Driver side door is torn at hinge

[tophat36]

Alot of guys feel taking the fender off makes things easier. I disagree unless you're replacing the front clip. I've hung doors many, many times with the fender still in place.

I have our AMD hinges on my truck, the work great!

What is the front clip? Is that on the door or fender? Thanks, where did you get the AMD hinges?

 

[tophat36]

Is the door hanging, warped, closes like sht? Are the hinge pins loose?
Have you put some pex on the striker and shimmed out the bottom hinge so it closes easier?
Is the door nice otherwise as well as matching?
No context to know whether this is the primary issue or not.

The door closes like ****, to get it to close where there’s not huge gap with sky coming through, you have to slam it really really hard. The door has some wiggle up and down at the hinges but I will have to watch while someone else does it. I don’t know how to tell if the hinge pins are loose, if there’s any movement? I don’t know what pex is. I have not shimmed the door at all. The door seems decent, other than the window channel hardware, weather stripping. The original/matching doors do have the stupid holes for speakers someone cut but I don’t think the doors are that bad, without having a reference to compare to. I will take some pictures tonight, but here is what the door looks like and a picture of the inside of the passenger door to give an idea of condition.

 

[tophat36]

Imho, anyone that wants to work on their own project vehicles would benefit from owning a budget mig welder. Practice gluing some scrap metal together and then put what you've learned to work. In a few repairs it will have paid for itself.

I really do want to learn how to weld but I’m honesty just overwhelmed by all of the choices and opposing opinions. I also don’t really want to deal with having a tank of gas. If y’all can point me in the right direction I would consider it but I’d have little knowledge on assessing my weld quality.

 

[Sad Sack]

PEX is like that plastic lines they use for running air. Sometimes putting a 1/2" chunk of it around the door striker helps with door issues to replace what used to be there. get 10' piece with 1/2" ID at hardware store for like $4 and share it with other squarebody guys / girls.

 

[legopnuematic]

Here is an old thread showing the Pex striker mod

To determine how the hinges are, with the door open try to pick the rear of the door up. If they are tight it will have minimal movement up and down.

As far as a welder is concerned, you’d probably want a wire feed (mig) machine. A gas capable wire feed welder can do both solid wire (gas) or flux core (no gas), simply change feed roller and reverse output polarity.

Flux core generates its own shielding gas, like stick welding, but will have more spatter and is ‘messier.’ It does, all things equal, burn hotter than solid wire does so you can get a little bit more penetration than solid wire. Totally possible to do sheet metal, but there is certainly some learning curve (this is true of any welding process, practice, practice, practice!).

These days with the IGBT inverter technology, there are a lot of affordable, small, and quite efficient machines available. A lot will do dual voltage, 110 or 220, very flexible on power requirements.

 

[Grit dog]

The door closes like ****, to get it to close where there’s not huge gap with sky coming through, you have to slam it really really hard. The door has some wiggle up and down at the hinges but I will have to watch while someone else does it. I don’t know how to tell if the hinge pins are loose, if there’s any movement? I don’t know what pex is. I have not shimmed the door at all. The door seems decent, other than the window channel hardware, weather stripping. The original/matching doors do have the stupid holes for speakers someone cut but I don’t think the doors are that bad, without having a reference to compare to. I will take some pictures tonight, but here is what the door looks like and a picture of the inside of the passenger door to give an idea of condition.

Your determination is awesome!
Save the door it’s good shape and would look horrible mismatched.
You can cover the speaker cutouts with…speakers or the stock carpet panels.
The rest is too long to type but all been covered here if you search. The pex thing is a sticky even. And I wrote about shimming the bottom hinges. Probably others too at some point.
If you prep the door tear and bring truck to pick up the tailgate, I’ll weld it up for you quick like , if I still have my tools in WA. I assume it’s accessible to a wire feed gun tip?

 

[tophat36]

PEX is like that plastic lines they use for running air. Sometimes putting a 1/2" chunk of it around the door striker helps with door issues to replace what used to be there. get 10' piece with 1/2" ID at hardware store for like $4 and share it with other squarebody guys / girls.

I actually bought a replacement for that entire piece but wasn’t able to get the darn thing off to put the new one on! I used some electrical tape which helped on the passenger side but this one is beyond that helping. It’s too misaligned.

 

[TotalyHucked]

What is the front clip? Is that on the door or fender? Thanks, where did you get the AMD hinges?

Front clip (some people also call it the dog house) is the whole front of the truck, fenders/hood/core support/etc.

The hinges came from Auto Metal Direct, where I work:

Auto Metal Direct

Classic muscle car and truck restoration parts and accessories

www.autometaldirect.com

 

[Sad Sack]

Front clip (some people also call it the dog house) is the whole front of the truck, fenders/hood/core support/etc.

The hinges came from Auto Metal Direct, where I work:

Auto Metal Direct

Classic muscle car and truck restoration parts and accessories

www.autometaldirect.com

If I worked there, I'd never get a paycheck.

 

[TotalyHucked]

If I worked there, I'd never get a paycheck.

Ya see...the trick is to not buy a rusty or beat up truck...then there's very little to be bought here

 

[bucket]

Ya see...the trick is to not buy a rusty or beat up truck...then there's very little to be bought here

Lol, that's impossible for me. Like the Freiburger t-shirt says, I flock to beaters. When I worked at the junkyard, most of my pay went to parts I had acquired that previous week.

 

[Grit dog]

I actually bought a replacement for that entire piece but wasn’t able to get the darn thing off to put the new one on! I used some electrical tape which helped on the passenger side but this one is beyond that helping. It’s too misaligned.

I really suggest you spend some time gleaning, researching and reading about the things you are told. We’re all trying to help but it’s tough to write a book to answer every question in the utmost detail.
You chose to take on a cool project with little to no resources or experience. That is awesome. But you gotta read.
I can see from the pic and tell from your response that raising the door at the striker by shimming out the bottom hinge will help that issue. Also because car doors only sag with age. Not unlike humans lol. It’s literally understanding gravity and material fatigue in the most basic level. Not even mechanical knowledge.
Go get your door closing easier which will ease the stress on the torn part first. Then go from there.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Lol, that's impossible for me. Like the Freiburger t-shirt says, I flock to beaters. When I worked at the junkyard, most of my pay went to parts I had acquired that previous week.

Haha now if I worked at say, Summit Racing, I'd be in trouble

 

[Grit dog]

I actually bought a replacement for that entire piece but wasn’t able to get the darn thing off to put the new one on! I used some electrical tape which helped on the passenger side but this one is beyond that helping. It’s too misaligned.

Says you? Yes it’s possible that everything is so worn out that it’s going to take major work. But your door/alignment looks like 99% of all squarebodys.
where unless you’re looking for a show car body panel alignment (which is better than new off the assembly line) or it’s truly ragged out, just a couple few minor adjustments or additions make a huge difference.
Buy a $9.99 set of panel shims off Amazon and do what I said. As soon as you raise the door a smidge where it’s not hanging on the striker when you close it (that flat spot worn on the top of the striker that the door latch grinds on), it will close 50% better. Add pex like the original and it’ll close even better.
All assuming the other moving parts are operating like they should.