Entry door repair question?

[Charger Fan]

I have a couple of cracks starting on the aluminum above and below the lock bolt area and I am wanting to find out the best way to repair or replace the problem area?

I had a friend suggest welding the cracks, but I don't know if I care for the the idea or not. My thinking is that it will crack again. It appears that everything is riveted together and that there is what looks to be some sort of "Z" type channel around the door connecting everything together and that appears to be the cracked area.

If I replace the framing, my question is where to buy the material. Is it available or something that needs to be made?

Any help would be grateful.

[fulltiming]

Your best bet is a call to Newell Tech Support at (918) 542-3344 or (888) 3-NEWELL. They have an amazing amount of experience and can give you the best advice.

[Charger Fan]

Thanks Michael,

I tried calling today but the parts manager wasn't available at the time I called. I will try again Monday. I would love to here from any others with similar issues and hopeful results.

[fulltiming]

The service, parts and production departments of Newell work Monday through Thursday 10 hours per day so they are closed on Fridays.

[Charger Fan]

That would make sense why I couldn't get an answer. The employees must work four 10 hour shifts. Woudn't it be nice if everyone in the country had the 4/10 option rotated around the week.

[My Sharona]

What I did back when I had a similar issue on my previous Newell, was to go to your local metal/fab shop and have them bend up some metal, in my case I went with stainless instead of aluminum and re-riveted it back together. I don't suggest tackling this sort of project unless you are handy with mechanical skills. The main thing is to make sure everything is square so it will fit back into the opening properly. I used a standard hand rivet gun and a die-grinder for cutting the latch and dead bolt openings. It wasn't that tough of a job.

Best of Luck to ya!