Door hinge aligning tool

A vehicle door aligning tool for use in repairing a sprung vehicle door on a hinge supported on a vehicle frame by a hinge mount having a vertically extending flange portion of a fixed width and with an exposed margin of the flange spaced closely to an adjacent inner periphery of the door, the tool comprising:

• an elongated handle member;
• and
• a generally J-shaped head member connected to an end of the handle member, the head member including:
• a flat member of a first length (74) integrally connected on one side to the end portion of the handle member;
• a base member connected to an end of the flat member and extending normal to the flat member away from the end portion;
• and
• a terminal hook member of a second length (76) shorter than the first length connected to the base member at a position spaced from the flat member and extending parallel thereto so as to define the J-shape of the head member and a channel in the head member having a length extending normal to the end of the handle member and opening in a first direction radial of the handle member for engaging the margin of the flange portion of the vehicle door hinge mount in the channel;
• the hook member having a frontal face spaced at a spacing (90) across the channel to the flat member of between 0.6 and 0.7 inches so as to clear a hinge pin in the hinge mount when the head member is fitted onto the exposed margin of the hinge mount;
• said second length of hook member being less than one-half the first length such that the hook member can be inserted between the flange portion of the hinge mount and an adjacent portion of the door without removing the door;
• the handle member being angled in a second direction opposite the first direction so as to extend laterally behind an open door of a vehicle to enable inserting said head member between the door and door frame for engaging the hinge mount and to enable a user to move the handle member toward the vehicle to pry the hinge mount in the direction of closure of the vehicle door and thereby to realign said door with its frame when sprung.