Thread: Rust in lower door - Advice please

Here are some pics of the door.

I have been looking into this also.

New doors are $$$ and the only i've been able to find are the defender type (and I want to keen the 110 door handles).. so reskinning seems to be the only option.

I was going to get some frames made up and cold dip (poor mans gal paint) them as stainless may corrode with aluminum (I think). I was going to re-skin myself but practice of some knackered series doors first.

I think Lotz-A-Landies rekined a door or two recently..

On mine, either the rust has built up so much that it has forced the aluminium to bulge out in spots particularly at the lower corners or the aluminium has actually corroded. I can live with that, I am not a perfectionist, but if I could get the skin off, I could do a decent job on the steel frame and flatten the aluminium.

My budget is constrained so handing them to a panel shop is not an option, but they would have the skills to de-skin, repair, and reskin.

The door frame appears to be in two sections but bending back the aluminium on the curved to release the lower steel section could be a challenge.

Gday Carslil

If you have the Time & Space have ago yourself go for it. Are you handy with a grinder and a welder?

If not you could get the skin off and take it someone who is and cut and weld a new piece of box section.

There are plenty of threads on here where people have repaired rust in the doors.

Here is a example Of a County saved from rust.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/projects-t...st-repair.html

Goodluck

Its not to hard to reskin a door, takes me about 3 to 4 hours.
1st remove the door hinges, from the door then drill out rivits around outer door handle, remove the gal door caping as there is a rivit or two behind it.
I found it easist to lay the door on a pair of saw horses then using a flat bladed screw-drive say 10mm across the head NO less as it will want to tear the lip, start leavering the folded section away from the frame "go slow".
Dont try to lift the lip in go more likey it will take 2 to 3 laps around the door, also use some wood as packing between the steel door frame and the screw-driver after you have gone around once (help to avoid streaching the alloy)
Carfuly lift the frame away from the door skin note there will be some sealant between door/frame.
When it comes to refitting the door skin i used some sicka-flex to help hold it all together & to help stop by metal reaction.
Put door skin as it was when you removed it, use a calking gun for gluing if you want to, press firmly down on frame.
line up rivit holes and pop rivit door handle area & dont for get one where capping is, that way every thing should line up correctly.
Then using a pieice of flat wood place it under the door where you want to start folding the lip back over on the door skin.
Then using a soft faced hammer either ( hide or plastic is best dosent leave many marks) start closing the lip BUT dont do it all the way say about 45 degres, Once you have gone around once you can start to futher close over the lip.
Once you have complety gone around and flated the lip you can leave it as is or for a better finish, use a G-clamp still withj the timber on the out-side place a piece of flat plastic packing between fixed end of the clamp and lip then wind the handle till it is nicly compressed, then move up 20mm & repeate & so on.
It takes some time but its worth it.
Note it takes some time but its worth it.
Hope this info helps.

Lost Landy,
That was a great post. It was just what I needed to fire me up. I think I will track down a spare door and do a practice run, and then attack the real thing.

Thanks again.

Jim

is there anyone that sells an 'unskinned' frame, or would be have to be made up?

Well it seems I'm not Robinson Crusoe - got exactly the same problem on the front passenger side. Was thinking of buying a mig welder and just having a go or rivetting or also thought about replacing the bottom edge with good old fashioned hardwood but that's a bit rough isn't it?!
cheers gerald