished end tool.

hi there Blue38,
you are obviously a lateral thinker..
that is a very pratical solution to my problem.
cut of the head and drive it down and out.

I dont have an air hammer but wonder if the force used would buckle the hinge in any way, the new pins have a serated area around the top of the pin, to locate the pin and stop it turning!
trying to push that down and through the hinge would prabaly make the hole bigger and the new pins minght be then too small to grip?

life was not meant to be easy...

Peter

hi Chipper,
is that 20 different attachments for your air hammer?
how about a pic or two of the offenders?

Peter

Yes probably 20 or more. Have worn out several air hammers kept the tools. Also modified a few for specific jobs.

The boss has the camera so have to get her to take pictures or steal the camera so I can take a few. Figured I have saved several thousand $$$ with digital camera versus film as she has a well exercised shutter finger.

I got CRS right now cant think of the rigth tool name.. body peole use it to pull dents out with ,,its a rod with a weight that slide on the rod and stops on one end,, the other end has a L shape( ABOUT 1" LONG) on other the end .. u place that at the bottom of the pin and . this will drive that pin up ,, i used it to drive dowel pins out that in close places..

OH BY THE WAY NERE IN THE SOUTH WE CALL IT A APPLE KNOCKER..

Most of us call them a slide hammer. Does not work nearly as well as the air hammer. I have found that the L shaped tool straightens out before it pulls much. Maybe my slide hammer is inferior quality. Works well pulling dents though.

hey ,
I have a slide hammer and did not even give it a thought, probably thinking about FOG and vestal virgins, sidetracked a bit.
Will try to use it, might have to stand on a ladder and pull up?
I just love the "lateral thinking" on this site, sometimes it "Vertical" but that's OK with me........

Peter

It is often to use what you have at hand versus waiting for something else. The delay has caused many a project to stall, stagnate or stop! That is why I often make a part versus waiting to find an original. Have a 35+ year project that got stopped waiting for a part and is still resting, biding its time in anticipation of being the center of activity again.

My experiences with removing old rusted in pins has been that any extreme use of force risks paint chips and other damage such as bent hinge tangs.If repeated soaking with penetrating oil and light taps don't free them I remove the hinge one at a time with support under the door. Once off the pin comes out easy with a shop press. Yeah, removing hinge screws can be equally difficult- I use an impact driver to loosen them and avoid gouging out the Phillips headed screws.
I have tried Chippers approach with the air tool( he mentioned it on one of our VCCA tours.) It worked when I had a perfect perpendicular alignment otherwise the hammer tip wants to drift off the pin.Maybe with the right hammer tip design that won't happen.
On the'34 Std. I've been restoring, it sat out for decades, even the press would'nt budge one so the oxy/acet torch was used and it came right out. Well, not a good idea if you want paint left on the hinge.Maybe there is no one good way!
But one thing is clear, Tape and pad any paint in the work area. Good luck BlueyAU.

Thanks for the good advice.
I had already damaged the paint on the door and guard.
Then made up a steel protection mask with thick paper glued to both sides.
Tried again with the adapted puller.
It gouged out part of the steel protector but did not damage the door.
The puller then flew off and put 3 chips into the r/h rear guard.
So that's where it is at the moment, awaiting further thought...........as Chipper said, it may even stay like that for a long time, and i will move on to the frozen clutch problem....

Peter

Keep spraying & soaking those hinges with rust buster or some other type and eventually they will come loose. You will know when you give one a hard shot with hammer & a drift of the right size.
If you see even the slightest movement keep going or respray and come back next day.

I taped a large sheet of cardboard over the painted door area where i was going to be hitting the pin from the bottom.

mike

i have had better results by drilling a hole in the center of the pin about a inch deep if you cant drill from the bottom grind the top off and drill from the top put a drift in the hole and drive out if you drive the pin with out drilling it expans and you will probably will have to drill it out hope this helps