Virginia Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 So, I'm trying ot take the hinges off the cherokee door and have managed to strip out the torx heads on all but 2 of the screws. I know I can grind the heads off then use get the rest of the screw out but I have NO idea how to get my comanche doors of without cutting the hinges. Don't want to do that because I need to reuse the hinge. AND, I'm reading that doing the wiring is a pain so a couple of questions. 1. Is it worth the swap? My comanche is a 91, 6 cyl, 5 sp 4whd. Not sure of the exact year of the cherokee but the doors have power locks, windows and mirrors. 2. How do you get the doors off the comanche? Can I just take that pin out that holds the 2 parts of the hinge together? Are the hinges on the cherokee and comanche the same? 3. Give it up and live with me current doors but fix where my lock was popped and just get a new lockset so I can lock my truck again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 taking the doors off can be a pain but if you have them and need to do it then stay with it. You should be able to get the doors hinge bolts out without stripping them if you are using the correct size torx and go really slow. Use some penetrating oil or the like several hours before you try. The door check is also going to need to be removed. If your door is salvageable you can always just move the power window regulators and possibly the locks from your Cherokee doors. The wiring is a pain because you have so much extra you don't use if you use the xj wiring. For mine I just worked mine to a couple of polarity reversing switches in the dash where the clock goes, later changed over to a bank of polarity reversing relays with simple ground switches in the dash to trigger them. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillithium Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 I did it, it was totally worth it for me. The central locking is nice, but for me the biggest advantage were the bigger windows and mirrors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 :agree: But only the 97+ cherokee doors have the bigger windows. breckrider, if your xj doors are 96- then they are the same as your mj doors except I think some of the later in that range had a different size lock cylinder hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 :agree: But only the 97+ cherokee doors have the bigger windows. breckrider, if your xj doors are 96- then they are the same as your mj doors except I think some of the later in that range had a different size lock cylinder hole. Whereas '97 and newer Cherokees have the latch located at a different height, requiring alterations to the latch position on the door posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danbyrambler Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 What year XJ? 2 or 4 door? Way easier to swap the cherokee window regulators, DL solenoids & PMs into your MJ - I've done it both ways & would never consider doing a door swap again - How to's been covered here, Naxja, Pirate & others - Wire harness is easy to fab & allows for customization - I ran separate circuit for the locks controlled from DS only for example - Pwr door panels, switch bezels & such are easy enuff to obtain here in Classifieds, eBay, JYs & wherever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted July 20, 2014 Share Posted July 20, 2014 What year XJ? 2 or 4 door? Way easier to swap the cherokee window regulators, DL solenoids & PMs into your MJ - I've done it both ways & would never consider doing a door swap again - How to's been covered here, Naxja, Pirate & others - Wire harness is easy to fab & allows for customization - I ran separate circuit for the locks controlled from DS only for example - Pwr door panels, switch bezels & such are easy enuff to obtain here in Classifieds, eBay, JYs & wherever :agree: But only the 97+ cherokee doors have the bigger windows. breckrider, if your xj doors are 96- then they are the same as your mj doors except I think some of the later in that range had a different size lock cylinder hole. Whereas '97 and newer Cherokees have the latch located at a different height, requiring alterations to the latch position on the door posts. :yeah that: i have only ever swapped the motors and regulators but have harvested doors from the jy. not fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 I know they're off a 4 door cherokee but the person that gave them to me doesn't remember exactly what year. I'm trying to find that out. Still, can I just take the pins out that hold the hinges together then replace the pins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Disconnect your door check so they open all the way. Use the above in an angled die grinder to destroy the heads of the bolts.....start at the stripped out torx socket hole and work it around until the head is gone at the bolt shank. Will take a strong and steady hand.....if not you.........find someone that can. There is no reason to remove the pin and no excuse for destroying the hinge. You'll also need a helper......or build a door support.....or both. I could have those four bolts done in about 1/2 hour.......patience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeep Driver Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Another way to do it- Soak in penetrating oil........a day or two........apply 3-4 times per day. Soak the head....also soak from the inside of the door....with the window up you should be able to get the can and hand up through the speaker hole. Use cutting wheel in the same angled die grinder to cut slots in the head. Use chisel to tap the head of the bolt in a CCW direction until it moves 1/4 turn......cut another slot and do the same. Once the head is moved out from the hinge you can get a pair of vice grips on it and turn it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Disconnect your door check so they open all the way... You could pull off your fenders and give yourself all sorts of room to work with too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted July 21, 2014 Author Share Posted July 21, 2014 I'll start soaking the bolts on my mj today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted June 20, 2015 Author Share Posted June 20, 2015 I'm still fighting with this. One of the torx bolts stripped on me. How idea how I'm going to get it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wutangwisdom Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 have a friend if you have one that can weld a torx bit even stripped one to the bolt you are trying to get out ...? then have a go at it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akula69 Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 Get out as many as you can with the torx bit. In some cases you may need to use just the bit and an 5/16 rachet wrench to get the angle correct. Heat works if you apply it first (butane torch) but will burn the paint. The ones that remain you can heat from inside the door cavity (through the speaker hole) carefully and then turn them out from the back with a pair of vice grips until the head protrudes enough to grasp it with vice grips from the outside - them just slowly turn them out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 The thing with Torx is that you absolutely have to use the exactly correct size bit or the bolt will strip. Not like hexheads where you can sometimes get by with an incorrect size. Are you certain you're using the bit that fits the inside of the bolt perfectly? If there's even a little slop it's not the right one. Torx are prone to stripping out anyway but using the wrong bit (not saying you are) just makes things worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virginia Posted June 23, 2015 Author Share Posted June 23, 2015 Yes, it fit perfectly. The bolts are really stuck though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shelbyluvv Posted June 23, 2015 Share Posted June 23, 2015 I used a small pair of vicegrips on the head in conjunction with the torx to get my door off. Took a lot of time but I finally got them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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