How to install Wayne's doorstop reinforcement?

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Okay, what am I missing here? Car is an '83 SC, I have the doorstop-reinforcement kit, and it's perfectly obvious how it works: Two thick metal plates that sandwich the inner door sheetmetal between them, etc. etc.

The inner reinforcement plate (i.e. farthest aft with the door closed) is no problem, it just goes over the doorstop arm and is positioned from inside the door along with the doorstop unit.

The other reinforcement plate, however--the one you tie a string to so it doesn't slip and disappear, which makes sense since it goes into an area between sheetmetal--won't fit through the hole in the outer doorjamb skin.

Is there a magic way of positioning it? Does it have to be forced? Should I grind it down until it does fit? Right now, it's a 3"x1.5" (I'm guessing) piece of metal that needs to fit through a 2"x1" hole, and it ain't happenin'.

Any advice?

Stephan

[HarryD]

Stephan,

I can't help you on your question but you can help me with one of mine.

Can you post a shot of the door stop BEFORE you install the reinforcement? I think I have the kit installed on both doors but am not sure what I am looking at.

TIA

[arcsine]

If I remember correctly, in Waynes book, he "cleaned-up" the opening and enlarged it. It was bigger with the reinforcement installed than it was before.

EDIT: A completely false statement by me. The flogging will commence immediately.

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Okay, next question: I wiggled and jiggled and finally found the magic position to get the reinforcement plate through the hole. (And promptly dropped it deep into the door. Fortunately had the string tied to it, but even so, it took me 10 minutes of fishing and jiggling to get it out again, so you do want to avoid that.)

Now everything is installed and tight...but the door won't close. Works fine until I get it about six inches from shut, and that's as far as it goes.

I can understand that installing a quarter-inch-thick reinforcement plate between the doorstop assembly and the inner door skin will allow a little less door opening, but I can't see how it could affect the closing. And yes, I've checked that the door stay wasn't reinstalled upside down--the slight bow in its arm is oriented toward the fornt of the car--and that the reinforcement plates are both correctly installed, with the "wings-with-dihedral" cutout edge facing the inside of the car with the door closed...if I could get it closed.

Any advice?

Stephan

[Jdub]

Stephan:

I am about to do this and this sounds a bit alarming...can you elaborate while it is still fresh how you oriented the piece to get it through the hole?

Sorry not to be of help here.

John

[Formerly Steve Wilkinson]

Okay, everything's fine now. I was simply afraid to force the door, and after adjusting the doorstop mounting and pushing the door home, everything's now working just fine.

Some advice to those who are about to do this job: Ignore my hysteria, it's much easier than I made it sound.

1/When you tie the string to the outer reinforcing plate--and absolutely be sure to do this, because you'll never get the plate back if it falls into the door, since it falls into a "blind" space, not the door interior--tie it to the upper bolthole, not the big middle rectangular hole. If you do the latter, the plate orients itself horizontally when you try to tug it out with the string, and it jams. I had to jiggle and bounce it for 10 minutes while probing with a stiff wire after tying it to the rectangular hole (which is what the Weltmeister instructions tell you to do. And make sure you use a strong string with a good knot, since it might not be a matter simply fishing it out with a single pull; you might be working at it awhile and won't want the string to break. Tie the other end of the string to the hood-release T-handle rather than risking having it follow the plate into the door (assuming you're doing the driver's side door).

2/To get the "big" plate through the "little" hole in the outer door skin, you simply have to keep trying, turning and reorienting it and trying to stuff it into the hole various ways. Suddenly it'll work, and I can't describe to you how or why. And while you're working at it, stick a screwdriver blade through it and then through the doorstop hole so you don't have to deal with it falling in, string or not.

3/Once you have everything installed, be sure to leave the bolts holding the doorstop slightly loose while you work the door open and closed. the assembly needs to take a certain set in order for everything to work smoothly, whcih was my problem with being unable to close the door all the way. Something was slightly interfering/jamming. Once you've got it working fine, then tighten the bolts.

4/The pin holding the doorstop arm to the frame may be harder to remove than you think. I tried to tap mine out with a hammer and it wouldn't move. Put an icecube atop it for a few minutes, then took a foot-long drift and a deadweight-heavy mallet and rapped it smartly from down by the rocker panel. That finally did it.

5/I wonder if there's any need to ever reinforce the passenger-side door, since it typically gets so much less use. Make the choice based on your typical use of the car--alone or with a passenger.

Stephan

[Jdub]

Many thanks Stephan!

John

[Hetmann]

I need to do this. How much cutting/welding did you do to the torn sheetmetal prior to the installation? How did you verify your stops were still servicable?