I need to remove the entire right front door, not just the hinge pin. I cannot figure out the wiring. It passes into the right footwell but is behind electronics and other items. Are the wires unplugged from the door or from the body, and if so where?
Incidentally, all of my problems seemed to start one day a number of years ago when a gust of wind ripped the door out of my hand and hyper-extended the hinges. The body where the top hinge mounts actually has a bit of a stress fracture from this incident. This may be one of those situations where close-enough is as good as I will get.
It looks like its my turn to use your excellent instructions and do this job. Mine is so bad that lifting and slamming is almost not an option anymore. I've already replaced the inner door pull which eventually gave out from all the stress so this is a good time to fix it right. I should mention that I found an excellent brand new replacement for the door pull on ebay for about $5 with perfect color and fit. Anyway, I don't have air tools or a tree branch or a rafter or an 8 ft ladder but I do have a dremel, plus I'm persistent and not easily intimidated. Before I tackle this I have two questions. is there any advice on what metal grinding bit would work in my dremel? Cone? Ball? Other? Also I was wondering couldn't the pin be driven upwards instead, avoiding grinding the head off?
I'll figure out some way to stabilize the door. Wish me luck.
SB,
I used a variety of grinding bits through the process.
The original hinge pin ends seem to have been formed in place (i.e. they do not use a c-clip to hold them in place). You have to grind off one end or the other of each pin, the tops being the easiest to get to.
In regards to stabilizing the door, I used a stud finder to find a suitable stud in my garage ceiling and then drilled in and attached a hook. You will absolutely need to support the door in some way and this job is much easier if you can use a jack on the bottom and some kind of support at the top. Also have a rag handy to put between the door and the front fender so that the door doesn't slip and scratch the fender.
Good Luck.
John