how do you remove the front door hinge pins?

[Q]

i bought the "door pinz" (from www.knuckledown.us) a while ago but never installed them, now its so hot here that i'm going to give driving without doors a try.

how do you remove the stock hinge pins?

i did some light tapping from below- nothing (maybe paint holding them in)… are they threaded into the lower knuckle of the leaf of the hinge? the pins have a flat edge and a groove on top- is that for a tool to remove them?

[undysworld]

As I remember, the pins do just drive out, but with a fair amount of difficulty. The groove on top leads into a lubrication channel I believe. On mine it was all painted shut, of course. In the course of driving the pins out, I managed to misalign the hinges ever so slightly, so reinstalling the doors is a PIA. The fix is loosening the hinges, I guess, although I've never gotten around to that.

I'd try PB Blaster and patience. Maybe others can offer a trick.

[4x4Pinz]

yep they just tap out. Once again if the maintenance schedule is followed they come out rather easy. The slot is indeed for lubrication of the hinge. A well lubed hinge comes out without much difficulty so a penetrating oil should loosen things up a bit.

[krick3tt]

I ground the point off a 16 penny nail and pounded up from the bottom. Might need some oil to loosen.

[stiffler4444]

Thanks for the tips, I was wondering the same thing. Looking forward to getting the doors off tonight! If I pioneer any new shortcuts or am struck by divine intervention in any way I'll post up.

tx Dave

[Q]

thanks- that did it…
with a little more force they all came out.

and now i see that the groove does lead to a lubrication channel, which is cut into the pin in a spiral (amazing!).

[krick3tt]

I don't really have a close up of these, but you can see the
removable pins that I use to be able to take the doors off
whenever. Good to remove them when doing wheeling
in the desert or ease of entry during maintenance.

http://s400.photobucket.com/albums/pp88 ... 3362-1.jpg

[Winter Beater]

There is also the old trick of using heat. To avoid paint damage http://real4x4forums.com/PinzgauerBBS/p ... =17&t=6394# try a heat gun instead of a torch. Often if the heat is applied quickly the exterior will expand before the pin ... then drive it out as per Krick3tt's suggestion.

[texas pinzgauer]

Is Knuckledown still in business?

[Pinzgauer Pete]

I literally removed them all in less than a minute with the aid of a air hammer..quick,easy no worries about frozen pins as they will quickly break free.

[audiocontr]

Ive looked at these pins many times but couldnt justify the cost. Are they not a standard sized safety pin that we could source from grainger or the like?

[texas pinzgauer]

Knuckledown made these and other cool fabricated pieces for Pinzgauers but they might have fallen off the radar screen as there's a limited number of folks who are seeking these parts. Anything I ever got from them in the past was well made and reasonably prices for what it's worth.

[krick3tt]

Audio

http://www.mcmaster.com/#pins/=cmpknu

I think they are around $2, and for the ease of removal less than $10 is a bargain.

EDIT: Mine are 1/4 x 2 3/4 Get usable length by measuring your hinge.

[audiocontr]

Exactly! Any idea of the diameter and length needed?

[westernair]

If anyone is struggling with there pin removal, I have a hinge pin press that takes them out effortlessly, It is kinda like a modified C clamp specifically made to drive them out.