Along with some other stuff for today, I thought I could safely answer some questions having to do with something everyone with a GMC should check out and is currently a thread on Facebook.

Open your entry door 90% to the coach body and lift up at the outside corner…… is there movement at the lower hinge?   If there’s no movement great, go get a beer cause you’re done.  I find though having a 1/4″ steel hinge bolted to a thin wall, square channel frame of the door seems to cause issues on the lower hinge.  Even if yours is tight, look between the 2 bolts going into the door and see if there is a crack in the aluminum from one to the other bolt.  If so it’s started.  Many times you find movement from the lower hinge to the door.  Checking the bolts they are tight…. what gives? 

Here is a cross section of the door frame, you can see the problem   Some try and fix it with a plate on the outside and grind the bolt heads down to clear  You can see though that the plate too is slowly bending in.  If you want to do it right you may damage the exterior finish using this process so we only do this in an exterior refinish process:

First unbolt and cut away the damaged section of square channel    Weld inside the square channel a thicker aluminum plate for mounting the bolts    Then grind the face smooth where the bolts will lay flat and painting the jam will look good    At the same time, I would replace the original plastic hinge pin bushings with new bronze, iolite bushings.  The door will have drummed on the hinge from these worn out bushings   The new bronze bushings are short money and make a big difference      You may find it easy to R&R these bushings by supporting the door and take one hinge at a time off using a press to push the hinge pin in and out.  When it’s all done, how bout trimming the hinge out with these new hinge gaskets, again short cash for a nice, finished look   This is a weak point on our coach and man, don’t leave the door open and hit a pole!  OUCH!   OK so that’s how to fix a damaged lower door hinge…… yes, you can rig it but this actually fixes it.