Replacing entire rt rear door - wiring question

[lkrav3]

We recently purchased an otherwise very nice stock 2004 XLT with a bum right rear door. (Original owner damaged it in on one of those posts that protect the gas pumps...) We just located and purchased a good match (same color and actually same year) from a local salvage yard today. The wiring coming out of our "new" door (via the rubber flex conduit) was cut by the salvage yard about 3 or 4 inches out from the rubber sleeve.

After I removed the panel to get my first good look at all the wiring in the "new" door, I can see that all the harnesses, connectors, etc. at the end of those wires were installed after the wire bundle was fed through the rubber sleeve. (I.e, it's impossible to pull all of those back through the sleeve on the original door...)

Here's what I'm thinking I now have to do, and I would appreciate any confirmation, correction, redirection from the forum:

- Cut the wiring bundle coming out of the existing door in a similar place (but closer to the door to give me more wire coming from the vehicle to splice with later...)
- Remove the original door.
- Hang the "new" door.
- Match up/splice the wires coming out of the "new" door to their counterparts inside the doorframe by soldering and shrink-tube wrapping each one.

Thanks very much for any help you can give.

 

[xlt03]

Remove door panel and disconnect wire connectors front the "new" door. Should be a few, electric door actuator, and power window motor. Push all the wires and the rubber sleeve as a unit. Do the same on the existing door. Mark the wires if you feel the need. Remove existing door and then hang the "new" door. Push wires from existing harness and thread thru door. A little soap on the sleeve and push back in place. Reconnect wires at window motor and power lock actuator. Align door and reinstall panel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Xz4rpGIdo&feature=youtube_gdata_player
There's a video on YouTube showing door panel removal.

 

[Duranged84]

No, unplug everything in the door and pull the rubber grommet and all out and lay it inside the truck. It'll come out and the grommet will fit tight back into the door. You don't want to increase the chance of a connection failure point later on. I changed the driver door on my first explorer that way, there may be a little rubber strip from the grommet attached to the inside of the door, you'll see it when you get in there and mess with it. I cut mine and popped the grommet into the new door and never had an issue. I have 2 sitting here now so I'll look on my parts truck afterwhile and see what all is holding it. I strongly suggest against cutting and splicing though.

 

[lkrav3]

Thanks so much, xlt03 and Duranged84. Sometimes it takes a couple of kickstarts from others to help us see the obvious, I guess. Shaking my head wondering why I didn't come up with that on my own...
The rubber grommet comes out easy enough, and I can see there are a handful of connectors to be unplugged... (speaker, window switch, window motor, 2 at the door lock) then pull the whole thing out of the door. Reverse the process to pull them back in and reconnect to the "new" door.
Thanks again!