E32/E34 DOOR REINFORCEMENT PLATE INSTALLATION

For installing an additional plate on the inside of the door
Submitted by Paul Muoio


Inner Door Brake Reinforcement Kit for 1995 E34 5 Series. (KMS Note: This procedure is compatible with ALL E34 5 series and E32 7 series)

This product can be purchased HERE. Order 2 pieces to perform the below repair. Don't forget to order another one for your passenger door BEFORE it tears.
We also offer these reinforcement plates for the rear doors HERE. Quantity discounts apply.

Below is the process that I used, to repair a hole in the door, caused by the door brake damage to sheet metal.
The first step was to remove the door panel. The door panel has snap out clips, using a special clip removal tool and a special clip in the middle of the door that can only slide up or down to disconnect panel from door frame, after removing screws from opening handle, and behind mirror control module. You may want to consult your local window glass shop if you don't feel good about doing it yourself. That's what I did.
The next thing that I did was to get the two reinforcement plates, one for the inside and outside of the door. I made a template from a thin strip of sheet metal, outlining the plate.
Then I cut it out, and placed the damaged door stop on it, to draw a bend line, on both sides of the door stop sheet metal. Due to the square channel inner door framework, this template must be bent, to fit the frame work inside. Once I got the angles matching the inner framework, I was ready to work on the reinforcement plate. The next thing was to draw bend lines on the plate, using the damaged door stop.
The one eighth inch thick plate would not be easy to bend, so I used a band saw and cut on the bend lines, and only went half way through the metal. Then I flipped the plate over and bent the arms away from the cut as seen below, to match the angle of the sheet metal template. Now check the fit and readjust if necessary.
You now have your inner and outer repair plates ready for installation. But now you are going to need longer screws.
I went to the hardware store and got #6 x 30 size Allen head screws and used a #6 fender washer and two regular #6 washers to duplicate the factory bolt for the rubber dust cover. Assemble and you are done.