The Ford Barn - View Single Post - What Model A part was the hardest to take apart?

5window · 04-22-2011, 09:12 PM

I have not taken a whole Model A apart, but hinge pins were a bear. The top two,I had previously drilled out for hinge pin mirrors. The lower four, we had the doors off. It took two weeks of soaking with penetrating oil, heating with a torch, grinding the bottoms flat where they'd been peened over, driving with a pin punch,using one of Bob Drake's C-style pin pushers and finally, a great bit of advice.

Bob Drake's door pin removal tool: very sturdy, worked well on the one straight pin,but not well on the three bent ones. Plus, since BD makes parts for '32 and up cars, I found the push rod pins to be just a bit too big for the Model A hinges Not sure what size they really are,but a bit too big for Henry's just under 0.250 pins in my A. I used sawed off drill bits instead.

The great bit of advice came from Bill of Bill's Model A Acres in Watsontown,PA. I just happened to drop in for some other parts. He explained that the hinge pin can wear a step on one side and you have to get past the step to get the pin out. So I tried knocking the pin out with the door hinge opened to various degrees and finally found a spot where it pin didn't grip the walls of the hinge. Then it was easy (see above paragraph one)>

If you haven't been to Bill's it's worth the trip just to drool over all the stuff he has put away in his barns. Many thanks, Bill.

04-22-2011, 09:12 PM	#3
5window Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Lewisburg,PA Posts: 938	Re: What Model A part was the hardest to take apart? I have not taken a whole Model A apart, but hinge pins were a bear. The top two,I had previously drilled out for hinge pin mirrors. The lower four, we had the doors off. It took two weeks of soaking with penetrating oil, heating with a torch, grinding the bottoms flat where they'd been peened over, driving with a pin punch,using one of Bob Drake's C-style pin pushers and finally, a great bit of advice. Bob Drake's door pin removal tool: very sturdy, worked well on the one straight pin,but not well on the three bent ones. Plus, since BD makes parts for '32 and up cars, I found the push rod pins to be just a bit too big for the Model A hinges Not sure what size they really are,but a bit too big for Henry's just under 0.250 pins in my A. I used sawed off drill bits instead. The great bit of advice came from Bill of Bill's Model A Acres in Watsontown,PA. I just happened to drop in for some other parts. He explained that the hinge pin can wear a step on one side and you have to get past the step to get the pin out. So I tried knocking the pin out with the door hinge opened to various degrees and finally found a spot where it pin didn't grip the walls of the hinge. Then it was easy (see above paragraph one)> If you haven't been to Bill's it's worth the trip just to drool over all the stuff he has put away in his barns. Many thanks, Bill.