ShopTalk Forums | Aircooled VW Tech & Restoration Help

You need an air hammer and the correct attachment to drive the pins out. drive them UP and out, not down. heat makes it much easier, but also messes up the paint. It can also distort the door skin, so be careful. usually the new pins are oversize and come w/ the correct drill bit. some will tellyou that you need a reamer, etc to get it right, but if you are slow and careful w/ a hand drill you can do it just fine yourself, that's what i did and no problems. then you just drive the new pins in, after greasing them up well. that's it. email me if you want details or have a question. Good Luck,

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Jordan
1963 Beetle, 5 spokes, 1776, dropped spindles, etc...
1973 Standard Beetle, stock.

I'd try some good penetrating oil first. Spray some on the hinges (cover the paint) and work the door. Try this a few times and see if it helps. You really only want to replace the pins if they are loose and worn out. Lot's easier than replacing the pins. Good luck, Tim

Only replace the pins if they are loose.

My pass door started to get stiff, so I tried penetrating oil. That didn't work. Then I tried swinging the door open and closed a few hundred times. That didn't work. I finally had to remove the door and put some vice grips on the stiff hinge and work it with oil. It got pretty warm, and I think that's what did the trick. Its been free for years now.