turning a truck door into a blazer door?

[13lazer]

im cutting a clean truck driver side door to fit my k5, i saved the doubler at the striker. has anyone successfully strengthened the door where the top hinge mounts? i'm thinking about welding some braces inside the door to stiffen up that spot. if anyone has dealt with this before i'd like to hear about it?

 

[Leper]

Are you leaving the top of the door on, or cutting it off. The ones I am making are still on and the door seems plenty strong.

 

[13lazer]

truck- blazer doors

you left the frame around the window on the 69-72 blazer? i've never seen that. i dont think it will fit. i'm only mentioning this because almost every original blazer door i have seen is ripped out where the top hinge mounts. i'm looking at doubling up the sheet metal on the inside with braces welded in.

 

[Greg72]

The original "Factory Assembly Manual" shows the process for converting a truck door for the Blazer...

They showed where to make the cuts on the frame and therefore where the "caps" needed to go. I can't recall other re-inforcements being added but it's been a while since I cracked that book open.

FYI - That manual is one of the books I'd consider MANDATORY if you own a 1st Gen. The other is the original Factory Service Manual. Seeing detailed photos and accurate wiring schematics are real lifesavers when trying to restore or repair one of these classics.

If I remember correctly factory blazer doors had reinforcement plates inside the doors where the hinges mount to help keep them from pulling out. I'm sure someone out there will verify whether this is true or not.

 

[Leper]

you left the frame around the window on the 69-72 blazer? i've never seen that. i dont think it will fit. i'm only mentioning this because almost every original blazer door i have seen is ripped out where the top hinge mounts. i'm looking at doubling up the sheet metal on the inside with braces welded in.

I didn't know the age of your blazer.

 

[packer]

packer

You mention the Factory assy. manual and Factory service manual, could you please tell where we can get these.

 

[BobK]

This is straight from the factory assembly manual.

I see nothing in the manual that mentions addtional support at the hinge area.

You can obtain the manuals through any number of busines's that deal in our year trucks.
Here are a couple.
LMC http://www.lmctruck.com/
GMC Pauls http://www.gmcpauls.com/manuals1.htm
Chevy Duty http://www.chevyduty.com/frame-store.html
etc.

 

[RustyParts]

I think the reason the top hinge in the door cracks is because of stress from the body flexing. The door striker is just about straight across from the top hinge and when the bedside flexes it pulls on the door causing it to bend at the hinge. It's like bending a piece of metal back and forth until it breaks.

It's even worse when the top is off and some of the floor and related area is rusted away.

Just my opinion.

 

[13lazer]

yes, i'm familiar with the books. mine have seen plenty of use. i actually have duct tape holding the bindings together. i think i'm gonna make something inside the door that i can attach to the three bolts on the top hinge and spread the load to a larger section of the door. the part that always rips is very thin sheetmetal. i'll post pictures when i finish.

 

[Ryan B.]

Hey guys,
I believe the plate reinforcement on a blazer door is located where the door latch is, (not by the hinges) .
The three phillips screws that attatch the door latch to the door... Right there is a plate on the outside of the door that strengthens the latch area and prevents it from cracking/ripping the door apart.
My factory blazer doors have this plate, as well as a set of rusty doors i got from a '71 that was parted out... All the truck doors in the junkyard i look at do not have this plate.
If you convert some truck doors to blazer doors, it might be a good idea to create a plate support there for the latch and keep the door from cracking.

 

[13lazer]

i saved the reinforcing plate around the striker on my original driver door by drilling the spot welds. the passenger door from this same truck where the drivers door was completely destroyed, is intact. (truck is originally from the desert near palm springs, CA.). the passengers side took all of the vibration and body flex that the drivers side door went through. the only difference is the wear from being opened and closed so much more often. i have a second blazer with a much better body, but i just realized that my passenger side is a cut truck door. the doubler around the striker is missing and the window frame wasn't cut exactly right. its a good thing that oem blazer passenger doors are so much easier to find intact. these old trucks require alot of attention, luckily im not married yet.

 

[gaspass]

I cut down some truck doors for use as "summer doors" on my 72 K5. I gutted them out, then I removed the window frame leaving the front part of the frame just as it is on my original doors. I then cut out the middle of the door to look kind of like the fiberglass 'roadster' inserts I used to see on old broncos and IH scouts. Now I am needing to reinforce them somehow. I was thinking of running a tube accross the gap, but then it wouldn't be a step through door. Any ideas out there? I don't intend to use these doors with my top on so I'm not worried about how it fits against the top.