Cracked doors below wing windows. Have yours??

hey guys,
 Here are a couple pix of my front doors. Both have cracked in the same spot.




I'm wondering why?? My best guess is the wind catching the doors or just opening them too hard, too many times. (??)
I'm going to be buying some gaskets, to replace mine, and I figure I'll just weld them up then and plug weld a brace in there as well. Any suggestions?? Have any of yours done this??

Also, I think my regulators need a little attention as well. As you can see, I have baby bungee's holding the handles to hold the windows up. They want to roll down on their own, if not. They were really sticky (dried out and a little bit rusty) so I shot some white lithium in there and now they want to come right down. Any idea what I'm in for before I pull out the regulators?

Thanks,
 Chaz

Not really sure on why they cracked but before you go welding a brace in there, practice taking out and putting in the wing windows a couple times. I'm sure there's a specific order to make things easier but I couldn't figure it out. They're a pain.

Some where on this site 108vanguy posted a tutorial on disassembling the doors windows.

My doors were cracked like that. My Guess is slamming the door.

I found this youtube about window frame restoration in the section "This is how it's done". It's for trucks but probably has some good info as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiZOiHmcb_w
I haven't watched it yet, as it is long, and I'm not there yet. It was by westcoastvanner so I will also seek out 108vanguy as well. Thanks Dadio.
BTW, this is an AWESOME section!!! Now I am torn between posting stuff that I do, there, and in our G10 section. There is some great how to's over there. I especially like the headliner one as I am getting ready to do mine. I had planned on a whole different way - big sheet of masonite or ?? (something better/lighter) and frog leg clips.
The welded brace would be up underneath the inside panel and plug welded. I don't think it will interfere with anything but your caution is valid. I understand they can be a bear to work on.
Ya know Dadio, (Ha, I just caught that sorry ) The way it's cracked and "pushed up" lends me to believe it could well be a combination of both, but it's just a guess. Did you just weld yours or brace them too? Just curious.
Thanks guys.

Wow, I have the same crack on my driver's door, about 1/2" in length, same location only on the outside?....must be systemic to the inards of these doors, weak point when slamming the door over a 40 year period?....at least I know its not just a flaw in my van....

I know that nobody asked but my '65 Ford Epup has the same crack on the outside of the drivers door. The body metal on it is thicker on it than anything else I own. It also has less miles than anything I own(except my motorcycle). Maybe the '60s were harder on sheet metal.
Jim

I'm not sure when, probably in the '50's or '60's when they went to a higher strength steel that is a bit more hard, read brittle. That may have something to do with it. (????)

I have the same crack in my E van

I understand these awesome little shoe boxes were basically "econo boxes" made light and cheap for utilitarian type purposes. My guess from hearing you guys having the same issue, is that they were just not braced or engineered well enough for a long life (VERY unfortunate for us who love these beauties). They call that "planned obsolescence" in the manufacturing industry.

Does anyone have an issue with a door "oil canning" or caving in, when you close it or if you leave your hand on the handle when it shuts? My passenger door does this and I'm going to have to reinforce it somehow. It will definitely lead to cracks or damage if I don't.
There is a tool called a "shrinking disc" that I may try on it (I have one). It's just a stainless slick flat plate on a 7" or 9" grinder, used with soapy water to create heat in high spots to shrink them and hopefully tighten up the metal with out having to dent it up and have to use more bondo. I'm not sure it will work in this case but, maybe.
Thanks for the input guys!

Same crack on all my vans. Not sure why, but it seems to be there on every door

kookykrispy wrote:Same crack on all my vans.  Not sure why, but it seems to be there on every door

I just saw the same crack on the driver door! Inside and outside...

Inside and outside?! I think the inside cracks come from opening the door, not closing it. Leaning it out etc, that's the weak spot, the outside has all metal and a body line fold or two

My guess is the light design, along with the way the door stops at full open. Not much "slow down" or "cushion" before the stop, at least not enough for the simple design.
Just my thought.

I have some gutted doors. What there is, is a channel gusset between the sides . The bends below the wing window either rust or wear thin and break. This allows the inner or outer sheet metal to crack from everyday use. The crack should be on the forward side of that support. Just welding the crack won't work, have to repair the gusset.

both doors on Pink Floyd were cracked there,
also found the bracing from the outer skin to the
inner skin had the weld broken loose

Could it possibly be, over the years, grabbing the vent window/window run channel and using them as a mode to closing the doors.
Any of us, who came from the vent window era, have closed our doors using this method when the door windows were down.
Definitely could be one of the causes for the stress cracks.