Hey... a friend is up here in MD from Vicksburg MS and a real problem has occured with the drivers door! Yes the hinges have the usual issues,but no worse than I've ever seen.
Well:the latch striker has broken free from the door jamb itself,and what is worse is the jamb itself is ripped and the thin steel has nothing left to mount the striker upon! In all my years of owning GM units I have NEVER seen this! This fella has to get back to MS by monday! Just how do you fix this? Without cutting a whole section from a donor vehicle and welding it in place? We have searches going already,and it looks like this might be the way to go. Any advice please!

 

that happened to mine to i had to put a plate on there and weld it on and then put the latch on there i might have a pic

this was my first blazer that it happend to i added a xtra peice for it so it wouldn't happen again

 

This happens due to bad hinge pins/bushings that are left unrepaired for too long.

The only real option is to get a donor piece if the entire latch pin is detached.

 

If he REALLY has to get home in a short amount of time and you can't find the part and/or able to weld it on...

DUCT TAPE!!!

No, I don't recommend this.

 

mine has the same problem, its real wiggly, and my top door hinge the weld is ripping more and more by the day....

 

Easy fix. I will post pictures of mine. You have to remove the pillar trim. remove all the hex bolts. Cut metal as I did. Weld inside and out. Re Drill (after you align strike) and you are good to go. Now those GOD *()_ GM hinges and Hing pins are a different story.

 

id love all the pics possible plz, id like to fix before winter lol

 

This is what happens when you let the striker lift the door.

Before I owned a GM, I would'a just smirked to myself and not pointed that out.

But anyone with a background in Mustangs and Tbirds knows better. The door on a 4dr is 2/3 the weight of a mustang and WAY less than a tbird.
Never mind the Ford striker design is better in this regard.. on either type, MAKE SURE to adjust the striker when you have difficulty latching the door.
DO NOT USE STRIKER TO LIFT THE DOOR!!!!!

 

Thanks to all who posted replies,we have obviously been busy! Sat am we found a yard that would let me cut a piece from the B piller with the stricker for $20 After careful measurements,we cut the part out of my bud's 99 and just welded the "patch piece" in its place,worked the first time! But we had to make some minor adjustments to the stricker itself and we were good to go! Some careful grinding and after priming the affected area,it actually was a pretty clean fix! That unit is that champagne color and shows no damage to any exterior paint. Jeff left here at midnite Sat and made it to Vicksburg about 5 am today-and had to go strait to work,bet he had a great day at work! Thanks again to all for your input! Step66

 

This happened to me yesterday morning. To compound the problem, I believe that the latch itself has also failed. When O compare the driver side to the passenger side or the rear doors, it seems that the others are spring assisted, but on the drivers' door, the internal parts seem sort of loose. Does anyone know if the front and rear (same side) latches are interchangable. I'm reluctant to put in a used drivers door latch as I fear that it would be too worn.

My brother-in-law owns a body shop and he'll be repairing the door jamb and striker. He is also looking up the cost of a new latch.