cracked door panels ?

**qwk93ta** · 10-18-2010, 09:20 AM

I have a small crack on my pass door, and nothing on my driver's door. I'm going to try this over the winter.

**nichoLaS1** · 10-18-2010, 09:50 AM

Originally Posted by qwk93ta

I have a small crack on my pass door, and nothing on my driver's door. I'm going to try this over the winter.

Don't wait too long, especially with the season change coming up.. Doesnt take much time, and trust me, you'll sleep better at night knowing the crack won't continue to get bigger (or start on the drivers door) lol

**Cutlass** · 10-18-2010, 06:30 PM

Originally Posted by qwk93ta

I have a small crack on my pass door, and nothing on my driver's door. I'm going to try this over the winter.

Mine cracked during the winter, just sitting in the garage...don't wait too long.

**Too Fast** · 10-19-2010, 03:27 AM

Yes, don't wait. Glad I fixed mine when they were first showing some stress, I recommend anyone with a 4th gen bird do it, even if they look ok. Unless you want to fix it after it cracks....

**INMY01TA** · 11-22-2010, 01:59 PM

Man so I just took off my drivers side door panel. No crack yet but a little line starting to form you can only see from the backside. Man these staples are a bitch to get out! I need a smaller cutting wheel. I'm starting to wonder if this will realy stop this.

**nichoLaS1** · 11-22-2010, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

Man so I just took off my drivers side door panel. No crack yet but a little line starting to form you can only see from the backside. Man these staples are a bitch to get out! I need a smaller cutting wheel. I'm starting to wonder if this will realy stop this.

It will stop it.. and yes taking the staples is the biggest PITA of the whole project. Also make sure you try to straighten out the weather stripping as best you can before reattaching, or else it will be wavy (kind of common sense I know, but I didnt spend enough time on my passenger side, so it kinda bothers me)... I applied the epoxy to each of the notches that are cut out for the window stabilizer as these are the areas of highest stress concentation (i.e first to crack), not just the crack near the end of the door. In fact, the front notch- above the door handle-cracked worse than the typical crack spot.

**INMY01TA** · 11-22-2010, 02:07 PM

Hmm, I was gonna ask if you guys are removing all the staples all the way across or just the rearwards ones. I've never seen them cracked towards the front. I need to get some better pliers and a smaller cutting wheel and I guess I'll take them all out.

**nichoLaS1** · 11-22-2010, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by INMY01TA

Hmm, I was gonna ask if you guys are removing all the staples all the way across or just the rearwards ones. I've never seen them cracked towards the front. I need to get some better pliers and a smaller cutting wheel and I guess I'll take them all out.

Take 'em all out. do it once, do it right.. you'll sleep better knowing that it wont happen to the fron ones because TRUST me, each of my doors has 2 cracks (one in the typical spot and one near the door handle, where as mentioned the notch is cut out for the front window stabilizer)

...an ice pick works good for getting under the staples teeth, and then straighten and pull out with pliers

**INMY01TA** · 12-19-2010, 12:08 PM

Well I got to work on my door panel again for the 1st time since I started. Had 4 staples left and got them out much easier. Once you figure out what works, what doesn't, it gets easier. I then scuffed the back of the panel where my 1st crack was starting and applied some loctite epoxy I got from Walmart. While that's drying I then took a 5/64 drill bit and drilled out all the existing staple holes a li bigger on the panel and the felt strip. Stole nichoLaS1's idea and ran some 24 gauge thin galvanized wire I got from Lowes thru the holes and after the epoxy is all dry I'll tighten/tie them up and re-install the panel. If it cracks at all now at least I know I did what I could to stop it. Not looking forward to doing the other side although I got all winter.

**KMdef9** · 12-19-2010, 09:13 PM

Since mine were cracked on both sides already, I just removed the staples until the tension was relieved enough to have the gap(s) disappear.

I also used my dikes to remove the staples, made it pretty easy, but use that tool almost everyday at work.

**sjsingle1** · 12-21-2010, 07:03 PM

got my panel off and used some plastic epoxy i got at wally world.......it did not hold and cracked again a few days later....before i had put the panel back on TG......gunna use some 3M plastic glue i got and hopefully that will work

**INMY01TA** · 12-24-2010, 12:54 PM

How the hell are you guys getting the door lock knobs back on from underneath the plastic trim piece? I tried for like an hour, my fingers were all beat to shit. Maybe my hands are too big being 6'6 and all. Anyways I said f*ck it and took the dremel to the plastic trim piece and enlarged the opening just enough so the door lock knob could pass thru the opening after clipping it to the lock rod 1st. You cannot tell I modified the trim at all once it's all back together. Anyways I already pulled the other side off, removed all the staples, drilled the holes a little, and scuffed/epoxied it. After a day of drying I'll wire it up and reinstall. Not even gonna mess around with the door lock this time, gonna do the same thing to this side. Getting good at this.

**INMY01TA** · 12-24-2010, 12:59 PM

One more question. Does the black rubber piece in the upper corner (side near the door opening) fold inside and want to go down with the window when you roll the window down? I looked and the other side does this too but I had the glass replaced once and maybe the guy messed that side up as well. I never noticed this.

**INMY01TA** · 12-24-2010, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by sjsingle1

got my panel off and used some plastic epoxy i got at wally world.......it did not hold and cracked again a few days later....before i had put the panel back on TG......gunna use some 3M plastic glue i got and hopefully that will work

Hopefully. Honestly if mine were cracked bad I'd just replace em and remove the staples beforehand. I see the panels on Ebay for like $200. Not chump change but half or so of what GM wants for a new one.

**024mula** · 12-25-2010, 12:21 PM

I don't have any cracks on my door panels yet, so what can I put on the inside of the panel?

**speedyWS6** · 12-26-2010, 05:47 AM

Hi....

o24mula..... If you have no cracks at all, then you are in the lucky minority, but prevention is beter then cure as they say!

You asked what to put on... It's more like what you can DO, and the link here
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co...air/index.html will detail everything.

When my panels were off i went the tiny nuts and bolts route rather than lesser gauge wire and the like, and after many months it/they are still fine.

A lot of guys here are using epoxy glues which is fine and they may well stick well and do the job well, but i used a black polyurethane automotive sealant and it worked great, but i had experience of good results in the past on other jobs with this which is why i went with something familiar and known to work!

What i will suggest is that whatever adhesive you use you MUST very agressively scratch and score the area to be bonded and i would heavily suggest a bridging piece of material to "splint" the area rather than just glueing over the top of the split with a puddle of glue. To bridge i used a heat curved rectangle of ABS which is the same material as the door panel.

Just follow the link well and you'll do fine

Trev.....

)

**024mula** · 12-26-2010, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by speedyWS6

Hi....

o24mula..... If you have no cracks at all, then you are in the lucky minority, but prevention is beter then cure as they say!

You asked what to put on... It's more like what you can DO, and the link here
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co...air/index.html will detail everything.

When my panels were off i went the tiny nuts and bolts route rather than lesser gauge wire and the like, and after many months it/they are still fine.

A lot of guys here are using epoxy glues which is fine and they may well stick well and do the job well, but i used a black polyurethane automotive sealant and it worked great, but i had experience of good results in the past on other jobs with this which is why i went with something familiar and known to work!

What i will suggest is that whatever adhesive you use you MUST very agressively scratch and score the area to be bonded and i would heavily suggest a bridging piece of material to "splint" the area rather than just glueing over the top of the split with a puddle of glue. To bridge i used a heat curved rectangle of ABS which is the same material as the door panel.

Just follow the link well and you'll do fine

Trev.....

)

Sorry, the link dosen't work SpeedyWS6, but I plan on agressively scratch and score and then clean the area and after it dryes, apply "Permatex Perma Poxy" (General Purpose Epoxy).

**PontiacFan** · 12-26-2010, 02:37 PM

Copy & paste doesn't always work if you borrow from another post, ...
http://www.highperformancepontiac.co...air/index.html

**speedyWS6** · 12-27-2010, 01:22 AM

That's odd....

After posting i tried the link and it worked fine??

No matter, thanks for the observation and new link
Pontiacfan

)

As far as epoxy goes... as by it's very nature it dries
hard and can crack. Personally speaking if using it i
would HAVE to back the crack with a bracing piece.

Just makes more sense to me for a stronger result!

good luck

Trev

)

**024mula** · 12-27-2010, 08:25 AM

Yes, I was thinking the same thing about epoxy. That it would just delay cracking. I was thinking about "General Sealant" it will be flexiable but it won't give you strenght. So I was thinking about applying the epoxy (let it dry for a day or two) then put "General Sealant" on top of the epoxy.

What do you think?