My drivers side door on my 97 has been sagging and now the bolts that hold the door lock on the end of door have broken out the metal where the mounting bolts pass thru the door to the lock. Looking for ideas on how to fix it.

Thanks,
Dave

 

Id take the inside panel off and root around in there and remove all the parts for the lock. then you can weld the pieces back and a second piece of sheet metal over it for strength.
If you check the door shell I bet that allen head bolt that goes into the side of the door has a crack around it too. I know my doors did, I had to strengthen them both with sheet metal.
Another bad spot is the tailgate where the skin wraps up over the shell near the locks.

 

"Kwai600". thanks for the reply. That makes sense. I'll also check the allen head bolt on the door frame too. I assume you mean that horizontal bar thing the lock slides over on the door frame on the body?

 

on the side of the door with the lock mechanism if you go down a little bit theres a bolt that sticks out. Its holding the support thats inside the door shell. They crack the metal of the door shell, pretty common.

 

....and most, if not all, trucks i've seen with this issue need hinges.

 

I had the same problem. I'll dig for pictures but I had a local body shop do the fix. I think I paid 100 bucks and had it back the same day. Granted, it wasn't the best work in the world but beat the heck out of the bungee used to keep the door closed...
Beats having to replace the door, or even part of the door.

Make sure to check the other door and be sure it is aligned with the 'striker' so you don't have it happen on both sides.

 

Before:


After:


Like I said, it sure ain't pretty. But I have had no problems for over a year and a half.

Good luck with your fix,
jason

 

no offense jason, but I think my 4 yr old son could weld better than that..

On a real note.. I have never heard of that happening.... I think I will look for a new door if mine does and those are running about $499 from LMC right now... So I guess $100 aint bad, but at least he got a good match on the color of the bubble gum....

 

No offense taken. Just remember welding thin stuff, with no backing is not easy. I work for an ASME fabricator for a living, building nuclear power plant items and I was not super pumped about the look of the weld.

But like I said, 1.5 years later and it still works... I thought about having one of my guys do a tig wash, but just haven't made that a priority. If the truck was in pristine shape I'd care. It's just a tool to me.

I mostly posted the pics so Miller would know it is fixable without spending 500 on a door, plus paint, labor, etc.
JG

 

Looks like a good idea to fix the hinges as soon as they start to sag.

 

I know all too well about trying to weld thin metal without anything be3hind it... I made a mess of a truck bed when I had no business trying to weld on it....It held for a couple of years and then just completely failed..and the back half of the bed completely separated form the front....it is a real mess now.
We call those on another site.......Booger Weldz......
Just ribbin' ya....

 

I know that!

 

"gies" thanks for your pics of the weld. I don't care how pretty it looks...just want it fixed. I know the metal is real thin but I know a mobile welder guy who might do it for me. I would like to add more metal to re-inforce it but not sure how that would effect the lock engagement.

What about the hinges? Are they adjustable or do they need replaced? That door is real heavy so I can see that my hinges have probably sagged.

Thanks for the responses. Any ideas on hinge replacement?

 

What you need to do is open the door slightly, then grab it at the bottom rear corner, and see if you can lift it. At this point you will be able to feel if there is any play in the bushings.

It's hard to check for bushing play in your picture, but I would assume they are as bad as the detent strap bushing, which looks pretty thrashed in the pics. It must be making a racket as you open and close the door, so I would replace the hinges for that alone. Consider taking it to a body shop, they can weld the sheet metal, replace the hinges, and paint both areas at the same time.

 

"torquefan" thanks for the info on checking for play in bushings. I haven't had the door off yet but first I'll get the door welded at lock area and then work on hinges. I'll see what dealer cost on hinges and bushings are. Any other sources for these please advise. I'll try rock Auto.

I temporarily adjusted the striker to hit lock better and added some aluminum sheeting with holes in it to reattach the lock till end of week when I can get this door welded.

Thanks for help guys.

Dave