Crack in YJ door - common problem?

You can drill a small hole at the end of it, that can help.

I haven't fixed mine yet, but it looks like a fair bit of work to do a nice job.

I think it is from closing the door using the window frame....

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

Jeff Scherb wrote:

Thanks.

I've never closed the door using the window frame, but since the crack was there when I got the Jeep - maybe the previous owner did.

My window frame was slighty loose when I got the Jeep. To fix that, I drilled a hole through the edge of the door just below the point where the frame goes down inside the door. (this is at the latch edge of the door). I then tapped a hole in the window frame, so the screw goes through the door edge and holds the frame tight to the door edge. Makes the whole door/window frame assembly rigid again.

This fixed another problem I had - at high speeds, wind noise would develop at the top of the frame because it was loose and the wind pressure pulled it out slightly. With this screw in the entire door/window frame assembly is rigid and I've got an airtight seal at all speeds.

If it's the same full-size hardtop steel dors that were on my CJ, I had the same crack. Back then ('87) I was told that all the doors would eventually crack at that exact point. You can stop the crack by drilling a hole just past the end of the crack (temporary solution), or you can replace the metal in the door with something a little thicker (bend, polish and paint - it's a pain since this is the part that arcs down from underneath the window) by some professional shop. The metal in the door in that area is really too thin to thake the repeated stress of slamming the door shut. I'd recommend finding a shop that can replace the metal and tha has the skill to do it right. The drill solution is really only a temporary fix.

-Kris

"Jeff Scherb" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@wideopenwest.com:

Could you run a bead down it from a MIG welder, grind and repaint?

I can see where it's trying to crack there....but it hasn't "let loose" yet.

Thanks

Tony

'93 YJ

Don't think so....

It is a stress crack, welding will take the temper out of the door metal and it will tear twice as easy.

Tapping it down over a couple inches, then welding a plate in and filling over might work, but it is on a curve, so it would take a 'pro' to fix it nice and a fair bit of time to boot.

I have a mig and am good at bodywork, but there is always something else more important to work on on my old CJ7 it seems.... ;-)

Mike

86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's

T>

I believe that the crack is secondary to the spot weld on the window frame letting go. Fix the spot weld, either with a screw as one poster suggested, a pop rivet, or another weld and it doesn't matter what you do with the crack. (Just don't smoke it! ;o)

Earle

I have two 90 YJs with full doors, the doors on both of them have cracks, so I'd say it is a common thing to have with the full doors. Pat