On 2/16/2014 9:05 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I made a bonehead move with my Dodge B2500 van and bent the driver's door
hinges. I was backing up with door open and while I knew there was a lamp
post next to me, but I didn't account for the concrete base. The door hit
the base and opened up way too far. Now it wouldn't close. I tied it shut
from the inside and drive it like that for about a month, climbing in from
the passenger side.

When I finally had some extra cash, I took it to one of those back street
body shops and asked for an estimate. The owner told one of the workers to
go get some sockets of various sizes, all fairly large. The worker wanted
to know if he wanted a short ratchet handle, an extension, a breaker bar,
etc. the owner said "Just the sockets, nothing else."

He took a look at the hinges, gave 2 different sockets to the worker and
had him put them between the hinges and the door frame while he closed the
door enough to hold them in place. He then pushed the door towards closed,
really hard, kind of like bouncing it. Of course it wouldn't close because
of the sockets, but he pushed it really hard.

When he was done, he opened the door all the way, the sockets fell out and
he swung the door closed like nothing had ever happened to it. "You're all
set. Give me $25"

Short, sweet and no annoying paperwork. A dealer or fancy body shop
probably would have sold me a new door.


Love that country wisdom. My old Dodge van, the
door settled and the door was too low for the
strike pin. I put a second handle below the first
one, and used to pull up and closed with the door.

I had a passenger trying to be nice to me, open the
door from the inside. She was bent over the steering
wheel and I could see she was putting a lot of weight
on the door handle pushing down while trying to open.
I kept telling her not to, NO, NO, NO!!!!! but she
insisted. The hinge supports bent, and I spent a bit
of time telling her why I kept telling her no. I had
to rebend the door, one more time. Eventually figured
it would fatigue, and need to be welded.

--
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Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
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