With the help of forum member larryjb, I've had the pins out. As I recall, the pins are under tension (bearing a load) only during the time that the shell is being raised or lowered. Once the shell is fully open, the weight comes off the pins and you can remove them. When I pulled the pins, I immediately stuck a hefty Phillips screwdriver through the entire hole and all the internal parts, just to keep all the pieces in alignment. This made it easier to put the pins back in. I suggest doing only one at a time.
Bear in mind that the pin is actually what is called a "shoulder bolt". You can look it up, but basically a shoulder bolt has a short threaded portion near the tip, and is unthreaded and smooth for the rest of its length. The thread size, and the length of the threaded and unthreaded portions, are critical, so don't plan to change them.
I first found the right-size shoulder bolt at some on-line hardware supplier (McMaster-Carr? Zorro Tools?) but they were about $8 each. Fortunately, my local Ace Hardware store had just doubled its size, and in one of the new hardware trays - there they were! Less than $3 each, as I recall.
If I can ask, why do you want to replace them?
Bill
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