mvusse Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Got a frantic call from my daughter: her door (96 XJ) wouldn't close because the top bracket thingy broke. She said it was wobbly last night... So I go over to where she is at, turns out the top driver side door hinge ripped out. At first I thought the welds broke, but when I looked closer, the steel ripped out of the unibody around the welds. Has anybody ever seen this before? What would be the easiest way to fix it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave92cherokee Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 Look over on NAXJA and do a search for door hinge repair. There's been several different threads about various ways to fix it once and for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Yep, got it. Turns out there's a TSB on it covering 1993 through 1997. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 27, 2013 Author Share Posted March 27, 2013 Well, no luck. My local parts dept. doesn't have it, the part has been discontinued and the only dealer that show it being in stock can't find it, meaning they either misplaced it, or don't have it. Guess I'll try to McGuyver it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldseddie Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 My 87 Comanche Chief project had the same problem caused PO having backed up with door open. I made plates of 1/16 steel and fed them through the hole where hinges mount and held them in place with screws. I pulled the screws one at a time and plug welded. Hinges are available at dealer as a set. I did pull the fenders to get access to tack hinges in place. Door now opens and closes like a Mercedes. While I had fenders off I resealed the cowel seam at windshield corners as the old fire retardant sealer dries out and cracks causing rusty floorboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete M Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 couple writeups in our DIY forum (the first one you might have seen at naxja): http://comancheclub.com/topic/14466-broken-door-hinge-welds-cheap-n-easy-fix/ http://comancheclub.com/topic/26948-busted-door-hinge-repair/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted March 27, 2013 Share Posted March 27, 2013 couple writeups in our DIY forum (the first one you might have seen at naxja): http://comancheclub.com/topic/14466-broken-door-hinge-welds-cheap-n-easy-fix/ http://comancheclub.com/topic/26948-busted-door-hinge-repair/ Beat me to it... I was going to suggest the first link as I would bet that Marcel has material left over from the D60 truss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 I ended up just welding it back on. 3/8 bead the whole way around instead of just the two little beads top and bottom. If it ever breaks away again I will spend the time to put a steel plate behind it and bolt it on. Halfway through: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFAComanche6 Posted March 30, 2013 Share Posted March 30, 2013 This exact same thing happened to me, but my door still closed. It just sagged so I was able to beat the broken door hinge back into the frame and weld it back on. It's obviously a lot more bodywork than I'd want to deal with, but at least you're not the only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula69 Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Where did you pick up the floor/door jack? I've been trying to find one of those things for some time now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 It's a cheap light duty Harbor Freight transmission jack. Got it with a coupon for $40 or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Can't understand all the fuss over a door hinge. Ever hear of Duct Tape? :rotfl2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mvusse Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 Jim, my daughter drives the Cherokee. Because of her being a girl, colors have to be coordinated. I could not find metallic hunter green duct tape anywhere, and painting the rest of the car duct tape gray would take more time than I was willing to spend on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 LOL. Good one. Loved it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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