Did hanging my doors by hinges cause corrosion bubbles

[jellis4148]

I'll try to make my statement/questions as short as possible. So, I take the doors off of my Jeep usually around April, and leave them off till August/September. I hang them by the hinges using the Steinjager mounts. I just put the hinge pins in the slots, and the doors hang. The main cause of the corrosion starting is because the paint doesn't seal between the hinge, and the door. Very small hair line imperfections cause the process to start. Anyway, do you think having them hang like that cause them seal to to break and start the corrosion process? I haven't had it fixed yet. It's about the size of a dime right now, and I don't feel the whole door should be painted for such a small spot. Factory paint is always better than a repaint. Plus, I'm worried about matching the Sting Gray. They would have to do at least half of the one side and blend it to make it look good, and even then I doubt it will match. That will drive me absolutely crazy knowing that. I do wax the Jeep regularly, and hope the wax seals it, and slows it down. i've watched it, and it doesn't seem to be getting worse. Anyway, just wondering if I should hang them by the upper frame like a lot of people do instead of the hinges.

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[YippieKiYayMrFalcon]

No, your storage method did not cause this. Paint corrosion by the door hinges is a very common problem on the JL.

 

[DeadHead]

No. You're storage method wouldn't have put any more stress on the hinges than if you would have left the doors on the Jeep.

I deal with that Aluminum corrosion all the time, the ship yard I work at repairs those 47 foot USCG rescue boats. The sooner you fix it the cheaper it will be. Just because it's not spreading out does not mean it isn't getting deeper. If let go long enough it will cause putting and pin holes in the aluminum.

As for repainting it,,, most of the issues you are worried about come from the shop trying to use cheap paint or unskilled painters. Ask to see some of the cars they have waiting to be delivered, if they refuse or you don't like what you see than walk away and find a different shop.

 

[Carolina Jeeper]

Door hinge area paint bubbling definitely not related to how you stored or hung them. I've already dealt with this issue. The doors appeared to have zero paint or primer on them underneath the hinges. The paint was related as cheaply as allowed and passed a visual inspection. The bubbling paint issue will return someday since the hinges still have zero paint or primer under them. Want a proper repair solution? Take it to a real body shop that actually cares and forget the dealership. Even if you have faith in your dealership to do this correctly, I am willing to wager that when you get it back, your doors will still have zero paint or primer underneath the hinges like my don't.

 

[Xcoaste]

No. You're storage method wouldn't have put any more stress on the hinges than if you would have left the doors on the Jeep.

I deal with that Aluminum corrosion all the time, the ship yard I work at repairs those 47 foot USCG rescue boats. The sooner you fix it the cheaper it will be. Just because it's not spreading out does not mean it isn't getting deeper. If let go long enough it will cause putting and pin holes in the aluminum.

As for repainting it,,, most of the issues you are worried about come from the shop trying to use cheap paint or unskilled painters. Ask to see some of the cars they have waiting to be delivered, if they refuse or you don't like what you see than walk away and find a different shop.

47’ MLB.... nice! I played on them in the early 2000’s.

 

[jellis4148]

Well, it’s still under warranty. I do work at the dealership. We don’t have a body shop. We sublet to others. We have a few that do good work. Not sure how well they do with aluminum. We have a Ford store in my town and they don’t have a body shop either. So our local ones have to repair this trucks also. @DeadHead you think I should go ahead and have it fixed now before it gets worse? I was going to wait till I got closer to the end of warranty that way I could fix all corrosion problems at once. Don’t want to have to have a different door painted each year. Just do it at once.

 

[DeadHead]

Well, it’s still under warranty. I do work at the dealership. We don’t have a body shop. We sublet to others. We have a few that do good work. Not sure how well they do with aluminum. We have a Ford store in my town and they don’t have a body shop either. So our local ones have to repair this trucks also. @DeadHead you think I should go ahead and have it fixed now before it gets worse? I was going to wait till I got closer to the end of warranty that way I could fix all corrosion problems at once. Don’t want to have to have a different door painted each year. Just do it at once.

Permanent fix is cheap. I cut some 1/32 gaskets, put them between the hinge and door, coated the bolts in nickel/copper never seize and never had an issue. Cost less than $100 and a Saturday.
I'd let the dealership fix it, if you work there maybe you can let them pick your body shop. Worst case a little mismatched paint is better than holes filled with Bondo.

47’ MLB.... nice! I played on them in the early 2000’s.

They are fun. I've done sea trials on a few. Nothing quite like a screaming Detroit.

 

[cgagnon99]

Permanent fix is cheap. I cut some 1/32 gaskets, put them between the hinge and door, coated the bolts in nickel/copper never seize and never had an issue. Cost less than $100 and a Saturday.
I'd let the dealership fix it, if you work there maybe you can let them pick your body shop. Worst case a little mismatched paint is better than holes filled with Bondo.

They are fun. I've done sea trials on a few. Nothing quite like a screaming Detroit.

How long have you had your JL? Mine is pending the clutch recall and I should have it and this is my biggest concern. I considered getting an automotive primer and just painting the back of hinge and where it meets the door, but hadn't considered the fastener

Any advice? How much of the antiseize did you use? Any links to the gasket you used as well? Did you just sandwich the gasket between the hinge and door or did you use any sealant/silicone as well?

 

[Sgt Beavis]

Would a shot of zinc chromate between the hinge and door make for a good preventative measure?

 

[jellis4148]

The plan is to keep the Jeep for a long time. My biggest concern is the paint matching.

 

[oceanblue2019]

Would a shot of zinc chromate between the hinge and door make for a good preventative measure?

Thats what I did. Take off hinge from door, mask area off, clean off corrosion on both surfaces, zinc chromate both surfaces, let dry, put back together with anti seize on the bolts.

 

[DeadHead]

How long have you had your JL? Mine is pending the clutch recall and I should have it and this is my biggest concern. I considered getting an automotive primer and just painting the back of hinge and where it meets the door, but hadn't considered the fastener

Any advice? How much of the antiseize did you use? Any links to the gasket you used as well? Did you just sandwich the gasket between the hinge and door or did you use any sealant/silicone as well?

Spoiler Alert: I have been known to over engineer even the simplest of jobs.
I picked mine up in November 2019.
I did just sandwich them in. Big thing is just to keep the metal from touching.
I used Garlock 3000, and this goo:
https://www.equalseal.com/product-p/bg3200.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Copper-Anti-Seize-degrees-Temperature/dp/B01MR2NUWE

I cut the gaskets slightly smaller than the hinge so there is a slight gap, but I run with the doors off all summer so I never see it. I didn't even think to just use paint like someone else mentioned, it seems like it would be a lot simpler....

 

[cgagnon99]

Spoiler Alert: I have been known to over engineer even the simplest of jobs.
I picked mine up in November 2019.
I did just sandwich them in. Big thing is just to keep the metal from touching.
I used Garlock 3000, and this goo:
https://www.equalseal.com/product-p/bg3200.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Loctite-Copper-Anti-Seize-degrees-Temperature/dp/B01MR2NUWE

I cut the gaskets slightly smaller than the hinge so there is a slight gap, but I run with the doors off all summer so I never see it. I didn't even think to just use paint like someone else mentioned, it seems like it would be a lot simpler....

Thanks! Nothing wrong with over engineering! Did the 30x30 sheet seem like enough material? Ive always just used a small dab of anti seize (use the same stuff you linked on my wrx spark plugs since they tend to seize). Did you use a copious amount or just a tiny bit?

 

[Redneck_Jedi]

This is happening on other areas besides just the hinges. A lot of folks are seeing corrosion on the edges of the doors as.well.

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/bubbles-in-paint-at-door-hinges.32756/

https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/i-cant-believe-it🤬-paint-issues.66689/#post-1409109

 

[jellis4148]

What about what I already have. Is there a way to stop it without repairing? It’s not big. If I could just stop it from spreading I’d leave it alone

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