Door Echelon repair

[nickygn23]

Hello guys. I tried my hand at repairing a broken door Echelon. Mind you I'm going to be purchasing
a new one down the road but this should be good in the meantime.
Here Goes.......

 

[nickygn23]

Broken Echelon

 

[nickygn23]

Next I found a piece of plastic ... An old paint brush

 

[nickygn23]

Cut off the plastic from bush with a razor knife

 

[nickygn23]

Trimmed it

 

[nickygn23]

Sanded down the area with a little sanding block

 

[nickygn23]

Grabbed the crazy glue

 

[nickygn23]

applied it

 

[nickygn23]

Painted it with one of those chrome marker

 

[nickygn23]

End result. A few more passes with some sand paper and more paint....... Hell it looks a million time better than the cracked handle that was there.

 

[davelostmissing]

Nice work on the Escutcheon, thumbs up

 

[nickygn23]

Thanks .Only took an hour

 

[nickygn23]

I might sand it one more time and lay down a thin layer of chrome paint. I'll try it tomorrow. Right now .......
I deserve a fine alcoholic beverage

 

[rag231]

My true repair was to use a nut setter on the metal part of the door to decrease the flex of the thin thread engagement of the door sheet metal. That way once a fix like yours is in place or new ones installed the door strap can still be used. I once made a joke about the regal having the weakest door straps in existence. There was an 84 Olds door in the junkyard on the ground. I picked the door off the ground by the door handle and tried to throw it like the hammer throw, the door handle didn't break. Nice work on your repair.

 

[Nick Micale]

Now after all the good work you have done, put nutserts in the door so you can fasten the strap with 2 bolts, instead of a metal screw, which will come loose again!

A 1/4" bolt and loctite is an excellent fix!

 

[nickygn23]

You know I'am sure your right Nick but I never use the strap to close the door. Just the handle. I only threw in the washers just to make it tight. Before the washers it wouldn't run the screw all the way down. You now now that I think about I'll take your advise on the nutserts. An once of prevention is better than a pound of cure... (WOW I sound old)

 

[rag231]

I got the Harbor Freight model for Christmas a few years ago and used that on.

 

[nickygn23]

Thanks Rag . I was on my way to Harbor Freight to get one.

 

[captndave737]

I used the one from Harbor Freight go do mine. Cheap and easy. It's the screws loosening up that breaks the echelon so like Nick say's bolts and loctite.

BTW nice work.