PIC: Removing Broken Hinge Pin

totalnoviceMember

I have an issue similar to the OP here. In my case, I got distracted for a few years (three kids!) and while cleaning up outside, rediscovered my old Model 08. The top door pin had sheared off, leaving a piece inside the door hinge and the rest inside the smoker hinge.

I called up CS and they suggested I drill it out and replace it with a bolt. I managed to drill out the pin from the door, but the smoker itself is a unique challenge... The drill chuck prevents me from getting a clean angle to drill it out. I heated the hinge with a torch and tried to punch it out, but had no luck there either. I don't have a welder to replace it. Any ideas? Am I stuck making friends with a welder or paying someone to do this work?

I've gotten comments on the extension shown in the pic - without it, I get a worse angle. It's just a quick bit release that came with my Mad Dog bits.

Thanks for looking and for the help!

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6/18/172:44 PM

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jay1924Member

I've had a right angle drill adapter/chuck on my wish list for a while now. Dewalt makes a pretty neat one for under $20. I don't know if it will give you the clearance you need, but it might be worth looking into.

6/18/178:52 PM

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totalnoviceMember

Thanks for the response. Am I going to be able to get the leverage I need with a right angle chuck? To drill through the door took over an hour, and that was with me leaning on it pretty heavily. When it was just the weight of the drill, it wasn't enough to get the bit to bite into the steel...

Edit:
Googled it - looks handy but I think still a bit too wide for what I'd need. There's barely 1/4" clearance between the center of the hinge and the outside of the smoker!

Edit2:
Oh man, on the same page there was another Dewalt item mentioned - the "Hex MAXFIT Pivot Holder" which is VERY thing and only applies a 20 degree angle. That could work perfectly! Thanks for pointing me in the right direction

6/18/179:26 PM

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techguyMember

All you need is a grinder and a punch. The pin was tacked on with a weld on top to keep the pin from falling out. Grind that tack off and then you can punch out the broken pin

6/19/177:33 AM

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totalnoviceMember

I must be doing something wrong with the punch because even after the top was removed (by drilling) I couldn't punch out the rest.

In any case, I've managed to drill through pretty much the whole thing and will be done with that in another 15 minutes or so, once I have some time to myself.

Now my dilemma is what to use to fill the hole! The pin in there looks like a 5/32", but they don't make stainless bolts that small. I can't drill it up to 1/4" without destroying the hinge. Any suggestions? I considered getting a drill rod, cutting it to length, and bending the top... but I suppose maybe a thicker nail would do just as well. Any help is appreciated

Update:
I finished getting the old pin out tonight. For now, I just slipped a brass nail through. I doubt that will be my permanent solution, but it works good enough for now that I should be able to make some BBQ again. Thanks everyone for the help!

6/22/173:49 PM