Door Check Bracket Repair.......
11-16-2013, 07:39 PM
#1
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Year: 1999
Model: Cherokee
Door Check Bracket Repair & Rear To Front Check Swap
Wallowed out door check brackets can be repaired and for cheap. New brackets cost between $8-10 which is criminal. Got to thinking and this is what I came up with. Found bushings and drilled the bracket to fit them. Looks like this is a keeper. With shipping, the bushings cost less than 75 cents ea.
I did change the orientation of the bushings keeping the flanged side up......
I did change the orientation of the bushings keeping the flanged side up......
Last edited by Crow Horse; 11-17-2013 at 04:01 PM.
11-16-2013, 10:36 PM
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Year: 2000
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
That looks like nice work. What keeps the bottom one from falling off? Btw, I just stole the one from my back door check. Its the same part.
11-17-2013, 05:41 AM
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Follow up.....
Most upgrades are not without trials and tribulations and this was no different. I went to replace the driver's side bracket with the freshly bushed one and the door check arm nearly dropped out. Not a good sign. Upon further investigation, the door check actually had broken into 3 pieces and this made extraction a real PITA. Fortunately I had an old one that I had replaced from the passenger side and I married the best parts of the 2 to make one serviceable door check. This took quite a bit of time to do. It was completely disassembled, scraped all the old nearly petrified lube and gunk off, ultrasonically cleaned everything and a final lube (Super Lube) to make everything happy. The "mutt" door check has a slight click, but that's because I had to use some worn parts.......
When I reoriented the bottom bushing to have the flanged portion on top it did create a clearance issue with the bottom bracket bolt. A Dremel with a cutting disc made short order of it and the cut was cleaned up with a file and deburring tool. Beyond that, the install went smoothly. I wasn't too crazy about using the original pins but did anyway. I'll look into a getting a 1/4" clevis pin in place of the original ....
The bushings I used were from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. Cost with shipping $0.58 each. For a $1.16 you can have new bushings in your brackets that are easily replaced if they wear out. They require a 3/8" inch hole to accommodate them and have 1/4" ID.
Now onto the rear door checks....
Most upgrades are not without trials and tribulations and this was no different. I went to replace the driver's side bracket with the freshly bushed one and the door check arm nearly dropped out. Not a good sign. Upon further investigation, the door check actually had broken into 3 pieces and this made extraction a real PITA. Fortunately I had an old one that I had replaced from the passenger side and I married the best parts of the 2 to make one serviceable door check. This took quite a bit of time to do. It was completely disassembled, scraped all the old nearly petrified lube and gunk off, ultrasonically cleaned everything and a final lube (Super Lube) to make everything happy. The "mutt" door check has a slight click, but that's because I had to use some worn parts.......
When I reoriented the bottom bushing to have the flanged portion on top it did create a clearance issue with the bottom bracket bolt. A Dremel with a cutting disc made short order of it and the cut was cleaned up with a file and deburring tool. Beyond that, the install went smoothly. I wasn't too crazy about using the original pins but did anyway. I'll look into a getting a 1/4" clevis pin in place of the original ....
The bushings I used were from Aircraft Spruce & Specialty Co. Cost with shipping $0.58 each. For a $1.16 you can have new bushings in your brackets that are easily replaced if they wear out. They require a 3/8" inch hole to accommodate them and have 1/4" ID.
Now onto the rear door checks....
11-17-2013, 06:01 AM
#6
Beach Bum
The door check arms have ridges and valleys that cause noise and difficult opening.
I ground down the ridges a bit, made them less dramatic. Works good on the doors and still holds it open.
I ground down the ridges a bit, made them less dramatic. Works good on the doors and still holds it open.
11-17-2013, 06:24 AM
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From what I see and conclude, the arm wears as it rides over the internal rollers. The pins on which the rollers ride wear the brackets they seat in and wallow out the holes and slightly **** the roller which slightly ***** the arm which adds wear to the arm and creates a burr on it. Removing the burr and like you mentioned, grinding the arm so it ramps smoothly should remove the click if everything else is up to snuff......
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11-17-2013, 06:27 AM
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Now I'm looking at using a rear door check up front with a front arm. I need to measure and try this out. It appears that this might work out....
11-17-2013, 01:59 PM
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Got the "hybrid" installed and it works just fine. The front arm I used was less than great so it required a bit of grinding and filing. It fit fine but there was that noticeable click although subdued. Grinding the peaks on the arm to reduce the drop into the valleys improved the click. Too much grinding and you reduce the check's ability to hold the door open. It's not perfect but it's a vast improvement over what existed before. And far cheaper. I snagged these door checks from the not so local pick-n-pull. Beats paying $60-80 for a new one. I might try to TIG weld the arm to reduce the drop into the valley.....
The bushings in the bracket work awesome. No movement at all and quiet as a mouse. The bushings are oilite bronze flanged bushings. I've removed and installed the door check a dozen times trying to get the grind right and the bushings remained in place......
The bushings in the bracket work awesome. No movement at all and quiet as a mouse. The bushings are oilite bronze flanged bushings. I've removed and installed the door check a dozen times trying to get the grind right and the bushings remained in place......
02-10-2014, 05:48 AM
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Year: 1998
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Good info here, Crow. Are the rear arms shorter or longer than the front?
