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1970 Challenger Door Hinge Replacement

DY31970

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Hi, To replace the driver's side door hinges on a 1970 Challenger, would the front fender need to be removed to access some of the hinge bolts? Would anybody have an idea how to support the door in place or close, if I decide to replace the hinges myself? Thanks
 

Rapidfire

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You can replace them without removing the fender, at least I did. Just do one at a time. Support the door with some blocks of wood or a jack. If you have nice paint then use some carpet or a towel over the block or jack. There might be some shims behind the hinges so keep track of them.
 

DY31970

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Thanks Rapidfire, the info will really help me do it myself. I read that there is a hinge bolt behind the kick panel and it is accessed from inside the car? Is that the case?
 

Challenger RTA

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Yes. The upper is right above it. Some go in and the others go out through.

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Steve340

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It is a lot easier to take the door off the hinges first and store it out of the way.
Two man job to get the door off and save the paint IMO.
 

moparleo

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Very heavy/bulky. Always better with 2 people to avoid both injury and body damage.
Remove kick panel to access inside bolts.
Looks like an aftermarket lower hinge has already been installed once. Not very good quality.
If you want factory quality contact us. We only use factory cores to remanufacture.

Factory says to use a floor jack and carpet to support door while removing and replacing.
Steck EZ Rest Automotive Door Hanger / Installer 21870 - Attaches to Floor Jack | eBay


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Steve340

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A tip if the door is fitting quite well is to apply some masking tape and datum lines with vivid marker to help line the door up when you refit it.
Reconditioned hinges may mean you have to alter the adjustments a little.
 

DY31970

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A lot of good information, thanks. Moparleo, the Steck EZ Rest looks very interesting. I already purchased reproduction hinges through AMD. I talked to a repair shop and a restoration shop that works on a lot of Mopars and they both recommended the repro hinges, instead of trying to rebuild the originals with a rebuild kit. Replacing one hinge at a time like Rapidfire did sounds pretty good to me, that way the one hinge will help support the door along with additional support from a floor jack and help keep the door aligned. My first car was a 1968 Mustang and I replaced the hinges with repros with taking off the door, with the help of my Dad. That was a challenge, but it came out good. The doors were not as long, wide, or as heavy as the Challenger doors. We did put masking tape on each side of the hinges to help put the door close to the original position. We also put tape on the front edge of the door and fender to help prevent chips if the door and fender might have made contact. Steve340, what are datum lines?
 

Steve340

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Just vivid marker lines on the tape so you know the door is back in the position it used to be.
Nothing scientific.
Saves paint chips hopefully.
 

moparleo

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AMD makes good sheetmetal or should I say the company in Taiwan makes good stampings but the hinges are a different story. You may already have repros on the car. That should tell you something. Originals would be 50 years old now, repros less than 10 at the most and they don't even look like originals. I have been supplying Restoration and body shops for over 25 years. You can't buy a " rebuild kit" as there have never been anything other than a cheap GM pin and bushing that are bagged up with no instructions because there are none. I completely go through the entire hinge. All of the parts I use are custom made for me in the USA and I don't sell parts, never have.

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mebeblown

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Steck EZ Lift door Hanger.
Had purchased this EZHanger two years ago,this is what I found, first it doesn't fit every floor jack needs modification second the padding I had to replace with 1" pipe insulation from Homedepot. Covers do have a zipper and I sprayed silicon on the tubes then slip on the new padding. I would not trust the padding that comes on the door hanger. Third It will still take two people to operate this item. It is a little bit wobbly on it's own. Challenger door's are heavy...yes this does help, just be aware it may need some modification. Thanks
 
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