Front door hinge spring replacement

[DBarre]

Success guys!!!!

I ended up using a combination of different suggestions. I first tried to get the spring in like Shiftpro and Idahovette suggested without removing anything. That didn't go so well.
I had the spring hooked into the bottom of the hinge and was pushing it up and then tried to figure how to get a pry in from the top to get it into its final resting place. It looked like the most logical way to try and install it in my feable mind. I was obviously wrong. Sometimes, admittedly I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

So I took the dash and kick panel apart and got the wiring connectors disconnected, which was a real bitch by the way. Got the door supported and took the bolts out then. Before I drilled out the rivets for the wiring grommet so I could remove the door completely, I realized that there was a quite a bit more room to get at the hinge so I took a second shot at putting the spring without without removing anything else.
This time I was able to get the spring in just like it was originally suggested...from the top. The spring dropped in from the top and then I pried from the bottom. Once it was levered over far enough a few light taps from the bottom with a hammer while still having pressure on the lever and it was done. It was truly effortless. I bolted the door back into place and hooked everything back up.

Afterwards I took a few pics to try and show how I levered it for others benefits.

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The pics show the spring in place already but I wanted to show where I was prying to get it into place. Now knowing what I did and how to do it, it would be easy to do it without removing anything as suggested.
The only issue I forsee is getting the right pry. You need to be able to get around the little wheels on the hinge (as pictured) while levering against the spring. A little experimentation to find the right lever will take a lot longer than actually putting the spring in.

Thanks again to all for your assistance.

This is exactly the info I needed to do the same on my passenger door! I ordered a replacement spring about 3 years ago with a bunch of other parts and tried to install it then. I couldn't find the trick to it, so I just put it away for later. Since it's the passenger door, it wasn't a priority and I wasn't taking the door and the fender off to fix it! I spent about 15 minutes grabbing all the prybars I have and trying until I got it in there.

Get the top in, pry the bottom over, tappy tap tap! Done.

 

[Backfoot100]

KEWL!?!?!

Glad I could help out somebody for a change....LOL.

 

[idahovette]

This is exactly the info I needed to do the same on my passenger door! I ordered a replacement spring about 3 years ago with a bunch of other parts and tried to install it then. I couldn't find the trick to it, so I just put it away for later. Since it's the passenger door, it wasn't a priority and I wasn't taking the door and the fender off to fix it! I spent about 15 minutes grabbing all the prybars I have and trying until I got it in there.

Get the top in, pry the bottom over, tappy tap tap! Done.

Thanks for the validation Shiftpro and I appreciate it.(I think)

 

[Backfoot100]

Thanks for the validation Shiftpro and I appreciate it.(I think)

OMG, definitely a big shout out to both of you. Never would've imagined being able to do this without you guys insisting it can happen.

Thanks again.

 

[shiftpro]

Glad we didn't need to have the discussion "I removed my door hinge, put it back in exactly the same position and the doors don't line up wtf?"

 

[shiftpro]

OMG, definitely a big shout out to both of you. Never would've imagined being able to do this without you guys insisting it can happen.

Thanks again.

Merry Christmas Blacky.

 

[yevgenievich]

Is the spring same left and right? Have spare right, but missing left on my 79.

 

[shiftpro]

Is the spring same left and right? Have spare right, but missing left on my 79.

Same spring, install it, enjoy the door no longer trying to eat your shinbone.

 

[frwgt350net]

I was told that replacing the door hinge spring is impossible unless you either take half the truck apart or take the upper door hinge off. Sounds like a challenge more than anything else.

The following tips are almost guaranteed to chip paint unless you’re extremely careful. On the first side I chipped a little paint. On the other side didn’t chip anything. I had both springs in within two hours without taking anything apart.

Here’s a few good tips that worked for me. With the cable holding the spring in place good and snug, you’ll want to see how far away the top end of the spring is from sliding into place. Take the spring back out and put it in your vise and take some of the tension out, in other words bend the spring so it closer to dropping into place and not so far away.

I also ground off a little material on each end of the spring maybe about a sixteenth inch or a touch more, I also ground a little bit of an angle on the top end to help assist sliding over the door hinge.

The most important thing is to take some of the tension out of the spring and get it lined up closer to hammering it down into place. And after thinking about it maybe taking some tension out may help the life of the spring.

Once you have it as close you can use a sharp chisel and molly whopper and whack it in place from the top of the spring, it’ll drop right. Reach out if anything needs clarification.

Also I’m a Ford guy, it took a Ford guy to figure it out, just saying. Helped a friend with his no problamo.

I have more photos but the forum would only allow me to upload five photos

 

[frwgt350net]

additional photos

 

[frwgt350net]

more additional photos

 

[idahovette]

You are late to the party, this has been hashed out many times before!!! Typical fored guy, thinks he's the only one that knows ALL the answers............lol.....AND this thread started almost 4 years ago!!!

 

[frwgt350net]

Like good country music and old trucks, good advise and good tips are timeless weather at four years or forty years.. So exactly where is your post about successfully installing a pair of door springs without taking apart half of the truck? Point me to that link and I'll stand corrected and delete my post. I knew some would be triggered rather then thankful for a helpful post.

 

[idahovette]

Post #3 on this same thread....Read and comprehend.......you didn't invent it, it just took you a while to figure it out.......and it wouldn't have made a big difference, but you're an admitted fored guy on a GM site, so try not to tell us what we already know

 

[frwgt350net]

Another triggered, outstanding -- yes 100% Ford guy, but I do like my Square. You may have already known, but I had to properly explain it.