Need Half Door Purchase Opinions

taylormade73

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Looking at a set of half doors. Seller wants $550 for set with newer uppers but no mirrors. Issue is rust in the pinch welds at bottom. What causes this? Water instruction from above then can't drain out bottom? Is this a serious issue or can I just sand down and repaint doors. Aside from this they appear to be in pretty good condition. Should I keep looking? Not like there is a plethora of half doors for sale.

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I would pass, even though they are in your color unless you get them down to $400 or less. You will need to paint them to get rid of the bubbles....BTW I love my half doors so I understand your wanting them.
 
I would pass, even though they are in your color unless you get them down to $400 or less. You will need to paint them to get rid of the bubbles....BTW I love my half doors so I understand your wanting them.
Ty. I was thinking 350-450
 
Hmm, I feel what you are dealing with. You are right it is very hard to find a set of half doors and these are in your color locally. You can also move your mirrors from your full doors to the half doors. If you TJ is mint and money is no object I might pass. If you TJ is in okay condition, I might seriously look at these. Price is a little high due to condition, but it is in your color. You will need to spray the inside of the doors with Fluid Film or something to coat the bottom to help with rust spreading. I got lucky finding mine on Craigs, but that was VERY lucky. I love my 1/2 doors and wouldn't change them out again to full doors, so you will have a lot of fun in the warmer months with them. You could try and see if they would take $400. If they were in better shape, I would buy them super fast, but that rust is something you will need to keep up on.
 
I paid $600 for a set of doors with sliding uppers, no mirrors or hinges. I changed the color also. decent ones are hard to come by
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I don't Have an issue with paying. Good money for doors that are in good condition. But 550 with that rust at the bottom. Seems a little high for me.
 
Hmm, I feel what you are dealing with. You are right it is very hard to find a set of half doors and these are in your color locally. You can also move your mirrors from your full doors to the half doors. If you TJ is mint and money is no object I might pass. If you TJ is in okay condition, I might seriously look at these. Price is a little high due to condition, but it is in your color. You will need to spray the inside of the doors with Fluid Film or something to coat the bottom to help with rust spreading. I got lucky finding mine on Craigs, but that was VERY lucky. I love my 1/2 doors and wouldn't change them out again to full doors, so you will have a lot of fun in the warmer months with them. You could try and see if they would take $400. If they were in better shape, I would buy them super fast, but that rust is something you will need to keep up on.
Thank you. I did offer 400. So I'll see what he says. Not sure if the rust at that pinch weld is always going to be an issue though. If so, I don't want to deal with that.
 
Pinch weld rust is hard to deal with. As that seam starts to bubble and delaminates, it will push out the bottom of the panel.

Get them cheap, then get KeyParts replacement half door shells and move all your hardware/panels over.

I bought mine in the same condition as these and abandoned one of the doors due to the pinch weld rust at the bottom. The panel was just not going to look right without a ton of metalwork/body work.

the KeyParts door was $250 shipped, and fits perfectly. You cannot tell which door is OEM, and which one is replaced.

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Thank you. I did offer 400. So I'll see what he says. Not sure if the rust at that pinch weld is always going to be an issue though. If so, I don't want to deal with that.

Rust is an odd thing. If you keep it coated with a spray can of Fluid Film, that should stop or slow it to a crawl or use motor oil. Our TJs won't last forever nor will 1/2 doors. You are in my region, so I know your deal well. Davey's Jeep up by Cleveland shows no 1/2 doors for TJ's. We have to remember they are getting harder and harder to come by. Just a quick look here in Pittsburgh shows nothing other than someone parting out a TJ that had 1/2 doors on it in the wrong color. You could get lucky that way as well. Sometimes doors can be in good shape in a lousy TJ. Just luck of the draw.
 
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Pinch weld rust is hard to deal with. As that seam starts to bubble and delaminates, it will push out the bottom of the panel.

Get them cheap, then get KeyParts replacement half door shells and move all your hardware/panels over.

I bought mine in the same condition as these and abandoned one of the doors due to the pinch weld rust at the bottom. The panel was just not going to look right without a ton of metalwork/body work.

the KeyParts door was $250 shipped, and fits perfectly. You cannot tell which door is OEM, and which one is replaced.

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This pic makes me want half doors 5x more. They look so good topless! I wonder which would be more expensive, buying used half doors or buying shells then painting and adding hardware to them?
 
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This pic makes me want half doors 5x more. They look so good topless! I wonder which would be more expensive, buying used half doors or buying shells then painting and adding hardware to them?

There's a lot to them that don't come with the shells — hinges, internal/external latch mechanism, striker, lock cylinder (hole is already drilled in the shell for it), interior panels, weatherstrip, fasteners, etc. etc. You almost need to already have a set of factory 1/2 doors in order to get all of the parts that make them work — especially for any of the 'rarer' interior colors.

I don't know how you could make it work just starting with shells — but having good doors (other than the rust) made getting the shell a no-brainer.
 
There's a lot to them that don't come with the shells — hinges, internal/external latch mechanism, striker, lock cylinder (hole is already drilled in the shell for it), interior panels, weatherstrip, fasteners, etc. etc. You almost need to already have a set of factory 1/2 doors in order to get all of the parts that make them work — especially for any of the 'rarer' interior colors.

I don't know how you could make it work just starting with shells — but having good doors (other than the rust) made getting the shell a no-brainer.
 
There's a lot to them that don't come with the shells — hinges, internal/external latch mechanism, striker, lock cylinder (hole is already drilled in the shell for it), interior panels, weatherstrip, fasteners, etc. etc. You almost need to already have a set of factory 1/2 doors in order to get all of the parts that make them work — especially for any of the 'rarer' interior colors.

I don't know how you could make it work just starting with shells — but having good doors (other than the rust) made getting the shell a no-brainer.
I considered this route and agree with your analysis
 
To bad you're further away. I have a rust free pair of 1/2 doors I'll be posting up for sale soon.
 
Looking at a set of half doors. Seller wants $550 for set with newer uppers but no mirrors. Issue is rust in the pinch welds at bottom. What causes this? Water instruction from above then can't drain out bottom? Is this a serious issue or can I just sand down and repaint doors. Aside from this they appear to be in pretty good condition. Should I keep looking? Not like there is a plethora of half doors for sale.

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You can make an offer on these (see below). They are in better shape for the same asking price. No upper halves but they come with keys.
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-...0001&campid=5337789113&icep_item=124083021153
 
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Already sold
Sorry. I knew they would not last. I kept my eye on eBay for over a year for mine and the shipping costs would always be a deal killer. I ended up finding a great deal for my half doors on OfferUp close to where I live.
 
Yesterday I offered 400 for uppers and lowers and he said that was way too low. Je just sent me this:

I cleaned a lil rust off to see what the doors are like. Not bad but need a little work.
Ill do $400 for uppers and lowers if youre still interested.
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Is it worth it at 400 with this rust at bottom? Or will I be fighting this rust forever until I change the door skin out?