Tough love, treatment gets my front door shutting and staying shut | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Tough love, treatment gets my front door shutting and staying shut

Abramwithda1991fourdoor

Active Member
Joined
September 25, 2020
Messages
80
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39
City, State
Chico CA
Year, Model & Trim Level
1991 Ford Explorer Eddie
I was using the slam and lift up on door trick for a bit on my Explorer.One day besides being super hard to shut it would stay shut lol.Many days later I up and started replacing the door pins top and bottom and doing some othe stuff. I now have a door that shuts and stays shut( no undue slamming). For some reason the pin on the door frame was hitting the top latch on the door so I was trying to close it with just one part of the latch mechanism closing around the pin. I did not know this until I started removing the hinges. I decided not to remove the door completely because of all these wires , power locks etc. I unbolted the door to the thing assembly and took the pins out.

I recommend some music and maybe a cold beverage.

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Heres some pictures. I put the new pins in before I put the on tye door. Ha ha went to put them on the car and bam realized my mistake.

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I used a thick washer and spaced my pin out from the frame so it didn't get hit by the door. The door wasn't closing. I also hit the pin to bend it down. I supported the door with a folding chair and some shims. I got one bolt or two bolts started and then shimmed it up higher because the two bottom bolts weren't lining up.

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What's the beverage and who makes the pressure pot?
 






What's the beverage and who makes the pressure pot?
It's Rade Ale it's from Reno Nevada. I don't know what pressure pot your talking about. Oh I see the pot in my picture. I don't know the story of that thing lol. My dad has a lot of random stuff. However my mom used to use one at her house and they are pretty cool. They can really slow cook stuff, I have not seen one in action in a long time.
 






The first set of hinges I ever did was on an early 90s Chevy Astro van. I was angered by the fact that GM welds their hinges to the body. When it came time to do my first set on one of the Explorers, I was happy to see that Ford bolted them into place. It's amazing how nice a door will shut when everything lines up.
 






The first set of hinges I ever did was on an early 90s Chevy Astro van. I was angered by the fact that GM welds their hinges to the body. When it came time to do my first set on one of the Explorers, I was happy to see that Ford bolted them into place. It's amazing how nice a door will shut when everything lines up.
Yeah I am glad how the part I needed to work on came off the door so easy and how there was enough room to put it back. If I knew it was that easy I probably would have tackled it sooner. I thought pounding the old pins and the little round things out was going to use more elbow grease then it did.
 






Wanted to update my post. My door is giving me aches again. I believe the upper clasp that latches is bad and cause me problems. May try putting a door off a ranger from the junkyard or something. Also I have to open it from the outside because the rod dissapered and my electronic window isnt to happy and is probably trying to open my door for me lol. It goes up ok but going down it wants attention.
 












Went to the junk yard and was going to get a whole door and bolt it on. I was happy to find out they had just got a first gen in. It was the same as mine in most ways. The price for the door was about fifty dollars more then I was hoping for. The door was red and mine is white. I ended up pulling the latch mechanism off yesterday. The one I had was not staying clamped very well. I also grabbed the door handle and the side panel. I got it installed and hooked up today. The outside handle now barely wants to do its job but I am satisfied. Right now it is working but I had to bend the striker pin a lot. I think I need to adjust the for where the hinge is but I took the quicker and more straight forward approach. I might end up pulling the trany to to see how good it looks.
 






The first set of hinges I ever did was on an early 90s Chevy Astro van. I was angered by the fact that GM welds their hinges to the body. When it came time to do my first set on one of the Explorers, I was happy to see that Ford bolted them into place. It's amazing how nice a door will shut when everything lines up.
Some fords have them welded on. My XR4TI has welded hinges.
 






Some fords have them welded on. My XR4TI has welded hinges.
That's definitely an odd ball. There can't be too many of those around anymore! That's cool, i like seeing stuff that is different.

Im sure Ford did this on occasion, just the same that GM probably had models with bolt on hinges. My experience was with the trucks primarily. All the ones I ever worked on had the welded hinges and I think that is terrible design. I'll have to check our 05 Malibu and see how its made. I've never paid it any attention.

I never could get that Astro's door to close properly. I think the van was bent or misaligned. It was a vehicle in the steel plant, and the door was the least of its issues. But it was still frustrating trying to get it right.
 






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