Door alignment - pex tubing fix

[Electricduane]

Sometimes you run across a fix or technique that seems too good to be true, or it that really wouldn't work as well as it is claimed to.

On my 89 suburban, the doors hang crookedly. The pin / bushings do need to be repaired, but they're really not that bad. The door strikers somewhere along the way lost the plastic collars that came with them from the factory.

Somewhere I read that 1/2 inch PEX tubing works really well for the collar material. I bought two feet of it for about $2 and cut out four sections about one-half inch long each. Slit each of them lengthwise, then slide them over the strikers and shut the door on each of them.

I couldn't believe it. The doors aligned pretty much perfectly and did not rattle at all. This has been driving me crazy since I bought this vehicle. I had to slam the s*** out of the doors to get them to latch, and then pretty much all of them rattled like crazy as I drove down the road.

So 1-2 feet of PEX tubing (1/2 inch size) and it will fix you right up.

[68Timber]

Someone posted that here not too far back. I can't remember who, but said he kept the leftover piece in his truck so he could give pieces to buddies w/trucks missing that bushing. I know the bushing helped the way my doors shut, I don't remember square doors shutting that nice and I was around when they were new.

[Maynard]

Was just looking at the rear doors on my 1984 GMC K2500 Suburban. they're a little awry. Had the front striker bushings replaced a year ago and it did the trick, but the shop only had a pair in stock. I never got back to do the rears, having wrecked the rig shortly after.

Now that I've got it rolling again and since I've got 1/2" PEX to spare. I'll give this a try. Thanks for posting.

[elimontfort]

I installed these this weekend. The doors shut much better now no more slamming them. You will have to cut a slit down the side of them and slide them over the striker.

[midnight rambler]

I was able to find the right size here at work and lube it up and press it on.

[elimontfort]

What size did you use? I grabbed some 1/2 inch and it wouldn't slide over it. E

[68Timber]

You don't have to cut it, just remove the striker.

[midnight rambler]

not sure of the size, found it here at work. I did use my hand press and some lube as it was a tight fit, I did remove the striker.

[TheWhiteElephant]

Originally Posted by elimontfort

I installed these this weekend. The doors shut much better now no more slamming them. You will have to cut a slit down the side of them and slide them over the striker.

Do not cut the tubing. As mentioned, unbolt the striker and slide the tubing over it.

[zaccaglin]

Originally Posted by TheWhiteElephant

Do not cut the tubing. As mentioned, unbolt the striker and slide the tubing over it.

What's wrong with cutting the tubing? I've had to o let do this fix twice in the 4 years I've owned my sub.

[elimontfort]

Yeah what's wrong with cutting the tube? Electricduane even mentioned it in his post.

[68Timber]

Well, it's plastic and wears out and falls off. I'm guessing being cut from one end to the other will only speed that up considerably. If you don't mind that, no biggie. But it's not a big deal to remove the striker and slide the pex on without cutting it. Honestly it probably doesn't take any longer to do it that way either. Just use a pencil to make some reference marks around the washer, then you can tighten it back down exactly where it was.

[Electricduane]

I slit the pex tubing and put it on that way. . . mostly out of laziness. That, and it's possible (I have a burb) that the "nut" (backing plate) can break loose if I remove the striker . . and fall down into the door sill.

No doubt removing the striker is a better method. . . but the pex seems to be lasting just fine, slit and all. The plastic collars on the OEM strikers obviously fails after a period of time. . . the pex tubing will as well, probably sooner with the slit. . . but if it lasts a year or 2 with the slit, good enough for me. . if I get bored, I will prob try to remove the strikers and do it the "right" way. . .

[68Timber]

Originally Posted by Electricduane

I slit the pex tubing and put it on that way. . . mostly out of laziness. That, and it's possible (I have a burb) that the "nut" (backing plate) can break loose if I remove the striker . . and fall down into the door sill.

No doubt removing the striker is a better method. . . but the pex seems to be lasting just fine, slit and all. The plastic collars on the OEM strikers obviously fails after a period of time. . . the pex tubing will as well, probably sooner with the slit. . . but if it lasts a year or 2 with the slit, good enough for me. . if I get bored, I will prob try to remove the strikers and do it the "right" way. . .

That's a legitimate concern, one of the captured nuts that holds my hardtop to the bedrails on my 79 escaped, so I've got that to deal with when it goes to paint. I hosed my strikers with penetrating oil the day before I did this, but I don't know how much (if any) got through to the threads. Sometimes you just have to cross your fingers and hope you're not about to fudge it up.

[USSkoval]

I never remove my strikers anymore, it seems half of the time the caged nut is no longer caged. That can make for a not so fun day.

Slicing the pex tubing doesn't hurt it. As long as the door is adjusted correctly, it will last for years, even on a daily driver.

[Nodnarb76]

Is this the right tubing?

[Electricduane]

Yep, that is it.

[68Timber]

FWIW, I saw these striker bushings for sale in Autozone the other day, they were in the Help section and were inexpensive. Then you get the correct color. If that bothers you.

[USSkoval]

Pex is available in white too.

[MalibuSSwagon]

The PEX I got is white. It was a couple bucks for an 8 ft section at Lowes, so I've been giving away pieces to friends to fix their doors.

[WarBeard]

I always used electrical tape.....Pex tubing is far less Redneck! Good idea.