barrman : Door Progress

Door Progress
Post by barrman on Apr 14, 2006, 4:05pm

During my "Jeep Pilgramage and East Coast Junk Yard Tour" I ended up with a set of really rusted doors. I finally started cutting on them.

Here is the before pic with the markings of where I am going to cut.
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/9923/p41000013mk.jpg

Here is the door after the cut.

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/3595/p41000038bk.jpg

I will cut the other door tonight if possible and then start making the filler panels.

What do you body work guys think is best.

Make pieces that will fit but don't weld them on until the door is on the truck and in the closed position so it will be "square" all around?

or

Just weld it up and bend/beat it to make it fit later?

Thanks

Re: Door Progress
Post by robertcowan on Apr 14, 2006, 7:23pm

sure would be alot straighter if you weld it together fixed in place. also you should have installed braces before doing such a radical surgery. what are you making step through doors ?
bob

Re: Door Progress
Post by 503m715 on Apr 14, 2006, 7:28pm

I think I would have mounted door and aligned and then cut, but it will weigh less now.

Re: Door Progress
Post by barrman on Apr 14, 2006, 10:28pm

The alignment problem isn't with the hinge to handle length dimension. It is with the twist. I cut the other do a few minutes ago and started playing with it. I am pretty confident I can make it work out ok off the truck. I will post pictures either way once I am done.

Re: Door Progress
Post by binfordm715 on Apr 14, 2006, 10:28pm

Mind you I've never welded in my life so what do I know, but if you brace it in the finished position, won't the door still warp? On our cage legstands at work, they actually brace them skewed so when they weld the crossmembers to the legs, the unit straightens out. They know how much it will warp, and have compensated for the warpage when they brace it.

Big pics, by the way!

Re: Door Progress
Post by robertcowan on Apr 14, 2006, 10:39pm

what ya buildin out of the doors ? also do you have a mig welder ? if so spot weld it all over skipping around alot. this will help you with warping. you doing walk through doors like the m715 on trucks TV show ? bob

Re: Door Progress
Post by jeepistdougiowa on Apr 14, 2006, 10:42pm

I would have throw a brace across the top before cutting, but now your best bet is to mount it and brace it, and then weld.

Don't weld more than 1/2" in any one spot at a time. Do a star pattern alternating for the inside to outside with each 1/2" tack ending up with a series of welds around the perimeter 6" apart. Then continue to close the gaps with 1/2" welds in the same star/alternating pattern until done. That metal will crawl and twist even doing as I layed out, but keeping it cool with the wide spaced tacks is the best way to keep it to a minimum.
I'd be very tempted to do the 6" spacing welds, then do the rest with epoxy. Big benifit is no heat/less warpage, but also you don't burn the paint off the inside where you can't repaint it.

Re: Door Progress
Post by robertcowan on Apr 14, 2006, 10:46pm

1/2" welds are too much i think. no body man i know does anymore than a good tack. just my opinion not to stir up any problems. i,ve welded for 30 years all types and all metals. keep heat to a minumum. mig-mig or heliarc is best.

Re: Door Progress
Post by jeepistdougiowa on Apr 14, 2006, 10:49pm

Less is always better in with this type of job, so no offense taken. I just know I used the 1/2 rule for some time and it works for me, but I'm no professional.

Re: Door Progress
Post by barrman on Apr 14, 2006, 10:53pm

I am a picture 'tard on this new Zone. Jon changed my links to pictures. I am not sure how or why they ended up so big.

I do have a MIG and I plan to do as several suggested as far as spacing the welds out and taking my time.

I even started thinking about using the doors as storage areas or if nothing else, adding cup holders to the bottom.

I and more importantly, Jennifer, liked the way the doors on Chad's truck looked on Trucks a few years ago. Two summers ago, another member did a really good job of using a still of that truck to make a dimensional drawing of the cut out section after I asked about it. I printed it out and have been waiting for a wasted set of doors to cut ever since.

I thought about a brace on top or someplace else. I use a 7-1/2" grinder with a used cut off saw 14" disc to cut metal. Anything I welded on would get in the way.

Also, I originally thought these would be step through type doors. Then I got the XZL's on and my truck is 2" higher. That doesn't sound like much, but I have almost fallen down several times now getting in and out. I imagine that once I get used to it I will be able to step through eventually.