Door Hinge

[Infidel Edition]

So the wind caught my door a couple weeks ago and started to rip the hinge out.
Like a good 1/4" toward the back.

I was able to add a washer to the latch bar so it closes enough to drive.
But now, I need to fix it so the door will seal properly.
...I had a puddle of water on the floor this morning!

2 questions:
1- if I just unbolt the door, can I hammer the ripped section back in and weld the seam?

2- do I need to pull the fender to get the angle on the hinge?
... I'd need to hammer toward the 'A' frame from perpendicular to the jeep...

I'll go take a pic. and post it later

[4.3LXJ]

You will probably have to do both to get it right

[nickyg]

You got lucky, a miss aligned door can pinch the fender. Thats a dent thats hard to get straight.

[Infidel Edition]

You got lucky, a miss aligned door can pinch the fender. Thats a dent thats hard to get straight.

no-no...
I had to go at it from inside with the handle of my breaker bar to get the door to open/close normal...

[Infidel Edition]

Here's the pic's I took.
... it looks like this isn't the first time either
3674

It looks like a weld bead around the hinge already?
Note, the hinge used to sit flush with the 'A' frame
Also, this places the front of the door slightly further from the seal ~ and I think that's where the rain is getting in.

3675

There's rust from an earlier issue (assumed the same) and you can see a bit of dent on the lip...
I used the breaker bar to push it back out, then some other various tools to pry it out of the way so the door wouldn't hit it.
The body line is 1/2 what it might be...

3676

and as you can see, the door to door body line is twice what it was.

[nickyg]

If that's not a shadow, your best bet is to take the fender off and tap it back in shape. It'll make working on the hinge easier and you can run some of your wires. (offroad lights, winch etc. etc.) inside the fender for a real clean look.

[Infidel Edition]

heap... that's some of the damage.
but like I tell my wife~ its character.

but if I gotta pull it anyway to get the hinge fixed, I'll pry tap it out too

[reddragon72]

remove the door VIA the star bolts on the door itself.
Do not loose the shims as you will need those for a template for thicker ones.

Now that the door is off fix that top hanger by cleaning the welds that are currently there and adding to it. I did this and mine is rock solid and been that way for over two months now with no signs of ripping.

Now head to Lowes and pick up some 1/8 plate. They have 2"x 3' there for about 12-15 bucks. Take the shims you took off and make 4-6 new ones VIA that plate. Don't worry they dont have to be perfect! Now stack a couple in there to push the door back into place and your done. Kinda like this (http://www.lowes.com/pd_216192-37672-11676_0__?productId=3053699&Ntt=hillman+hot-rolled&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dhillman%2Bhot-rolled&facetInfo=) but this is 3/16 and that would work to but gives you less micro adjustments.

Oh don't forget the paint those new shims from the plate so they don't rust on you! Very important!

[Infidel Edition]

remove the door VIA the star bolts on the door itself.
Do not loose the shims as you will need those for a template for thicker ones.

Now that the door is off fix that top hanger by cleaning the welds that are currently there and adding to it. I did this and mine is rock solid and been that way for over two months now with no signs of ripping.

Now head to Lowes and pick up some 1/8 plate. They have 2"x 3' there for about 12-15 bucks. Take the shims you took off and make 4-6 new ones VIA that plate. Don't worry they dont have to be perfect! Now stack a couple in there to push the door back into place and your done. Kinda like this (http://www.lowes.com/pd_216192-37672-11676_0__?productId=3053699&Ntt=hillman+hot-rolled&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNtt%3Dhillman%2Bhot-rolled&facetInfo=) but this is 3/16 and that would work to but gives you less micro adjustments.

Oh don't forget the paint those new shims from the plate so they don't rust on you! Very important!

I actually have strips of that sitting around since reinforcing the floor on my K5

[bulrid8]

If you cut out the damage and weld in New steel. No need for bigger shims. Get the hinges where they belong and the doors will line up right!

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

[bluedragon436]

Another thing you can do if you don't mind spending a few bucks it to go contact your closest Jeep dealership or look online... Back in the day Jeep put out a kit that was made to correct and reenforce this exact same area, as it apparently usually breaks through welds right there over time... I only heard of this because a friend of mine took his 89 into the dealership to talk to them to see what they recommended to do to it, and the old crusty shop foreman or whatever he is called was like, hold on a second I got a perfect fix for that, and went and found the info on their computer and ordered the kit up and a week later my friend's 89 had both the front door hinges on both sides beefed up and ready for more life on the road and trails!!

Another idea you can use is written up here in this article Door Hinge Repair (http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3021). It is just another option while you are using down time to work on and fix some issues with your XJ..

[Infidel Edition]

Another thing you can do if you don't mind spending a few bucks it to go contact your closest Jeep dealership or look online... Back in the day Jeep put out a kit that was made to correct and reenforce this exact same area, as it apparently usually breaks through welds right there over time... I only heard of this because a friend of mine took his 89 into the dealership to talk to them to see what they recommended to do to it, and the old crusty shop foreman or whatever he is called was like, hold on a second I got a perfect fix for that, and went and found the info on their computer and ordered the kit up and a week later my friend's 89 had both the front door hinges on both sides beefed up and ready for more life on the road and trails!!

Another idea you can use is written up here in this article Door Hinge Repair (http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=3021). It is just another option while you are using down time to work on and fix some issues with your XJ..

I'm gonna have to Google the jeep parts fix...
the other door fix didn't look like the right option for me.
...also, I could have sworn that if I change out the doors with a 93+ xj, the hinges need to get relocated too? ...and I'm looking at replacing at least 2 doors. if that's a fix, I may go that way

[W1ngNut30]

So i was informed by the previous owner that his drunk friend plowed into the open drivers side door of my 94' XJ. The door does move up and down but until now didnt impact on the front corner panel. Am i going to have to take the fender off then the door and knock the mounts back into shape? Or am i going to have to take it to a body shop and have it all bent, re aligned and rewelded?

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[4.3LXJ]

It it moves up and down, it sounds like the hinges are worn out. There are door hinge shims on the door side of the hinge. You can add some to the bottom to bring it back up and to where it shuts normally without having to lift it up.

[W1ngNut30]

What about the hinge that is welded to the body/door jam? Doesn't that need re-alignment?

Sent from my DROID X2

[4.3LXJ]

Unless that has been moved or rusted out, no.

[W1ngNut30]

Problem solved, some loosening of the fender bolts and some creative body bending and its back to normal. Eventually i will get the hinges dealt with and re-aligned but for the moment i will make do. Thanks guys for the tips.

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