LucasYost

Its about to be getting really nice out with the spring weather so I've decided to take the doors off of my 1996 Cherokee 4dr. I figured I take pics along the way because I couldn't find a write-up specifically for older model XJs with power windows, locks, speaker, etc.
Sorry for the vertical pictures.

Steps are exactly the same for passenger and driver side unless noted.

1. Remove the kicker panels. I don't have specifics here because I took them of a while ago. I know its only a screw or two.

2. Disconnect the three connectors, the large main one, one red one, and the green speaker one. Passenger side does not have the red plug.



3. Next pull the gasket out of the inner cab panel where the wires exit. After you have it out, cut down to the wire bundle, and peel it off. It was more difficult than it sounds because of cramped conditions and the gasket it pretty tough. After it is peeled off, the wires will be exposed.



I didn't like that they were exposed, especially because of the contact with a metal edge, so I wrapped them with electrical tape.



4. Next, go outside to the boot where the wires lead to the door, and pull both sides out from the frame. I did not want to cut this off because now the inner gasket will not stop any water from getting in.

5. Next is removing the door check pin. Just take a hammer to the bottom of it and it will pop right out. I replaced its place with a nail just to hold the door open.



6. While you're already in there, just remove the cab light button. The socket is a 9/16th. Just give it a few turns and it pulls out with the wires. Its a simple disconnect so give it a tug and you no longer have to worry about draining your battery or dealing with the buzzing noise.



7. Next, remove the door panel. There are little pins all around the sides and bottom, and a lip up top. There are also a few screws on the switch and handle plate, and two under the arm rest thing. After this is off, remove the speaker. It takes a t-10 bit, and has a clip to disconnect it and get it out of the way.

8. You can then pull the entire bundle and connector through both body holes and through the door hole and down through the speaker hole. Originally I figured I would have to cut the first cab hole larger for the disconnect, but it squeezes through with no work.





9. Here is where I found some of my electrical issues. My speaker on the driver side never worked, and the passenger side windows could not be operated unless the door was completely shut. A few of the wires had been cut due to whatever reason. I've got to solder these up sometime.



I plan on relocating the speakers so I won't worry about the speaker line.

10. The next step is to remove the doors. I did not directly cut the hinge due to the cramped space. I'm thinking you could but with the experience I had, it is much easier just to get the door out of the way. First clean around the hinges and outline the edge with a marker. This will make is much easier to put them back on straight and aligned properly.



11. I then propped the door up with a jack and piece of wood to reduce the strain on the bolts as I removed them.



12. You need a t-40 but and some leverage. The space is too small for a regular socket and ratchet. A simple remedy is to knock the t-40 bit from its socket, and use a 9/16th wrench to turn it. It worked perfectly.



The small wrench was not enough for my door though, so I brought out an extended handle wrench and they came off no problem. I used this same idea to remove my leaking oil filter adapter.



I removed two bolts from each hinge and then had someone balance the door while I removed the last bottom bolt. The shim and mount will both fall out. Mark is as a bottom driver, or passenger. Then remove the top bolt and label that shim and mount.



The door should then come right off. I recommend rolling the window down before removing it because it would have been much easier to handle.





13. Next is cutting the hinge. I wedged a piece of wood between the body and the hinge to hold it in place, making it easier to cut.



You're going to cut the bottom part of the hinge the connects back to the pin.





I used an air tool with a cutoff wheel and it cut no problem.

14. The nub will not just fall off, I found the best way to get it lose was to wedge a screwdriver between the hinge and the nub gap. Once there is a big enough gap I just smacked it with a hammer and it popped off. The one in the pic was rusted so it snapped off.



On the passenger side the pins are upside down, so the process is a little different. I could not smack the pin out, so I ground the top of the pin off (bottom of the hinge) and used the wedge technique to create a gap. After pounding at the nub for a few minutes, I realized it wasn't going anywhere so I stuck my cutting wheel in the gap and just cut it off there. This was very easy and I should have done this method all around.

For removing the nubs after being cut, I suggest using the wedge technique to create a gap, and just cut it off from there. Again, it is much easier.

After removing each hinge, label its position.



You are now done with work at the Jeep.

15. Next is to realign the hinges, shims, and mounts on the door. For simplicity I realigned the shims and mounts and used a thin double sided tape to match them up. It is easy to see their old positions.







After this I positioned the doors sideways so the hinge location was easy to work with. Place the shim assembly on its correct location, and then the hinge on top. Put the bolts in hand tight, and then tighten one down so the shim assembly can be adjusted until lines up with the marks made earlier. Tighten it down the rest of the way, and then tighten the other two. Repeat for the other hinge.

Bottom hinge:



Top hinge:



16. After this, I cleaned up the pin hole on the Jeep with a dremel, and then beveled the end of the pins with it. I did this because of some copper weave lining in my pin hole. The bevel I put on was not very sharp, and later I plan on making it a spike.

17. This step is very important. You must cut a slit in the bottom of mount hardware. The door will not slip into place without this. After a long time of fidgeting with the door I found this to be hindering it from falling into place. I do not have any pictures of the cut because I just wanted to throw it on. Here is where you should make the cut:



After cutting it, just use a vice grip to wiggle it side to side until it snaps off. This piece gets in the way of the hinge mount on the body and keep the door from being put into place.

Do this to both top, and bottom hinge mount plates.

18. You can now pick the door up, line up the pins with their holes, and drop it in. Mine took a bit of persuasion. To make this easier in the future, I am going to shorted the bottom pin by an inch or so I only have to worry about lining one pin up at a time.




The bottom hinge did not line up, however.



To fix this, I jacked up the door just a bit, loosened the bolts on the bottom hinge, and hammered it down until it was flush with the mount, then re-tightened.



19. Lastly, weasel the wiring back through the holes, and stick the boot on midway. Connect all the wiring back up. I did not put the factor door stop pin in because I want to find something that will be easier to remove, so temporarily I have a nail in its place. Put the panel and the speaker back on, and the door can easily be taken off now.



I will continue this write up for the rear doors another time, possibly next weekend. I have to figure out how to disconnect the rear door wiring bundle. I will also follow up with new mirrors I will be putting on so it is legal in my state to drive on the road.

If anything was unclear in this write up, please let me know, this is my first. I can get pictures of any area to clear things up.

This all took about 7 hours, but I also made many mistakes and time consuming errors which I've pointed out. You can probably finish this within 5 hours.

Good luck

LucasYost

I just finished the rear doors, and took pictures along the way. I can do a write-up on them if anyone is interested.