So, i almost certainly own a 98' XJ - base model probably

This car was involved in an accident before my ownership and was fixed by a total hack job. Apparently, the front pass door has been cut to accept a 97+ interior, there was no power locks on it (wiring simply disconnected), and there were various holes drilled/cut everywhere. The thing is an utter and complete broken mess, however it did ultimately close and latch to the chassis. I believe this might have been a 97- door?? Can anybody confirm that?? The area where the side mirror attaches on this door has a cut out in the door for putting wires inside of the door, opposed to leaving them externally.

The reason i bring this up - i bought a 98' XJ door from a Limited edition to replace the busted door. Everything works and fits properly, except the locking latch. This new door has the locking latch located about an inch lower than on the old door. The exterior dimensions of both doors are identical, except for the placement of the locking latch on the new door. No shimming or hinge adjustment is going to compensate for the latch being this far off. I took the door completely off the hinges and held it up for a test fit, and there's no possible way this will ever close/latch without some significant modification.

What is the difference between the various XJ front doors over the years???
Are all of them the same?? I thought all XJ chassis were the same, hence the doors were mechanically interchangeable.

 

Nobody knows about the different variations of XJ front doors???

 

I believe there are two styles. Pre-1996 and 1997-2001. I could be wrong. That's odd that your new door didn't fit. Got any pictures?

 

Mid 1997 they changed the hinges and the latch location.