Bow_Tied |
03-03-2018 11:32 AM |
How to: Fixing door arm rest/pull mounts [pics[
9 Attachment(s)
This thread is primarily about me being a cheap ass. My door pull handle/arm rest mounting points were slightly cracked (previous owner ) but I had secured the mounts with oversized washers when I installed new door speakers a couple years ago. During a recent cold day (-20....I think that's about -5 in the old system) I pulled the door and heard two distinct SNAPs and then the pull handle was super loose.... only being held by the screws on the back of the panel into the arm rest - the main bolts into the door had pulled through.
I looked on fleabay for decent used replacements and found they were $50-$100 plus shipping (and for me there'd be exchange and cross border shipping too) which was more than I wanted to invest for an armrest. Plus I needed a reason to be in the shop out of the house for the afternoon. So I got a couple pcs of scrap sheet steel, I think 14 gauge. I then cut and bent them to match the arm rest contours (pita as they are compound angle bends), then drilled them and 2 part epoxy JB welded and riveted them in place after scuffing the plastic up. All of the work is hidden and the flimsy plastic area of the arm rest is much reinforced now I think. The one side had a crack in the plastic so I put an extra rivet. The new mounting holes were a little off as the test fitting was hard to do and see the nutsert/hole in the door. A little die grinder hole elongation and good to go.
Maybe helps somebody do a cheap fix. Been a couple weeks and it's still rock solid, at least as good as new I'd say.
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