Crack in door, is it useable?

[hottvr]

This fracture is right in front of where the mirror goes. I got it from a junkyard and would like to use it because it has very little rust, and matches the color of my car. Will a mig fix this and is the stuctural integrity comprimised? I also wonder if the fit and finish will be different.Also, it looks like the mirrors were pulled out and widened the mirror holes. Is this a problem?
Thanks
Rick

 

[tony barnhill]

drill a hole at the bottom of the crack, weld a piece of metal behind it...skim coat it.

 

[hottvr]

What is skim coating?

 

[crj7driver]

a very thin layer of body filler on the outside to conceal the crack. This is done after the metal repair of course

 

[Scott_Hower]

[ QUOTE ]
This fracture is right in front of where the mirror goes.

[/ QUOTE ]

The infamous Crack of Doom. I decided to reskin my doors rather than fix the cracks; never again. Much easier to weld a plate behind it. The drill hole relieves the stress, or the split will just keep going.

 

[tony barnhill]

2 reasons for the crack:

1. windshield is not properly aligned because rubber weatherstripping underneath has dried & 'settled' - i.e., when you close the door, it hits the top corner of the vent window,

2. people closing door by pulling on vent window (most common reason) instead of the interior door pull.

 

[rick_ingram]

Amen, Tony....On both #1 AND #2!!!!

 

[kennypinkerton]

That crack in the door is very useable... I've used mine to:

1. hold baseball cards (but there's no satisfying click click click like on a bicycle spoke).

2. keep my long sleeve shirts from blowing up my arm.

3. Hold a ten dollar bill while pumping gas into a 2 gallon container. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

4. Hold a fifty while filling up the car.

5. Hold my toothpicks on a long trip after lunch.

6. Hold a.....

Man I ain't right.... Lol.

 

[RTR52nd]

These are good to hear. I too have the crack of doom, and in the very back of my mind have been trying to figure out if I wanted to re-skin or simply weld. Having read horror stories of re-skinning, these posts have made me very happy. Thanks, and hand me that welder!!

 

[PAUL161]

After drilling a hole at the top and bottom of the crack, place a formed piece of metal behind it, approximetly the same thickness as the door material, then Mig weld the crack, filling in the holes with weld. Grind off any excess weld and it will all disappear. Gas welding usually distorts the surrounding area and that's why I like Mig. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsup.gif PJ