I can see in the picture the full bump stop kit has a 2-piece threaded part to replace the original "rivet" . this would make it easy to replace and source from the hardware store or a place like McMaster Carr. I need to look into the replacement procedure for the entire part and where to access the other side of the door stop for removal.
Stick, can't help you on the rivet 'cause mine had screws as rivets! When I reassembled it I found some barrel screws in my junk piles. I think Ace hardware might sell them. Also, search this forem for a write up on replacing the door stop and rivet! Good luck
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66 1600 Stroker, Whitelady, in progress
A quick view of the access from inside the door with the card Removed. You can see the hinge bolts but not the crack - separate sheet of metal inside.
I removed the inside kick panel from driver side and there is a small access hole covered by a clear plastic. Attached is a picture of the door limiter attached to the body. Reaching in I can feel the rubber stop is hardened and starting to crack… Just need to figure out removal from this side.
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SOUPY wrote: ↑Wed Dec 06, 2023 7:58 am
Stick, can't help you on the rivet 'cause mine had screws as rivets! When I reassembled it I found some barrel screws in my junk piles. I think Ace hardware might sell them. Also, search this forem for a write up on replacing the door stop and rivet! Good luck
Thanks Soupy ... will do.
Wish I had more time to do this, but one thing is clear - It wouldn't be as easy without the knowledge and resources of this site ... a good reminder to myself to make a support donation to the site to keep this thing going!
Sounds good. Once you clean away the cracked (and bent/fatigued) metal and open the area a bit you should be able to do all work from the outside including adding a piece behind. There’s a couple tricks to doing that (kinda like repairing a hole in the sheetrock ceiling of the first floor of a two story home).
More on that if you wish. Yeah, schedules get busy and there’s always so many things already on the to-do list. You’ll have it back, better than new very soon.
Ok, just saw your picture of the inside and yeah even though you have a big open crack it doesn’t show from the inside. That’s because there has to be a second layer beneath the cracked one. If you slide your finger down the last few inches of the inner door bottom edge you should feel the sheet metal edge of the outermost sheet metal layer on the interior side of the door. As you prob know that car has spot welds all over the body and layers in many places (even the frame rails and supporting structures). So I believe you already have a non damaged backside layer and only the outer thin layer has pulled away. When cutting on these cars (especially an area of the body I haven’t cut before) I try to not be aggressive (i.e. staying away from air saw) and in this case just using a var speed Dremel to remove the bad and weak area on the outer layer. After removing the piece, check the gauge of the steel. You might be able to step up the gauge one step (if it’s 20ga cut a replacement piece in 18ga and 20ga test fit both. If the 20 is a bit low use the 18 and just take a bit off the back to get it flush). I mentioned how I would have the piece undersized about a 1/16 all the way around and get a couple (3-4 if piece is larger) plug welds to the backside metal. This will assure that it cannot pull away again as it has from the original. Anyway , it sounds like you have a good welder lined up to take care of it. Great job with the pictures btw!
I removed the door this morning and measured / marked it up for repair and cut out the broken section. I used my dremel and moved along nice and slow to only cut through the broken layer and not the metal behind it.
I measured the metal sheet thickness with my calipers and it was 1.03 mm thick. (18ga)
Tried to keep cuts as square (2.6” x 2.6”) as possible to make a 2.5” square replacement fit in nice and neat. Tried to keep away from the edges of the door.
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Now just need to source the steel and get patch welded in and door stop brackets aligned and spot welded in place.
When I removed the door I was a little surprised how the door hinges attach to the door frame. There is an internal plate that free floats but is captured by a separate bracket that is spot welded to the door frame to hold in proximity so you can align it. I took a short video from inside the door frame, but can’t upload the vid.
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Cool. The piece you took out could really be cleaned up (wire wheel but don’t grind it) and put back in its place if you don’t have any 18ga handy. (can weld the crack when you install). Wire wheel the entire inner area. “Tack and cool” plug welds, perimeter and crack. Lightly grind off all tack welds.
New piece of 18ga obviously is better and I personally wouldn’t be reusing the old, weaker steel. I mention using the old piece since you are adding a lot of new steel in the welds and far more that is attaching to the backside panel than OE had. Granted the old steel now also weakened some by the welding itself and is not optimum. This is not a safety or very structural application and if the welding of the old piece is done properly I can’t see it failing. Not sure where you are located but you should be able to stop in any metal supply shop and get a couple of 18ga drops (smaller already cut pieces) for cheap.
I'm not a body work guy ...,dabble in it
Check out a you tube video of super glue and Portland cement ...could be easier fix sometimes
Usually you'd find a donor car cut it out and weld in yours ...if you can construct a similar piece of the rusted part of maybe stainless and then pop rivet it with military type rivets https://youtu.be/8GIKFD2VkOE?si=GkN3AUc--FD3bsTx
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redroadster wrote: ↑Thu Dec 07, 2023 10:38 am
I'm not a body work guy ...,dabble in it
Check out a you tube video of super glue and Portland cement ...could be easier fix sometimes
Usually you'd find a donor car cut it out and weld in yours ...if you can construct a similar piece of the rusted part of maybe stainless and then pop rivet it with military type rivets https://youtu.be/8GIKFD2VkOE?si=GkN3AUc--FD3bsTx
Thanks for the video, but I'm going to stick with a more traditional style repair - proper material, welding and finish work.
I'm not really a body guy either and to be honest this would be my first attempt at repair like this, but confident that with some preparation and taking my time I should be able to get the job done .... maybe even with some help along the way!
Finally got around to fixing the door today. Watched a couple of you tube videos on welding and BAM - instant welding hack. Actually not to bad for the first time. I practiced on some scrap first and figured out the settings so it wouldn't blow holes in the thin sheet metal or lay down too much wire. I found the best setting I could and started tacking it in and moving around to prevent too much heat.
Not the best job in the world, but had to try it myself before I hand over the cash. A little work with a flap wheel and some minor body work and it should do fine.
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Thank you, Sir! Love learning and trying new things.
Yesterday afternoon/evening I go the door all cleaned up, painted and reinstalled. The paint job is not the greatest and will likely need to be reworked sometime in the future, but I needed the garage space back and had to get this done .... my daughter's car was filled with water when we had big rain over the weekend ... had to remove the interior of the car and dry it all out while looking for the leak ... too many projects going on!
Hanging and aligning the door was probably the hardest part. trying to support the door, align the hinges, start the bolts is damn near impossible by yourself. Once I got the bots in secure enough to hold the door under its own weight it took a lot of fiddling to get it aligned so that the front seams have clearance and don't contact or rub. Lots of ibuprofen last night for a sore back!
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