Fixed Rear Door - 06/02/05

Ever since I got my Samurai the rear door has been getting worse and worse. The tailgate really wasn't designed to have the weight of a big piece of glass and a 31 inch tyre hanging off it. I finally decided I had to repair it before it actually fell off!

The weight on the door had proved too much and the spot welds that hold the two halves of the door together came apart near the bottom hinge. This meant that the door peeled apart when it was open and the outer skin buckled leaving the door hanging back at a crazy angle. The door also dropped when it was open so I had to lift it about 3 inches to close it.

I wanted to not just fix the door but make it stronger like all the best fixes should be! The solution I came up with was to bolt the hinges right through the door to clamp the two halves together and also clamp a sheet of metal on to strengthen the edge. I went with a piece of aluminium treadplate because I decided it would give the nicest finish.

I realised after I'd drilled and bolted the whole thing together that where the bolts come through on the inside is where the rubber seal touches the door. Fortunately I was really lucky and once I'd cut the ends of the bolts off they just missed the seal. I painted all the bare metal and all under the treadplate with black hammerite to keep the dreaded rust at bay.

The door doesn't drop anymore when I open it and doesn't lean back like it's about to rip itself off! I have to admit I like the look of the treadplate too.