door broke around bottom hinge

[APolley]

hi new member ,first post ,im a 1 finger typer my door is broke around the bottom door hinge whars the best fix? AP

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

HEY THERE !!!!..... welcome to the group... therapy group ... ...



I have heard that the area in question can weaken and fail... in fact I see the first signs of it in my truck. It happens from the weight of the door as it swings out hard and hit's the "stop".

The only repair I've ever heard talked about is to pull the door off, trim and clean up the edge of the metal were it has failed and weld a backing plate in place. Then comes the fun part... relocating the door hinge itself...

Other's who are not so adventerous just find a used door at the bone yard and swap it out... I know, it'll need painting... .



I'm sorry I don't have any other, more pleasant shortcuts for your problem... . but, the guys may know what this old timer can't remember... .



HEY YOU GUYS>>> help out the new guy...



pb... .

 

[swankmetal]

welcome!! that one finger ready for a workout? :-laf anyway, i've got the same problem, so i hope to hear some more pleasant responses as well.



dave

 

[ARhine]

I think everybody must have this problem. My truck is starting to do it, my dads 1st gen has done it a couple of times and has been welded back up.



On his the lower hinge is now "one" with the door. When I have my pannel of to put in some new speakers I want to look it over and see what the inside looks like.

 

[Philip]

I want to look it over and see what the inside looks like.

You will see a plate spot welded over another plate that will move to allow door adjustment. Nothing high tech. The inner movable plate captures the outer door skin to hold the door in position. With age and vibration, miss adjusted doors and loose door pins. It adds up to the door skin cracking. BW's fixes are about the only choices.

 

[APolley]

thanks for the welcome

thanks for the welcome ,will be posting often will fab a plate and fix that

door in a few days when time allows ,thanks for the input guys AP

 

[PToombs]

Hi new guy ! I had that problem too. I took the door off and put it on sawhorses. Then,near as I remember,I bent the tabs and took out the moveable plate,welded the door inside and out. Grind it smooth with a 4" grinder(or whatever fits in the door) in and out,cut a piece of thin steel bigger than the cracked area inside and cut and grind for a good fit inside the door. The idea is to spread the suface area of contact. Weld that in,drill thru the old holes,thru new steel. Hang door by top hinge,hold moveable plate with one hand,install bottom bolts with the other,and adjust. Piece of cake! Good luck!

 

[BHiggins]

Welcome APolley to the TDR. Remember to take pictures and keep track of measurements if you fabricate a good "fix" for this problem. That's one of the many benefits of the TDR, chances are if you have a problem with your truck someone else has had the same problem and knows how to fix it. If someone else has the same cracks in the door, you will be able to post all the info needed to fix it, kind of a "been there, done that" type of thing.

Again, welcome to the TDR!

 

[Mel Fuelling]

If you are close to Tabor, IA; Steve White, owner of "Custom Paint and Build" @ 712-629-7625 was the service manager at a Dodge dealer in Omaha for several years when our trucks were new. He has seen and effectively repaired most of the chronic 1st Gen problems and a few less common problems. When I bought my work truck, the driver's side lower hinge was almost broken out, Steve noticed it when he walked around my "new" truck and urged me to fix it before the first gust of wind tore it out of my hand and did some real damage.



Fortunately, Steve is a real artist with a mig or tig gun. He shapes and welds in a reinforcement plate that doesn't interfere with the adjustment bolts and plate or proper door alignment, which has survived my everyday

use for 3 years now. He paints the repair so that you would never notice it unless its pointed out to you.



Unfortunately, he stays so busy its sometimes difficult to get your truck in, but he does such good work, its worth the effort IMHO.

 

[mcblaze99]

Hey guys,



First timer here. Questions about replacing door panels. Are they hard to come by? The previous owner had painted the truck and the door panels are almost falling off. I'm trying to restore my truck. I'm looking to redo the interior, somehow either re-dye the vinyl dash, or replace it with a different one.

 

[1stgen4evr]

hinge and interior

The gassers are the same as our trucks and often have the interior trim parts we need. They are in the salvage yards sooner than the CUmmins equiped trucks. Also the Ramchargers.



The lower door hinge is a common problem. The metal is just too thin. If you can find a salvage door that is otherwise unusable (like rusted out on the outside), cut a larger size patch from the salvage door and fit it over the broken area. I am told that the door has two layers of metal and if the outside is broken, the inside is of course broken as well. The complete fix requires some work on the inside. I have a truck with a ripped out hinge and have made the habit of catching the door as it swings out with my shoe so that it doesn't hit the outer stop. That will get you by for a while.



James