Advice Needed: Silverado Door Replacement

[onewhippedpuppy]

So some a-hole t-boned me in the parking lot at work on Friday, doing a pretty good number on my 2000 Silverado driver's door. I'm still working with his insurance, as it was obviously his fault. Regardless of how much I get, I'd like to tackle this myself. The truck has 137k on it, and already has a salvage title. Being able to pocket some money would be a plus.

So, anyone replaced a door on a Chevy truck? Easy or hard? My window still works fine, so I can transfer all of the door guts.

Anyone have a good source for aftermarket body parts? Our local salvage yards don't have much for my truck. It doesn't have to be perfect, but needs to be pretty good.

The plan is to find a replacement, have it painted, then do the install myself.

[legion]

You can't be far from a door--those trucks are everywhere. Try calling a few salvage yards a little further out. Try eBay (you might even get some leads on other near-by salvage yards through them).

I would think replacing a door would be a one-day (or less) job:

Disconnect electrical.
Disconnect the thing that holds the door open.
Pull pins (might be easier to disconnect brackets, not sure).

Assembly is reverse of disassembly.

[avi8torny]

Put new door hinge bushings in while your at it. These doors notoriously sag and the only remedy is new bushings.

[onewhippedpuppy]

That was my thought Chris. It's not like there's all that much to the door. Pull old door, swap guts, install new door. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't anything I was missing.

So far I've called all the salvage yards in town, the only decent one I have found is $600, including the guts. I don't need the guts, and that's almost as much as an OEM one from Chevy. Found another used one on Ebay for $500. Here's the best deal I've found for a new one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/DOOR-SHELL-chevy-SILVERADO-PICKUP-99-05-truck-front-LH_W0QQitemZ330178232259QQihZ014QQcategoryZ33642QQ rdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

$220 shipped for a new shell off of Ebay. I'm just a bit worried about how well it would fit.

[Neilk]

Check out http://www.car-part.com for used parts. I found a cheap side window for my Jetta using that site.

[stomachmonkey]

Look for one with the guts in it.

Had to do a window motor on the wifes 01 Tahoe, it's a ***** working in there.

After you remove the screws the door panel slides straight up then comes off.

[legion]

Originally Posted by avi8torny

Put new door hinge bushings in while your at it. These doors notoriously sag and the only remedy is new bushings.

Very good point. I did the bushings on my old S10 and it made a world of difference.

Also, I'm going to have to agree with not replacing the guts. That could easily make this into a week-long job. You could probably offset much of the difference by selling the door guts yourself. Ultimately, it's your call though.

Finally, if you run into problems with the other insurance company, consider filing a claim with your own insurance company. They will pay for your repairs (minus your deductible) and they will subrogate against the at-fault insurer. You have nothing to worry about if you were not at fault. I've recomended this approach to friends and it has greatly speeded the process. (Weeks instead of months.) Once again, it's your call.

[gr8fl4porsche]

Lots of wreckers belong to networks. Find one who can do a search and get a complete door the right color. Swap the door and your done. The hardest part will be the wiring bundle that goes from the body to the door - should take a couple of hours.

[David]

Originally Posted by gr8fl4porsche

Lots of wreckers belong to networks. Find one who can do a search and get a complete door the right color. Swap the door and your done. The hardest part will be the wiring bundle that goes from the body to the door - should take a couple of hours.

I agree, it may take a little longer, but finding one in the same color shouldn't be too hard seeing how they sell millions a year. Plus the color will probably match much better than a painted one.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Neilk

Check out http://www.car-part.com for used parts. I found a cheap side window for my Jetta using that site.

Awesome site, thanks for the link! Now if I could just find a blue one.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Best I can find so far is a red one, all electric, for $600. Local too. The site above has good info, but it's not very fresh. I've done a lot of calling. I'd have to have it painted and swap the mirror. What would that cost me for paint, $100 or so?

[Dave L]

have you considered changing the just the skin? You would have to grind off the edges of the door then reweld the skin on but I would think it would be cheaper than the full door.

[onewhippedpuppy]

I think the frame is somewhat bent, it doesn't shut well. Reskin wouldn't work too well, plus I can't DIY.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

I think the frame is somewhat bent, it doesn't shut well. Reskin wouldn't work too well, plus I can't DIY.

Sorry to hear of your troubles, Pup. Try these guys. They had a door for under $360.00. These guys collect parts from the Richmond/Wash/Baltimore corridor.

http://www.innerauto.com/yp/MD/Upper_Marlboro/

All the best.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Paul, thanks for the lead. That's a new aftermarket shell, similar to what is on Ebay. That's plan B. From what everyone has said, I really don't want to swap over all of the accessories.

[David]

Maaco can probably paint it for $100. You don't need it to match do you ?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 125shifter

Maaco can probably paint it for $100. You don't need it to match do you ?

Eh, more or less.