Looking For Mounting Hardware for One Piece Soft Doors

[Joewalk]

Anyhone know where I can buy, or have fabricated, the mounting hardware for these type of doors? Im in Long Beach, CA.

 

[Gerbow]

If you buy my inserts and doors, I'll throw in the mounting hardware for free...
Other than that I have no odea.

 

[Sporto]

PM me, I can walk you through it. I just fabbed up the hardware for a set of these doors about two weeks ago, and if I can do it, anyone can. ;D

Sporto

 

[Joewalk]

Fabrication

Yea, would love a step by step! I dont weld though. Is it going to be necessary?

 

[Sporto]

Joewalk..
Check my thread from a few weeks ago here.
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194728&highlight=kayline

I documented my experience installing these doors. Yes you have to weld to make the door hinge parts. Pay for parts & postage and I will make you a set. We can work that out later, it just a few bucks for materials from Home Depot.

What parts do you have? There is one part that is on the front made of extruded aluminum that I could not find anywhere, but I had the original set. I was told a boat supply shop would have it, but I did not have any luck at West Marine where I went. Maybe you will have better luck. I can send pix of that part. There is also a length of square steel about 3/16" of an inch that runs through the material along the vent window, do you have that or not? I am pretty sure you can find that at any steel seller or maybe Lowes, they have a good selection of steel.

Do you have the latches? They are missing in the picture...I can send pix of those, not sure that I could fab them easily, but I can get you specs...

R

 

[Joewalk]

Sounds good, I would be glad to pay parts and shipping, and appriciative! I need to get the doors down from the rafters in the garage. Ill take a look in the A.M. and get back about what I have and dont have.

Was also contemplating how much I could get for these doors, and putting that towards buying the newer 2 piece doors. Any thoughts?

 

[Joewalk]

O, and no, I dont have any latches. Can they be made too or, does that make the project too complicated?

 

[Sporto]

Well...Personally I like these doors better than the Bestop doors for two reasons. First, they are the original door design from the U13 roadsters so they match the classic design of the EB better than the Bestop doors. They also seal on the outside, and if installed properly offer relatively comfortable service. I have heard the Bestop doors can be windy due to the way they work inside the insert, and this is the reason why I went with these type of doors.

That said, the latching mechanism is very simple, but I am not sure how good I am at fabricating something like that. I don't have any metal brakes that would be able to bend the steel as needed. The top hinges are easy to make. However the doors still work with a bungie cord if needed. I use a set of bungies for my Kayline half doors b/c those latches don't keep latched and the door can fly open.

Let me look at the latches more closely and see what I can think of. I know it won't be as pretty as the one's that came with the doors, but it is only a lever.

I will let you know.

R

 

[Joewalk]

Makes sense. Ok, I get those things down and get a closer look at what I have.

 

[77bronco_ed]

I actually have some old hardware up in the rafters for soft doors.
Only thing is you would have to weld the top and bottom back together.
I cut it thinking I would only use the top portion.

20.00 + shipping if you are interested.

 

[77bronco_ed]

I even have the windows (cut of course)

 

[Joewalk]

Sounds interesting. Any way to get a pic of the hardware your talking about? Is it all the hardware I'll need, or is it minus the latches.

 

[Lawson]

Joewalk..
Check my thread from a few weeks ago here.
http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194728&highlight=kayline

I documented my experience installing these doors. Yes you have to weld to make the door hinge parts. Pay for parts & postage and I will make you a set. We can work that out later, it just a few bucks for materials from Home Depot.


R

I am shocked there is a thread about this very subject two days before I have the same problem/questions. I need to figure out what the upper front hinge assembly looks like. I visited your thread above, but the one photo you didn't appear to post was the hinge assembly on the top front of the door.

I have fought wind blowing in and poor fit for years. When I got the doors, they did not have the front hardware. I ended up putting a dowel in the sleeve along the windshield. I have always wondered what the original design was. I called Jeff's Bronco Graveyard the other day to see if they had the part, but they no longer sell it. They thought they might be able to find the instructions, but no luck there either, so here I am.

Can you send me a photo of the windshield portion of your fabrication? Or, if you have gone into the business of making these things, make me one two! I do have access to welding equipment, so I can probably fab it myself, but I just need to see it. Also need to understand how that wing window portion is supposed to stay flush to the windshield.

Appreciate any help you can offer. I may post a photo of what I have been using the last few years. Thanks.

 

[Sporto]

Lawson,
I will post a few pix of the fabbed part later tonight. It is really easy to make if you have a welder.

Parts needed for upper hinges are

Steel pipe 3/8" diameter by 2" long x 2
6" 1/8" flat steel bar x 2

Both items purchased for a few bucks at Home Depot.

Just weld the pipe to the bar (see photo that I will post in a few hours).

Concerning the windshield gutter seam. Did you get this to work or not? I was not able to tell by what you had written.

R

 

[Sporto]

The first pictures show the parts that I bought at Lowes in the Project and Hobbies drawer with all the screws. These hold the metal bar and material in the drain gutter and keep the wind from blowing into the cabin.

The rod that is in the fabric that presses into the drain gutter is just an 18" piece of square rod that is 1/4" square. You can find it easily online for a couple of bucks. Some of the sites that I saw will even cut it to fit for you.
You also may want to try 3/16" rod as well just to give you fitment options.

You press the rod and the fabric into the channel and use the plates to hold it in. Works perfectly for me.

You can see the hinge that I made how simple it is. Just a piece of pipe and some flat bar. I made it with the flatbar a few inches long so I was able to fit the hinge, mark it and then cut the bar so it would be in the proper place for the door frame. I drilled two holes in the bar and then used self-tappers to finish connection the hinges to the windshield frame.

The hardest part to find IMO is the aluminum channel that secures the lower front of the door to the insert. I have not had any luck finding anything that is repmorely close to that design. I used the one's that came with the doors, but if I was stuck without them, I am not sure that I would have the doors installed at all by now.

 

[Lawson]

Thanks for the photos. I'm getting a clearer picture of how others have gotten the top sealed to the doors. I have square aluminum tubing in the window software. I think I remove the soft door and double check the fit of the door itself. I notice you didn't snap the top of the Bestop top, which is something I was looking at as well. The snap lines up with the gutter, not the frame, which shocked me.

I was a bit disappointed in my Bestop top. Some fitting issues, and my side windows don't have the proper velcro. The window and the top both have the soft material, neither has the hook and loop.

We just hit a cold spell, so I will probably get back to fitting this better as things warm up, hopefully. I'll attach some photos when I get there. Thanks for your photos. My door hinge is very similar in placement, so I will likely leave it. Like I say, I'll include some photos so you can see what I did.

I must set my account up properly, I did not receive an email letting me know there was a response. Thanks again.

 

[Sporto]

I was a bit disappointed in my Bestop top. Some fitting issues, and my side windows don't have the proper velcro. The window and the top both have the soft material, neither has the hook and loop.

Damn..That sucks. I would be really ticked if that happened to me. Good luck resolving that if you can.

Also...Note that the adjustable supports between the windshield and my roll bar offer me the ability to adjust the windshield frame gap by pushing it forward about 1/2" or so to create the needed 3.75" gap that the directions call for. This was critical the doors fitting properly.

If you cannot get photos to post, feel free to send them to me at sporto@verizon.net

R

 

[77bronco_ed]

After a considerable amount of digging this is what I found...
50% of the hardware... The handles

Wire for both doors, clean cut dividing in half easier to ship. I can weld them back together if needed.

Handles inside and out

Top portion of softdoors (great shape/both sides)

In looking at the wire doors I believe there was a tube welded to a small bracket that the doors slipped into for the hinge.
I did not see them when looking.. I dug enough for this

Let me know if there is an interest.

Thanks

-Ed

 

[Joewalk]

Wow, I didnt even know what a latch looked like until this pic. Although Sporto suggested that the lower "hinge" or connection point, was (potentially) the most difficult part. Which worries me a bit.
None the less, Id be interested in those handles. How much do you want for them?
Also, just wondering why the doors were cut in half? Were you able to install them as half doors?

 

[Sporto]

Joewalk,
Go for the latches! They look really nice! The upper hinges are what I can make easily. The lower hinge is just a hole in the insert with a steel plate (See my pictures), however there is an extruded aluminum channel that secures to the front of the insert and the door slides into it. I have not been able to find anything like that yet, but I am pretty sure it is a common part if you just find the right vendor. There is also a steel square rod that goes in the fabric near the vent window, that can be picked up at any steel supply website. It is 3/16" square by 18" long.

Take a look at this thread and post #6. You will see the plate and the aluminum piece that I am talking about.

http://classicbroncos.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194258

I am certain that you can find the part online, but it just takes some searching.

LMK if you want me to make those upper hinges for you.

R