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Old 06-05-2016, 11:02 AM   #1
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Name: Tim
Trailer: Amerigo
North Carolina
Posts: 7
Hi, I'm Tim.

I just bought a '74 Amerigo 16' pull behind. The restoration has turned out to be quite an undertaking. I have a ton of ideas as to what I want to do with the inside, but for now, moisture control (leaking windows and doors) is the priority! I am hoping to pick a few brains and gain some valuable insight. Right off the bat, both of the door hinges must be replaced. I've been scouring manufacturers websites but can't even come close. Any suggestions?
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Old 06-05-2016, 11:24 AM   #2
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Welcome to the FGRV forum family, and congratulations on your new to you trailer. Please take a picture of the hinges and post them here so we who are not familiar with it, will have ideas where they have seen similar or exact hinges some where else. Best of luck with your restore and have fun.
Dave & Paula
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Old 06-05-2016, 11:29 AM   #3
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Name: Tim
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Thanks for the reply David. I've got two pics of the hinges, as soon as I figure out how to upload them, I will.
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Old 06-05-2016, 11:35 AM   #4
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Name: Gordon
Trailer: 2015 Scamp (16 Std Layout 4) with '15 Toyota Sienna LE Tug
North Carolina
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Originally Posted by timwood2721 View Post
Thanks for the reply David. I've got two pics of the hinges, as soon as I figure out how to upload them, I will.
See fifth FAQ here.

What part of NC are you in?
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Old 06-05-2016, 11:38 AM   #5
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Name: Tim
Trailer: Amerigo
North Carolina
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A little town called Pinebluff, near Pinehurst.
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Old 06-05-2016, 11:52 AM   #6
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A little town called Pinebluff, near Pinehurst.
Nice.. right down the road from Uwharrie National Forest. I did my second (semi-) boondocking there with my Scamp just awhile ago.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread topic...
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Old 06-05-2016, 12:05 PM   #7
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Sorry Gordon, juggling a few things right now. I love the Uwharrie. One of my favorite kayaking spots.
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Old 06-05-2016, 12:22 PM   #8
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Name: Tim
Trailer: Amerigo
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Hinge

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Old 06-05-2016, 12:29 PM   #9
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Name: Tim
Trailer: Amerigo
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David, I finally figured out what I was doing wrong with the image uploads. the two pics are now posted to the thread.
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Old 06-05-2016, 12:43 PM   #10
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Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
Oregon
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I think your problem can be solved without buying new hinges by using some elbow grease and analytical thinking. It does not look to me as if your hinges are fractured. If you are handy with tools you can DIY this job. If you are not handy or skilled or don't have the tools then take the hinges to a local person who does things like metal work and welding and let them sort out the problems for you. There are a lot of blacksmith types and garage mechanics around who will do odd jobs for a six pack or two of beer and a little cash. Or out in farm country there will likely be an agricultural blacksmith around who earns his living doing repairs to metal objects.

DIY instructions:
I can see just by looking at the photo that you need to replace the hinge pin as it is bent in the center. First step remove the hinges from the door and the frame and then remove the hinge pin. You might need to drill out or grind off at the top and possibly the bottom of the old pin to be able to slip the hinge off the pin. That task is best done with the hinge held steady in a bench vise or at the very least clamped securely to a board that is also held steady. Do not try to hold the hinge in your hands while working on it. After you get the pin out measure the diameter of the old pin with calipers and go to the hardware store to find something suitable for a replacement. If you don't have calipers your neighborhood hardware store will have a pair around. If you can't find a pin of a suitable diameter one can be quickly fabricated on a metal lathe using some steel rod.

You might need to cut the new hinge pin to a shorter length using a hacksaw or Dremel tool with a fiber cut off disc, smooth the cut end. While the new pin could stay in place by gravity alone you may want to peen over the bottom end to keep it captured. Or if you have a drill and tap set you could add a set screw into the knuckle of the hinge that will act as a keeper to retain the pin. You need a pointed end or rubber tipped set screw for that task of securing the pin. The set screw should only be reached from the inside of the door. You don't want someone getting into your trailer by pulling up the hinge pin which is why you need to go to this kind of measure of securing the pin in place.

If the hinge has been deformed from the weight of being out of alignment you might also need to do some straightening of the hinges with an anvil and ball peen hammer or vise and hammer. Do check the frame areas into which the hinge is set to make sure that framing is not bent and that the holes the screws go into have not been oversized. Epoxy putty sticks, the kind you knead to mix are the best for filling oversized screw holes. Don't fall for the stick in a tooth pick fix, That is a poorly done fix for longevity of purpose and should only be done as a temporary emergency solution.

As to the task of finding a suitable replacement hinge if those original hinges turn out to be badly fractured ...which would be about the only non recoverable situation.... In these situations it is all about keywords...in this case "heavy duty offset door hinge". Then use those keywords in an image search. It is much easier to quickly sort through hinges by looking at photos of them. To check if the hinge you see is going to work then you will need to know the measurements of the offset of your original hinge and compare that to the new hinge. There should be a measured drawing on the seller's website showing those dimension that you will need to take on your original hinge. Without knowing those dimensions taken from your hinge I could not even begin to tell you what hinge I might see on the internet would actually work as a replacement hinge for you.
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Old 06-05-2016, 02:31 PM   #11
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Name: Tim
Trailer: Amerigo
North Carolina
Posts: 7
Thank you so much for such an in-depth reply. I think you've pretty much covered all of the bases. Sometimes the simplest solutions are staring you right in the face. If you can replace an automobile door hinge pin, why not a camper? I guess due to the severity of water damage and the demo work I'm dealing with, before I can even begin the restoration, I just gravitated toward the worst case scenario. Thanks again for the advice!
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Old 06-06-2016, 09:15 AM   #12
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Name: Kathleen (Kai: ai as in wait)
Trailer: Amerigo FG-16 1973 "Peanut"
Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, Washington
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Welcome, Tim, to the world of amerigos!

There aren't many of us, and so far it seems to me we're all redoing or have redone in a major way.

Wishing you lots of luck, and you've come to the right place for help!
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Old 06-06-2016, 10:48 AM   #13
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Name: Kelly
Trailer: Trails West
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Originally Posted by timwood2721 View Post
Thank you so much for such an in-depth reply. I think you've pretty much covered all of the bases. Sometimes the simplest solutions are staring you right in the face. If you can replace an automobile door hinge pin, why not a camper? I guess due to the severity of water damage and the demo work I'm dealing with, before I can even begin the restoration, I just gravitated toward the worst case scenario. Thanks again for the advice!
I did not quite cover it all in detail I forgot to add one thing
Because that pin is deformed you might end up needing to cut through it in the center of the bend. That is a good job for a Dremel tool with a fiber reinforced cut off disc but you do want to try to get some more gap room at the middle by wiggling the hinge up as much as possible before cutting through that area.

The bent pin could be difficult to remove as it is no longer perfectly round and straight so it might be jammed in and not able to slip out easily. In that case you will need to have a steel "drive pin punch" of similar diameter that you can use with a hammer to drive the old pin out of the hinge knuckle. You can purchase "drive pin punches" in sets or individually at the hardware store.
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