When Dan Shady examined the passenger's door, it was clear that the frame member on which the hinges mount was in bad shape and had experienced some amateur repairs in the past. He needed to remove that structural member and replace it. He had previously tried to use the epoxy on it but the damage was too severe. He started by carefully peeling back the skin of the door where it was crimped along its rear edge. Then he was able to chisel through some nails that had been used to attach a steel strip to the outer face of the door frame member. This steel strip, which is the piece that the skin is crimped around, could then be slipped out. After removing some interlocking screws, he gently broke the glued finger joints at the top and bottom and slipped the damaged piece of wood out of the door. After crafting a new member, we could see the old and new, side by side:
He then proceeded to carefully position the holes that will attach the hinges, making sure that the door will align accurately when the hinges are assembled. Having done this, he was able to reassemble the wood members, using epoxy cement, and carefully recrimp the door edge over its steel retainer without splitting the metal! It looks fantastic, the door is as rigid as can be, and it aligns perfectly when hung on the car.
