Door reinforcement

both inside and out

Moderators: Greenleaf, BC847, Richie O

Door reinforcement

Postby Jelmer » Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:48 am

Both doors on our 93 need to be painted again this is the time to reinforce them.
I searched but all led to links with non working images (thanks Photobucket!)

Anyone who has working pictures? Are there reinforcement kits available?
Greetings from the Netherlands where there are only 2 or 3 1stgens!
93 D250 Cummins, G360, 4" stainless exhaust, BHAF, DennyT stage 2 pin, 3200rpm governor spring, 12cm housing, rest stock.
03 VW Bora 1.6
83 Datsun Laurel 4.5 32v V8
84 Nissan Patrol 2.8i
Jelmer
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:40 pm
Location: Netherlands

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Mon Jan 29, 2018 1:36 pm

Post up a link to the thread(s) that the pics are not working on and I can probably fix the pictures. ;)
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby Jelmer » Wed Jan 31, 2018 12:02 am

Greetings from the Netherlands where there are only 2 or 3 1stgens!
93 D250 Cummins, G360, 4" stainless exhaust, BHAF, DennyT stage 2 pin, 3200rpm governor spring, 12cm housing, rest stock.
03 VW Bora 1.6
83 Datsun Laurel 4.5 32v V8
84 Nissan Patrol 2.8i
Jelmer
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:40 pm
Location: Netherlands
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:40 pm

This is my build thread on my crewcab....all the pics should be working. I spent several weeks going through and fixing them, and then archiving them. If the pics don't show up for you then the link to the archive is in the very first post in that thread.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/for ... 23/page37/

And he had a link to by Crewcab build thread....what I did to re-enforce the hinge area.

Then it was on to making a big reinforcing plate for inside the door. Little trick to get in there and make a template...but eventually I got that template made. Then I transferred it to some 1/4" plate and started cutting. Wish I had a plasma cutter....that would have made it SOOO much easier!!

Anyway here is the finished piece. I had to do a lot of drilling, and rat file work to get all those holes in the right spot.

Image

And a slight bend in the lower area....

Image

And installed in the door.....

Image

Hopefully this helps the lower hinge area to stay crack free for a few years. Regardless I have a nice clean...uncracked...spare drivers door if I need it.
Last edited by thrashingcows on Thu Feb 01, 2018 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:48 pm

well, im in body work mode. soo, next up on the operating table: wimpy, floppy, pussy-ass doors LOL

Image

the plan: run a piece of 5/8" .062wall square tube front to back. it took some studying, and comparing the door, door panel, window regulator to come up with a plan that was simple. wouldnt interfere with anything. and most importantly, would work! the hardest part was getting the courage to cut the void in the door for the tube to go through. here the door is prepped, and you can see the void i mentioned:

Image

it took a little thinking, measuring, guessing, and creative cutting to figure out how the square tube would fit, but here is is clamped in place:

Image

as you can see, i trimmed the thickness of the tube down on the ends so as to "sink" the tube into the door. it just clears the window regulator, and its motor. just clears! and here we go, all welded in!

Image

sooo, did it work? HELL YEA!! it worked!!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v235/ ... 17_796.mp4


time to go do the passenger side! WOO-HOO, i bet this will silently be one of the best mods i have made to this truck. can you tell how much i HATE these doors? LOL
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:49 pm

hank you. got the other side done. its so nice to shut the door and be greated by nothing more than "thud". even with the doors empty and gutted. they still just go thud. whereas before, empty and gutted, when you shut it you were greated by "BOINGiongiongiongiongiong" as the center of the door where the handle is at would spring in and out making some nasty racket. i very highly reccomend this to anybody in the middle of some serious body-work! it greatly improves the "perception of quality" that comes from interfacing with the truck. it seems so simple, and i can see where some people are probly thinking im some kind of freak with a massive OCD problem. but when you have been driving 72'-93' dodge trucks as long as i have (25yrs), and always thought the dodge doors felt "cheap", this is a huge deal. and actually a pretty simple fix. and if you go back and look at my first video of the door where i demonstrate the problem, then watch the after video, you can clearly see, the problem is solved! now im gonna work on a good way to stiffen the outside door handle so that it doesnt flex up and down. i think i might just have to go buy a cordless grinder for that one, and go hack that section of door out of some doors at a junk yard. then "laminate" them to the inside of my doors so that it spreads the load of the handle when you push the button, out accross the door. mine flex so bad the metal around the mounting holes for the studs in the handles is cracking, and at least one of the cracks has spread far enough that its visible from outside the truck. then if that goes well, i might try to figure out a way to reinforce the lower hinge mounting area so that the hinge doesnt destroy the door again the way it did on big-whiteys original driver door. if i get these doors structurally beefy, i will be very-very happy! although, i did spy a crack in the floor today near the drivers side front cab mount. LOL, it never ends! i guess Chrysler never intended for us to drive these trucks past 200,000miles. LOL
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:53 pm

i did find time a week or two ago to trim up my door-handle reinforcement plates:

Image

and, weld them in:

Image

and cut some special washers for the backside of the studs:

Image

but i am still rollin' with empty doors! and now i am even reaching over the top and opening the door with the inside lever!!!! LOL {hammer}
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby thrashingcows » Thu Feb 01, 2018 2:58 pm

There ya go...hope this helps. ;)

I will archive this thread so the pics will always be available regardless if photobucket survives or not.

https://web.archive.org/web/20180201222 ... 9&p=172016
1984/93 Dodge Crewcab, W350, 1 Ton SRW, long box, 330K Km's, M&H spacer, 366 spring, fuel pin to deep side, 14cm housing, Piston LP, PS IC, Isspro Boost, Pyro and tach, NV4500, 29 spline NP205, 3.54's.


Check out the build....http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/dev/ ... 05923.html
thrashingcows
14mm rotor
 
Posts: 575
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2011 12:00 am
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby Jelmer » Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:02 am

Thanks a lot! Looks like this is the only way to get it beefy!
Greetings from the Netherlands where there are only 2 or 3 1stgens!
93 D250 Cummins, G360, 4" stainless exhaust, BHAF, DennyT stage 2 pin, 3200rpm governor spring, 12cm housing, rest stock.
03 VW Bora 1.6
83 Datsun Laurel 4.5 32v V8
84 Nissan Patrol 2.8i
Jelmer
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 7:40 pm
Location: Netherlands
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby bensol64 » Wed Apr 25, 2018 8:39 pm

Good thing I saw this thread as I'm planning to reinforce the doors of my ride also.
'92 W350 5speed 4x4 with 17" wheels and 33" ironman tires
bensol64
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 43
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2018 6:59 pm
Location: Fl
Top

Re: Door reinforcement

Postby 2uphill » Sun Jan 27, 2019 8:21 pm

Ditto on the thanks...good idea...I have to go in and fix window motor gears on mine, and be good time to add
90 d350, SRW, 2wd, 727, stock, except banks i/c, 85K
84 w350 crew cab, I/c 89, s300, 727, 4x4, 130K
90 w350cc, 3.54, getrag, 125K
82 d350 crew cab project
User avatar
2uphill
fuel screw!!!!
 
Posts: 72
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:18 am
Location: Front range
Top


Return to Body

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests

cron