So I changed my door pins out yesterday due mostly to embarrassment from another bird owner trying to close my door. While I was in there I discovered plastic bushings around what I believe were the original pins. Did Pontiac seriously think plastic was a good material for bushings? Can anyone confirm these findings?

- Adam

I doubt those are original bushings.
I just bought a set of pins and bushings for my '68 and the bushings are brass.

as doug said they are brass. the plastic is probably someones idea of a half-@$$ fix. when you do it, do it the right way!

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The originals were plastic (probably nylon). I just changed out the originals on my driver side door. The originals lasted most of it's 39 years and 178,000 I have run my '68. They only got bad in the past few years. The passenger side originals are still fine. If it's like most of the repro stuff, I doubt the new ones are as robust as the originals. (Although the nylon coating on the factory timing gear, to make it quieter, was not the best idea. )

I think my bushings were brass but it's been some time since I looked. I bought the hinge pinning rebuild kit after reading of fitment issues with the repro hinge. I have a repro hinge somewhere in a carton, never tried. Only the drivers side, lower I think, bushing and hinge was worn enough to cause problems with the door.

i have the original hinges on my bird and they close like they came off the assembly line. unfortunately the rest of the car didnt fair as well and began rusting away in the barn it was in befor i got it. if the rest of the car was this tight i would be done with my car but im down to the shell at the moment so we press forward till the end!

Thanks for the replies, I'm pretty sure mine were original since the upper hinge was peened over at the top so the pin could not fall out. I actually had to cut the upper pin and push it out from the top and bottom. Amazingly the plastic did hold up until the last few years for me, the passenger door is still good. The new kit did come with brass bushings and pins that work although they are different from stock.

- Adam

Just did a set of pins and bushings on a 68 convertable that were original. If it was nylon then yes they are the original ones. One way to also tell is if the pin is crimped at the bottom.