There's been a bit of discussion about which hinge pin removal tools will and won't work, so I've taken some measurements off Mac's before returning it.

The business end is no longer circular, but varies between 7.45 and 7.75mm at its narrowest. The knurled bits are up to 7.85mm:






Here's a 'new and old' picture. This old pin is from the passenger door; the driver's door one was even worse:



Even with the correct tool, it wasn't entirely straightforward. I've left the bottom pins in as they didn't want to budge. It was very hard to get a good upward swing with the hammer in the confined space. I understand that it's the top hinges that wear the most though.

A big thank you to Mac for the loan and for his infinite patience. Sorry it's been so long

Nice one! This is just the information I needed

Looking back I see it was about 10 months ago I mentioned creaking doors, and I still haven't got around to greasing them

Haynes says to use "a drop or two of light oil" on hinges of the bonnet tailgate and doors, but surly grease would be better.

I see Mac recommended either copper grease or moly grease. Hmm, now to find some

Halfrauds do the copper grease, and it's not that extortionate either

The motor factors around the corner sold me a little tube of copper grease which was just enough to do four hinges. It cost about a pound.

The hinge pins are hollow, so I'm guessing the best thing to do may be:

• Remove dust caps
• Shove something down the middle to drive out the old grease (which can be quite solid)
• Clean with pipe cleaner / WD40 / whatever
• Pack with copper grease
• Replace dust caps

I trust that if the above is wrong, someone will put me right.

For the time and money it would take to replace the grease, I'm sure it's well worth doing.

Hmm, I'm beening a nadgers daft here... do you put the tool through the hinge pin... then smack the tool? But then surely the tool ends up in the hinge... and how does the new one get put in?

The bit you've shown there gavin would be easy to knock up on a lathe, especially with the useful measurements!

Mac posted some dead useful instructions and pics at the beginning of this thread. They show the things involved (the removal tool is actually in two parts) and how they are applied.

The mandrel in my picture goes through the hinge pin. The little bit that screws on is large enough to push the pin down, but narrow enough to fit through the hinge. The second, larger part of the tool (the forcing bar) is then held against the mandrel and whacked with a nice big hammer.

The new pin is driven in using the forcing bar, which has a nipple for holding the pin steady.

D'oh!!! Read things carefully Chris... you're turning into Foggy

Ta mate!

Nice one Gavin! I reckon I've got decent mandrels as you call them, I broke one, due to being hardened, they're prone to snapping if hit offline, and the replacements I've got are once again the right size. Have you got a shot of the actual 'Z' shaped cranked handle I believe the Volvo one is, as that's where the Draper effort lets the side down. As it's straight, so the clouting force goes straight through your arm supporting the bar!

Pete

Doh! Just referred to pics at beginning of thread from Mac, it's not cranked. I'm nearly 99% sure I've seen that a Volvo one or a hinge pin removal tool was cranked so you hit a horizontal surface, while holding a vertical bar, then was stepped, made so much sense. Seems as though this one works well, and the little locating nib for installation is a nifty and well thought out idea, something the Draper one doesn't cater for, saying that, removal was my only reason at the time, as it was a scrap car.

Pete