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Broken door strap...

Started by 1980sdga, 06 April 2011, 09:01 PM

1980sdga

I'm not sure what it's called but I'm referring to the metal strap that prevents the door from opening too far.

My drivers door was making quite a racket when opened and closed and I discovered that the welds that hold the bracket to the door had broken off and it was just flopping around INSIDE the door frame  ::)

There was Noooo way of getting behind it so I drilled some 1/4" holes in the door frame that lined up with the tabs on the bracket and did some rosette welds through the holes.

Made a big difference in how the door feels and sounds when opening. I love that satisfying CLUNK and the feel of the door handles  :P  Just imagine when these things were new!

Not sure if this is common problem but it was a simple fix that worked out well.

I'll post some pics if anyone's interested.

Sorry 'bout the lame post but I haven't been so infatuated with a car in a looong time!


WGB

Please post some Pics as it sounds interesting and may be useful to others.

The usual problem with the door strap is that the metal casting breaks up and the strap flops around, rattles and won't hold the door open but I have never seen the door frame come apart with anything other than rust.

Fortunately all doors use the same strap and spring loaded tensioner so there is a plentiful supply of second hand spares from rear doors that just need the strap painted the correct colour.

Bill


vlv8vic

Wouldn't mind seeing a pic too.  I've got what Bill mentioned, both fronts have lost the little cast tab which keeps the door open.  Annoying but not critical to overall operation.

TJ 450

Yes, that problem consisting the tabs in the casting is ubiquitous, it seems. I'll be replacing one on my 6.9 during the paint job.

Tim
1976 450SEL 6.9 1432
1969 300SEL 6.3 1394
2003 ML500