*Repair* Door check, torn sheet metal

[EUREKA]

A new rattle popped up a few days ago on my '88. Upon inspection I found that the sheet metal had torn out around one of the mounting bolts for the door check assembly. When I removed the pin holding the door heck arm to the body, the entire assembly fell inside the door, leaving the top nut and bolt in place.

 

 

Apparently not only had the sheet metal surrounding the lower mount given way, but the top mount had also broken off of the assembly,

 

 

 

 

I cleaned up the area to be repaired with a wire wheel,

 

 

 

 

[EUREKA]

I removed the door. It was surprising easy (compared to all the other jeep doors I've removed). I used a T-40 torx socket on a 3/8 racht to loosen some of the bolts. Most of the work of removing the door mounting bolts was done with a T-40 torx socket that I modified for the job by punching out the torx part and using it in a 8mm ratcheting wrench. Don't remember where I learned this trick.

 

 

[EUREKA]

I cut the handle short on a body hammer and stuck it inside the speaker hole in the door, then used the hammer and a dolly to flatten the are back out.

All of my sheet metal was too thin so I cut a patch out of a piece of square tubing that I had laying around and welded it in. I did a few rounds of welding and grinding before the are was nice and flat. Forgot to take pics after the last grinding.

 

 

 

I then drilled a new hole to mount the door check assembly and reinstalled my door. One of the door hinge pins broke do I replaced it with a "tension pin".  I also took the opportunity to cut of the bottom part of the door hinges to make the door easier to remove in the future.

[EUREKA]

Got it all reinstalled just in time to get to a birthday party I had to attend, so I will have to take a pic of the finished repair tomorrow.

[acfortier]

Nice job--I thought it was interesting that my door check was also in pieces at the bottom of the door. Never seen one that's made out of metal break like that.

[Pete M]

19 hours ago, EUREKA said:

I removed the door. It was surprising easy (compared to all the other jeep doors I've removed). I used a T-40 torx socket on a 3/8 racht to loosen some of the bolts. Most of the work of removing the door mounting bolts was done with a T-40 torx socket that I modified for the job by punching out the torx part and using it in a 8mm ratcheting wrench. Don't remember where I learned this trick.

 

 

 

 

I made one too from a cut-down torx (I have a whole box of 40s)    I have an 8mm socket on a mini breakerbar to start 'em.