Well I got the passenger side hinge rebuilt this afternoon. I took
the door off but left the chassis side hinge half inplace. It was a pain
doing it singlehanded, but with the help of my cherry picker & floor jack
the plan came together. I want to thank whomever recommended the spring
tool. It was $5.00 at Harbor Freight and worth every cent & then some. I
also drilled out the bushing hole as recommended here:
http://www.buickperformance.com/doors.htm
The door/fender gap is now very consistent. The bottom brass bushing in
the lower hinge was broken with a significant portion missing all
together. I believe that the bushing broke because the "flutes" on the
installed pin were too long. They not only engaged the hinge half, but
continued into the bushing. I'd post pics of the new gap & the broken
bushing but I haven't seen my camera since Christmas. Hopefully I'll get
to the driver side door soon.
Anyway thanks to all.
--
Rick Schaefer
72 TPI El Camino
