Potential for New Soft Doors HMMWV

[fuzzytoaster]

Prices look great. But is it me, or do they look shinier than normal?

Shiny like cheap plastic army-men copies.

 

[SecoParts]

Prices look great. But is it me, or do they look shinier than normal?

We took these pictures outside on a sunny day so a little bit of a glare. Here is a picture without glare. We are going to take pictures of all the colors installed on a HMMWV and will post.

 

[Blizken]

Price would have to be on point. I can get milspec door skins with windows for $750/pair of 4 shipped to my door. I just have to reuse the existing frame. Each door takes about an hour to redo with the rivets if I'm watching TV while doing it.

That is great info.

 

[mccullek]

I really need to new front doors, I couldn't find any way to get to this link w/o knowing the direct link. I'm willing to spend the $500 for the front doors but just concerned since I couldn't find a way here from the main page there really is no back order in progress right now.

UPDATE: If you can get to that page still, do not order from it, as I made that mistake. I have been thinking I was waiting on doors that were just on backorder, but that is not the case. They refunded my money today and said they were no longer in the business of making tops and doors for the military vehicles.

Interestingly enough, the gentleman told me that they sold that division off to another company and within 6 months, that company stopped making them and closed down that business. Not sure who that was, but according to him, the people that they sold out to gave up on that business and closed it down.

 

[mccullek]

Question on doors, and please hear me out, as this might seem like a dumb question up front. If you strip the cloth off of a right-hand door and a left-hand door, is there any difference between the two frames without any cloth or handle on them? To me, the frames look identical other than which side you install the skin and handles.

The reason I ask, is I have two right hand rear doors and no left-hand rear door, so I need a left rear door. I am going to order new skins for these doors anyway, so maybe I already have the frames I need without buying another left-hand door first. My question is can I put a right-hand skin on the left-hand frame and flip the handles around and it still work. Looking at a stripped frame by pictures, it seems it would work fine, but maybe there is a reason it won't work that I'm not considering?

Can anyone verify if the right and left door frames are identical until you put the skin and hardware on it?

 

[Guyfang]

The Parts TM will tell you that. Simply look up the door, and find the part numbers and NSN's of the door frames and compare them.

 

[Autonomy_Lost]

Question on doors, and please hear me out, as this might seem like a dumb question up front. If you strip the cloth off of a right-hand door and a left-hand door, is there any difference between the two frames without any cloth or handle on them? To me, the frames look identical other than which side you install the skin and handles.

The reason I ask, is I have two right hand rear doors and no left-hand rear door, so I need a left rear door. I am going to order new skins for these doors anyway, so maybe I already have the frames I need without buying another left-hand door first. My question is can I put a right-hand skin on the left-hand frame and flip the handles around and it still work. Looking at a stripped frame by pictures, it seems it would work fine, but maybe there is a reason it won't work that I'm not considering?

Can anyone verify if the right and left door frames are identical until you put the skin and hardware on it?

I dont see how that would work. The doors are mirror images of eachother and the top portion angles inwards.

 

[mccullek]

I dont see how that would work. The doors are mirror images of eachother and the top portion angles inwards.

The fact that they are a mirror image is why I think it would work, as you simply put the skin on the opposite side of the frame. Then put left hand hinges and door handle on it. I looked in the parts manual, and they don't show a parts number for just the frames, only the doors with skins already on them. They do show separate numbers for handles, hinges and door strikers though. I'm going to contact the skins guy and ask him, as I'm sure he would know. Watching his videos, I don't see why it wouldn't work, but I will verify it all the same. My mind has been known to mess me up in the past, so I won't buy them until I know for certain it will work.

I believe I will need to buy new handles and maybe hinges too, but I think the frame is identical and which side door you get only depends on what side you place the skin.

 

[Autonomy_Lost]

If you take a right-rear door and put the skin and hardware on backwards, and then install it on the left side, the top portion of the door will be angled outwards and not sealing against the body.

The lower portion will possibly line up and latch.

You might be able to bend the frame to get it to work.

 

[mccullek]

If you take a right-rear door and put the skin and hardware on backwards, and then install it on the left side, the top portion of the door will be angled outwards and not sealing against the body.

The lower portion will possibly line up and latch.

You might be able to bend the frame to get it to work.

I agree, and the frames do bend easily, as I had to bend all of my other doors to get a good non leaking seal, so that's not a problem. I think it will work. I found someone that will swap a right rear door for a left rear door, so I'm good either way. When I take one apart, I will verify if my theory is correct or not and post it here for future reference. I think it's the same identical frame on both sides and what side it goes on is only dependent on which side you put the skin. The door handles, hinges and strikers appear to be side dependent, but the frame does not, or at least that is my theory for now.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

Breton are back in business and are taking backorders. I got a top from them, had to wait but it arrived faster than expected and is genuine OEM. https://bretonindustries.com/product-category/hmmwv-humvee/

Not to diminish your plan, as another supplier is always good I think, but there are other sources - they're just intermittent or expensive or both.

BDGR

this is the first I’ve heard of this, as they supposedly sold everything to some company in Indiana that makes fuel bladders.

 

[mccullek]

this is the first I’ve heard of this, as they supposedly sold everything to some company in Indiana that makes fuel bladders.

I talked to Breton by phone today. They are not back in this business and no longer make any of the doors or tops. They sold that business off to another company, who has since shut it down.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

I talked to Breton by phone today. They are not back in this business and no longer make any of the doors or tops. They sold that business off to another company, who has since shut it down.

the 2nd shut down is news to me…but not surprising.
The company is in Indiana.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

Finally overcame my “CRS”
The company is GTA container

GTA Containers | Integrated Systems | Tanks & Drums

GTA Containers is a one-stop provider of end-to-end integrated systems. Our strength is developing custom solutions based on every customer’s specific needs.

www.gtacontainers.com

 

[mccullek]

the 2nd shut down is news to me…but not surprising.
The company is in Indiana.

Maybe we are talking about two separate companies? Breton Industries, the government contractor that used to sell doors and tops that I'm talking about, is in New York. Maybe they have a factory in Indiana and their corporate offices are in NY? The guy I spoke with today was in New York and he told me they sold that business off and that the people that bought it have already shut it down.

Do you have a number or link to the company you are talking about, because it would be nice if they still offered their product, and we are talking about two separate entities?

Another thought: Maybe they just stopped selling doors? I didn't ask about tops, just doors and they don't make or sell doors any longer for certain.

 

[mccullek]

OK, I said I would report back on the ability to swap doors from left to right or right to left. I was partially correct. Watch this video. He suggests cutting and rewelding the hinge brackets, but after thinking about that one a bit, I think you could probably just create a spacer with the necessary width and drill the holes in the same place and weld that on, or even JB weld it and you should be good to go.

The only real difference in the doors is the hinge bracket is closer to one side than the other, but it couldn't be more than a 1/4 inch or so. William Welch suggests cutting those brackets and moving them over and rewelding them, but a spacer there should serve the same purpose and make it easier than cutting the old pieces off. Your doors would then be interchangeable going forward. You could weld the spacer in place or JB weld them for that matter. It shouldn't take much to hold them in place since the screws and bolts will keep them bolted in place anyway. The spacers may not even need to be permanently attached, but you will just have to try it to see.

But yes, if you account for the fact that the hinge brackets need to be adjusted, you can indeed swap them out. You will need a left-hand handle or a right-hand handle, as the handles do not seem to be interchangeable. I'm not sure about the hinges yet, but hinges are easy to get and cheap to ship.

 

[cwc]

OK, I said I would report back on the ability to swap doors from left to right or right to left. I was partially correct. Watch this video. He suggests cutting and rewelding the hinge brackets, but after thinking about that one a bit, I think you could probably just create a spacer with the necessary width and drill the holes in the same place and weld that on, or even JB weld it and you should be good to go.

The only real difference in the doors is the hinge bracket is closer to one side than the other, but it couldn't be more than a 1/4 inch or so. William Welch suggests cutting those brackets and moving them over and rewelding them, but a spacer there should serve the same purpose and make it easier than cutting the old pieces off. Your doors would then be interchangeable going forward. You could weld the spacer in place or JB weld them for that matter. It shouldn't take much to hold them in place since the screws and bolts will keep them bolted in place anyway. The spacers may not even need to be permanently attached, but you will just have to try it to see.

But yes, if you account for the fact that the hinge brackets need to be adjusted, you can indeed swap them out. You will need a left-hand handle or a right-hand handle, as the handles do not seem to be interchangeable. I'm not sure about the hinges yet, but hinges are easy to get and cheap to ship.

To me it looks like you could make spacers work for the hinge connection to the frame, you would just need the bolts to be long enough (hardware store item or maybe the longer one used on the travel limit bracket in all four spots). The hinges are definitely side-specific. You could cut off the pin, flip it and reweld, but given how available they are that would not make much sense. Depends on how you value your time.

If you are reskinning doors and reusing the edge trim, that looks like the biggest problem with doing a right/left conversion. The edge trim is directional (has an inside and outside) so when swapping it to the other side the corner bends won't line up. The edge material seems to come in two varieties; one is pretty soft and foamy rubber and might lay down OK especially if you add a rivet or two here and there, but the other type is pretty hard, no way it would lay down smoothly without some real effort to straighten it.

Has anybody located a source for the edge trim new on a roll?

 

[cwc]

I have some scraps of edge trim so I tried putting them on a frame with the corner bends mismatched. I works better than I thought it would, although it will still probably require a couple of extra rivets here and there to make it straight along the straight edges, plus the existing holes might not line up. I was thinking more of rear doors as being problematic since the corners definitely won't all line up, but it looks like the trim on the fronts might line up pretty well when switched side to side.

As far as what I said about "two varieties" of trim, after looking at my collection I think it's more a matter that the material ages and gets stiffer, or maybe there were different manufacturers/compounds over the years. It would be good to identify a source for new edge trim. I have a large quantity of used doors with good frames that would be good for reskinning, but the edge trim has a lot of wear and tear.

 

[Bulldogger]

I have some scraps of edge trim so I tried putting them on a frame with the corner bends mismatched. I works better than I thought it would, although it will still probably require a couple of extra rivets here and there to make it straight along the straight edges, plus the existing holes might not line up. I was thinking more of rear doors as being problematic since the corners definitely won't all line up, but it looks like the trim on the fronts might line up pretty well when switched side to side.

As far as what I said about "two varieties" of trim, after looking at my collection I think it's more a matter that the material ages and gets stiffer, or maybe there were different manufacturers/compounds over the years. It would be good to identify a source for new edge trim. I have a large quantity of used doors with good frames that would be good for reskinning, but the edge trim has a lot of wear and tear.

If reskinning with full size skins doesn’t pan out, you might consider making half doors. I made a few and folks liked them, but I didn’t want to buy a pallet of frames. If you have them on hand, it’s an option.
Bdgr

 

[BLK HMMWV]

I know where there is a few pallets of frames.