Need help removing doors

I want to go doorless this summer with my '96 XJ. Only I'm having a real hard time getting the doors off. It's a '96 XJ with power accessories. I have all the wiring disconnected.

Right now I'm working on removing the passenger side door. I cannot punch the pins out for the life of me (hard to get a good smack with a hammer in that small of place). So I tried unscrewing the six T-40 torx bolts holding the door to the hinge. I've only been able to get one bolt out so far. The remaining five are in there really good. There isnt enough room to get a socket on them, so I've been using a T-40 bit with a 1/4" wrench and a jimmy rigged extension over the wrench for some leverage. This isnt working well at all. I've already stripped one of the torx heads and none of the others are budging.

Anybody have any good ideas or suggestions to help me get these doors off? I've tried a torch already and they have been soaking in PB blaster. I would weld a nut to them except I don't have a welder.

If I remember correctly, I had to use the T-40 bit with a wrench, plus I had to use something sandwiched in-between the body and the end of the bit to keep it in tight enough to get the bolt out. Put the wrench over the torx bit, put a piece of metal behind the bit, shut the door just enough to keep pressure on the bit so it stays in the torx head, then turn. It's a PITA. Once the bolts are out, go buy some hex head bolts and put them in when you re-install everything. Don't re-use the torx ones unless you just like the torture.
Another thought also, if you are making the doors removeable, you will lose the brass weaving between the pin and the hole in the door hinge that makes it operate smoothly and without slop. You can adjust the door to shut smoothly, but there will be slop and it can hang differently at times and not shut properly. I have done this to mine, and when I'm going really fast on the highway the wind will actually cause my doors to oscillate in and out due to the slight amount of play in the hinge. It's nice having the doors off while on the trail, but not as nice as a quiet trip to the trail and a warm trip home. Even Tucson was very cold at night while traveling 75mph.

Well I was able to get 5 of the 6 bolts out. The last one in is the bottom lower bolt. It's was pretty stripped out, so I tried to drill on it. Wrong angle and now there is no chance this bolt will come off with a torx bit. I tried the door squeeze thing but on this bolt you are unable to sandwich anything behind the bit and the body (it'll just slide out).

I should be able to cut the head off tomorrow and be golden right?


BTW, I tried removing the fender to get at this bolt but some of the god damned torx bits stripped out there too. I was unable to drill through them since my drill it is now pretty toasted.

I just remembered one other thing I did to get mine off, because I stripped one of mine too. I welded a long chunk of metal directly to the head of the bolt, then used that leverage to break the bolt loose. Once it was loose, I broke off the chunk of metal from the bolt head and used pliers to get the bolt the rest of the way out.

I used Vice Grips, Make sure that they are on tight, then put your torx wrench in and turn the wrench while using the vice grips.

DO NOT PUT THE TORX BOLTS BACK IN! go to home depot or somthing and get some hex metric bolts that match the ones that you took out and use them instead it will save your life when you go to re align the door for to put back on.

Have you read up on here how to do it right?
You plann on taking the pin out? I would be careful, you will have a very hard time getting the pin out. Actually I would say its damn near impossible.
I cut the bottom of the hinge off. then for the passengers side you have to weld a pin back in to the hinge for the one that you took off.

I am sure you already know what you are getting into if it is not done right you will have problems like XJ92, and worse.

XJ92 were your hinges the rolled pins?
older years have rolled hinge pins, these are more likely to have the problems that you have. ALso you can fix that problem of the pulsing doors by adjusting them to compress against the seal closer. It makes it harder only alittle harder to shut but mine do not leak or have wind sounds or anything.

If anyone wants pictures PM me and I will get some pics of what i have.



DON"T RE-USE THE Torx BOLTS!!!!!!!!!

Not sure what you mean by rolled pins. Mine had splines on the upper end to keep them from turning in the top portion of the hinge and they were round and smooth below that.

I used some vice grips to get the torx bolts out and then replaced them with standard bolts.

Use all of Brians info. to help you (projectxj.com). This was not hard at all and my doors are very "tight" and do not oscillate while I'm going down the road.

xj92 said:

Not sure what you mean by rolled pins. Mine had splines on the upper end to keep them from turning in the top portion of the hinge and they were round and smooth below that.

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I am not sure what year they stopped, you have the newer style, On the older doors they used a rolled pin, (It looks like a pice of sheet metel rolled up to look like a straw, it does not have a head on it.They are much harder to manage. best bet is to replace them with a hardened bolt or a pin from somthing else.

My 96 has the same as yours, but I replaced my passenger door from an 89, and it has a rolled pin.

then replaced them with standard bolts.

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Mine were metric, not standard, I would recommmend taking an old bolt and matching the threads.

(projectxj.com). does have a good write up.

if they are that stuck, what i am doing since i have my passenger side off and 4 out of the six bolts on the drivers side are stuck in there and stripped, damn hex heads.... im going to weld on some bolt nuts and turn em loose with a wrench then break em off. im thinkin that should work, then ill probably get metric bolts to replace em

I went to my mechanic and had him weld a nut on to the stripped bolt and we were able to remove the door. The driver side had been soaking in PB Blaster a day longer and those bolts came out a lot easier.

Then I used the dremel to cut the hinges and now I will soon have removeable doors.

When I said "standard", I was referring to something normal and not torx as opposed to the threads. I hate those torx bolts. Even worse are the tamperproof torx that have the tiny nipple in the middle where you have to buy yet more tools.

I could get most of mine out with the Torx bit, but some were problems so I used vice grips and took my time and they eventually came out. I didn't put the ones back in that I had trouble with, I think I now have 5 bolts per door now instead of 6, no problems.

told ya, the "weld on a nut" trick werks everytime, ha.