Trailer Hitch Restoration.

I hate rust.  I really, really hate rust.

As the title suggests, this is an article about me restoring a trailer hitch.  In this case it's the hitch from the Durango.  I have been planning to do this since the spring, but I have had some medical issues that needed to be dealt with.

Step one is actually getting the hitch off of the truck.  Of the seven bolts that hold it on, and have been holding it on for eighteen years, five of them made it off the truck on their own.  Two of them had to be cut off using a Ryobi rotary tool.  When I finally got it off of the truck and into the backyard, I was greeted with this:

And this:

Yeah, it's rusted.  Powdercoat is peeling off left and right. Hardware ended up being not salvageable, lots of rust and scale all over the hitch.

The next step is to remove the factory decals from the hitch assembly.  I used a razor blade and lots of patience to remove the "Uhaul" manufacturer decal and the more important rating decal.

 The decals were placed on one of my plastic parts bins for safekeeping.  The next step is to knock off as much rust and scale as I can.  First up is a wire wheel.

After about an hour or so, I got the hitch almost devoid of the scale, but not much of the surface rust.  A grinder was used with a flap disc to knock off even more rust and scale.

Now it looks like a big rusty truck part.  I spent some time with the rotary tool knocking off lots of the remaining scale with a sanding drum.  Then, seeing as how there was still lots of surface rust, I used a rust converter to get a more workable surface.

After the rust treatment, I was left with a black oxide finish.  I waited one day for the converter to dry and do its thing.  Once that was done, I used body filler to fill any rough, pitted areas.  There were several, to say the least.

Two coats of filler primer later, and I still have some rough areas, so on went more body filler.

With more filler comes more sanding.  I finally got everything as smooth as I could get it to be, and then decided in a feeling of complete overkill to spray another coat of filler primer and a black primer as a guidecoat.

With the sanding and sanding and paint and sanding (yeah this took awhile) finally done it was time for the basecoat. Two coats later and some wet sanding, and I finally clearcoat the hitch.

The next action was to reinstall the factory manufacturer's decal and the all important weight rating decal.  These decals are important because their presence states what the hitch is rated for, and if it is not present, nobody is going to rent you a trailer if you need it and the right policeman might issue a ticket for it not being there. Think of it as the hitch's certification papers and that they have to be present.

Door seal replacement with salvage yard parts.

The seals on my doors were looking like they were chewed on by troll monkeys.

Keeping this simple: I was not happy with the seals on the front doors of the Durango.  The problem is that mother mopar no longer makes them, and nobody in the aftermarket world makes them exactly as they are now, minus the damage.  I decided to comb the yards, just to see if I could find a decent set of seals to install.

I finally found a pair at pic-a-part, a local to me yard that has surprised me by what they have in the past.  The cost? Five bucks each. Sold and out the door.

The following tutorial can be used in theory for pretty much any door seal, just take your time and make notes of where things are, how they are installed, how they come apart, etc...

The basics that you will need include two rags, the "new" seals, rubbing alcohol (or other suitable cleaner), a trim tool, silicone spray and (not pictured) a screwdriver.

Start by removing the sill plate at the bottom of the door using the appropriate tools.  In my Durango, I just pulled up on it with the trim tool.  Then gently pry off the surrounding trim.  Usually, trim pieces are just held in place by clips and so forth.  There may be a screw or two holding in the kick plate, so undo those and then remove the kick plate.  You should now be able to remove the old seal after making a note of where and how it is installed.

Because my camera is acting up these days, I don't have a picture of the mess that was left behind after removing the old seal.  I used rubbing alcohol to remove about eighteen years of dirt and grime to ensure a good fit.

Install the seal as the old one was removed. usually there is a metal strip within the seal that helps to hold it in place, but depending on the vehicle there can be clips or other means of retaining the seal to the door, or body.

So here is the new seal installed in the door. At this point, reinstall the trim pieces the same way you took them off.  I used silicone spray to soften the rubber, something that should be done every so often to keep them sealing and in good order.