Front Door Refurb Ideas Please

I've bought two new front doors and today I've started moving the fittings over from the old doors. The channels the glass runs in are rotten at the bottoms. The steel U shaped channel has literally gone ffrom about 6 or 7 inches up from the bottom.

New channels are quite expensive to fit out both front doors. I'm thinking of hacksawing off the rotten ends of the channels. Has anyone done this and, if so, did it make the window wobble when in the down position? If so, I'm thinking I could fabricate a channel the window could 'park' in and araldite it in to position.
Does anyone have any successful tips for swapping the fittings over?

I bought window channel from these guys when I did my door refurb:
http://www.sp-4x4.com/product_p/door-chan.htm
Just cut it to size and notch it where it needs to bend to conform to the door. Use some self drilling screws to install it.

Paddocks do the channel cheap as chips, same channel as you'd buy for series windows, bout a tenner a side.

nengelbrecht6 said:

I bought window channel from these guys when I did my door refurb:
http://www.sp-4x4.com/product_p/door-chan.htm
Just cut it to size and notch it where it needs to bend to conform to the door. Use some self drilling screws to install it.

Click to expand...

Excellent, thanks mate. Can't argue with £1.99/metre

XRIZLAX said:

Paddocks do the channel cheap as chips, same channel as you'd buy for series windows, bout a tenner a side.

Click to expand...

I've seen the series ones. Didn't know if they were slightly different fit. Thanks for the tip.

Has anyone tried anything to 'guide' any water that enters the door out through the bottom without lying about causing rot?

Mine is knackered as well, so will order some too - any ideas how much is needed?

I am planning on applying grease to the bottom bit of the runner (since I believe even at the bottom it shouldn't end up being visible).

I'm also going to take the door card off as part of yearly (or more often?) maintenance and repaint/grease things. My doors were in a pretty bad state but I think I've about rescued them

gse1986 said:

Mine is knackered as well, so will order some too - any ideas how much is needed?

Yeah, just measured the bits. The straight piece up the latch side of the door is 99cm long, across the top of the door is 57cm and from there down around the bend in the window to the bottom is 103cm. So it's going to take 3 x 1m lengths, per door, of the channel mentioned by nengelbrecht6 That's 6 meters to buy, great value for £12

I am planning on applying grease to the bottom bit of the runner (since I believe even at the bottom it shouldn't end up being visible).

I thought of doing the same but with dinitrol. I've measured the 'tide mark' on the bottom of the glass and the last 9cm of the glass stays in the door, so we could wax/grease a fair bit of the runner to try and stop it rusting.

I'm also going to take the door card off as part of yearly (or more often?) maintenance and repaint/grease things. My doors were in a pretty bad state but I think I've about rescued them

Click to expand...

Good idea, because it's a fair bit of hassle to sort them if you let them go.

Anyone know the size thread of the screws that hold the door handles on? I'd like to replace them with bolts.

sorry just seen this thread ,,,,lol

Al2O3 said:

Anyone know the size thread of the screws that hold the door handles on? I'd like to replace them with bolts.

Click to expand...

M5 -- just unwrapped my new (Bearmach) handle and tried a screw in it!
Looking at the seized one from the angled side, it's 12mm (1/2") long. (The brass inserts are about 9mm deep.)


(And thanks for the tip about the channel. Fitting new seems a very good idea. I can hear the rust crunching as I move mine about!)

M5 Champion. My channels have been dispatched from SP4x4, I'll let you know if they are any good if you're interested. They were very cheap!

Got. Mine from SP and no problems!