Reinforcement door plate video

[Kibokojoe]

I have made a video on how to install the door plates

Hollywood it ain't :D

http://s273.photobucket.com/albums/jj225/kibokojoe/?action=view&current=platevideo_final.flv

[bubba966]

That on an E32?

Don't recall the retaining pin having a clip to hold it in place on the '93 M5 I put the Koala plates on a couple of years back. Recall that pin just having a piece/barb that stuck out to prevent it from backing out. The clip style pin looks much easier to deal with.

[BigKriss]

Thanks for that. A great video.

[Kibokojoe]

Hmm... have clips on my 89 E34 535i and 91 E32 735i.

[Kibokojoe]

Thanks

[Kibokojoe]

Looked at the http://bmwfans.info site and based on the illustration you should have had clips. I wonder if yours fell off.

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E34/Touring/Europe/M5-S38/LHD/M/1993/browse/bodywork/front_door_hinge_door_brake/

[BennyM]

YAY! One handed!

Now, please do a Vanos video.

[yaofeng]

My 525i has the door stop ripped syndrome on the driver side front door. Even though I plan to transplant the door from the wrecked 540i to it I bought two plates.

I started to put it in yersterday thinking it may be a long time before I do the door transplant. I found the reason the door stop tore through the sheetmetal is because the torsion spring inside broke. So it may be easy to install with a good door. For one already broke it is not straightforward. You have to install the door stop and spring assembly from inside of the door. The difficulty is how to thread the assembly throught inside of the door after the card is removed.

[bubba966]

Looked at the http://bmwfans.info site and based on the illustration you should have had clips. I wonder if yours fell off.

http://bmwfans.info/parts/catalog/E34/Touring/Europe/M5-S38/LHD/M/1993/browse/bodywork/front_door_hinge_door_brake/

Even though that's for a '93 M5T (friend's car is a '93 M5 US model 1/93 build) look at the diagram and #5 (the clip for the pin) isn't circled or in the parts list below meaning it's not used on the car.

They must've changed the pin at some point to eliminate the retaining clip to save a few cents in production. My '95 M-Sport (9/95) & my other friend's '95 525iT (6/94) also don't have those retaining clips.

[yaofeng]

Just want to complete what I started by saying for those of you who bought the reinforcing plate to repair rather than to do the preventive maintenance and had to deal with installing a door stop assembly with the bracket and torsion spring from inside the door, it can be done. The door card needs to be removed naturally. Window should be up. The door stop assembly goes in straight up from the inside. It is not easy or straightforward. But can be done.

http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5367/dsc8776.jpg

[Kibokojoe]

Ha not even on my best day

[Kibokojoe]

If your door is ripped through you will need to get a hold of Shogun he has a source for a repair kit that is used to sandwich the inside and outside of the door and I think it has special long bolts to accomplish this task. On my Bimmers I only had small hairline cracks.

[Kibokojoe]

What does your door opening look like? Downsize you pictures they are huge :)

[yaofeng]

What does your door opening look like? Downsize you pictures they are huge :)

As I said the sheet metal ripped because the torsion spring broke. The sheet metal cracked in several locations. I banged it in with a hammer, cannibalized the rear driver side door (the only door which got damaged) bracket and torsion spring assembly from the wrecked 540i in my garage to make a door stop and installed it. I reused the original door stop for the front door. The length of the door stop is different between the front and back door. But the bracket and torsion spring are the same.

It worked for now. But the reinforced area still flexes when I open the door wide. It is a temporary fix as I am planning to transplant the 540i door to it but don't know when I'd be able to do it. It probably won't get done before the 540it project is completed and that does not have a target date of completion.

[Kibokojoe]

Interesting. The plates will not fit on my back doors due to the designed deflection in the metal. For my 535i I would have to make a small plate for the back door. Or I could just modify the ones I have. Would like to see pics if you have the time

[yaofeng]

I installed on the front driver side door on my 525i. I used the door stop bracket and torsion spring from the rear driver's side door of my 540i. Here are the installed pictures. They are huge.

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/9985/dsc8777d.jpg

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/5872/dsc8778t.jpg

[Kibokojoe]

Wow your door is in bad shape. Is it just metal stress or is they rusted through? If it is just metal stress a good TIG welder can work miracles.

Yeah I have noticed your pics are very large 2 to 3 meg. My internet can be slow at times so I upload my pics at 100 to 300 KB. I use Corel paint to resize them.

[yaofeng]

There is no rust at that part of the door. But there is corrosion at the bottom. That is the prime reason why I want to transplant the 540i door. I have a Clarke MIG welder. Used only once to fix the front driver side seat bracket. At this point I don't have any time to do it.

[Ross]

Nice demonstration. You are a better engineer and mechanic than actor.

Any progress on the ABS modules?

[Ross]

I had one that was ripped clean out and banging around inside the door. It required a large unsightly plate to cover the damage and attach the check to a sound portion of the door.
Your plate is a much more elegant solution if you catch it in time.
I think loosening of the screws is the root cause, the loose connection flexes and fatigues the door metal.
Nice work

[632 Regal]

Excellent video. I love movies with a happy ending.

[Kibokojoe]

No I am stuck on the Airbag module. So perhaps I am a better mechanic than an engineer and an actor :). Do you need the module returned?

[Ross]

No current use for it. If it's still in one operational piece maybe you wouldn't mind keeping it around just in case.

[Kibokojoe]

Oh yes it is still operational all I did was remove the cover to study the circuitry

[Kibokojoe]

Yes I am glad I saw Shoguns photos and checked my doors, it would have only been a matter of time before mine would have ripped also.

[BigKriss]

I installed mine today with new door stops. It took me about 1 hour each side. the most diffuclt part was removing the old and installing the new door stops.

some pics here;

http://picasaweb.google.com/Kristianandlily/DropBox?authkey=Gv1sRgCLWlyOncw8Gj_AE#

[Kibokojoe]

Yeah replacing the door stops, theres a real art to removing the door panels. Nice job. Good pics