Thinking about taking my doors off for the first time this year. I was told that to get the doors off that I run the risk of scratching the door paint. Is this true? What's the easiest way? Thanks.

The second question: who makes the best tube doors?

 

I have taken mine off many times without scratching anything. That said, you just have to be careful!!

 

I pulled my drivers side door off today, and didn't have any problems at all.

Just be careful when you disconnect the door restricting strap - make sure that you are holding on to the door when you pull the strap off of the hook, otherwise the door can swing all the way open and your mirror will hit the body just behind the hood. Also, roll your window down so you can stick your arm through and grab your inner door handle (or someting else on the inside of the door) when you lift it off. The door itself wasn't all that heavy - I have manual windows - from what I have read here, the power windows are a little bit heavier.

My passenger side door was another story. I pulled the nuts off of the hinge pins, disconnected the wiring harness and strap, but the door wouldn't budge when I tried to lift it out of the hinges. Today was really just a test run to see how easily they would come off - I can't take them off and leave them off until the mirror I ordered comes in.

Once the mirror comes in, I'll have my son support the rear of the door so I can persuade the hinge pin out.

Hope this helps.

JD

 

The way I do it is from the outside with the windows down one hand on the door handle one hand on the top of the window. While applying slight pressure up I also swing the door back and forth like opening and closing it. Alittle squirt of wd40 wouldn't hurt either. I hope this helps, the doors aren't to heavy more cumbersome then anything. Just be careful and take your time for the first time.

 

Apprerciate the responses. Good to know these things prior to attempting.

 

Don't listen to those that will tell you to throw the retaining nuts away. The one's you had to remove to take off your doors.
If you drive without doors - you know if you get in a wreck - you made the choice to drive without your doors. If you get in a wreck with your doors on - and the hinge nuts are removed. Keep this in mind--------------
And God forbid this ever happens.
You could roll - and as you are hurtling topsy turvy through the air - your doors might open and just become really heavy Projectiles. That little strap will do nothing to keep your doors on. You are responsible for where that Projectile ends up. I know that's harsh - but hey. It's only Intelligence that keeps us one step away from Stupidity.

 

Your right, I roll my jeep upside down and the doors fall right off when you open then, does cause a few scratches though.

 

there is a risk you just have to be careful, and they are pretty heavy, but I do it all the time and my doors don't have a scratch.

 

heres some tips for preventing scratches:

1) prepare the area for the doors with something soft on the ground.
2) make sure you detach all necessary items before lifting the door off ( if you dont... it makes it extremely awkward and difficult to hold the door and then detach the plug and strap)
3) don't drop it (this is an important one!)

Alternatively you could do like me:

1) Go offroad on narrow trails with lots of brush... then you dont care about scratches anymore

 

1. Torx T50
2. Read through some of the threads about going doorless. There's one post about using clothes hangar caps on the bolt if your not going to use the bolts; this will reduce the chance of accidentally chipping the paint on the hinges like I did, but plan on repainting them with bed liner, also somewhere in this forum.
3. I'm likely picking up a set of soft doors so I can throw them in the back for bad weather. But aside from that I prefer no doors whatsoever.