Garage door do it yourself home repair question?

Question

I have a double wide garage door that is about 30 yrs. old. It has a torsion spring. It is all working fine, except the panels of the garage door (which are a pressed cardboard type material) are warped and starting to fall apart. I am wondering if it is possible to replace the panels, but not the tracks and springs, etc. If so, is this something a person can do themselves, or do you need a professional? I know we shouldn't attempt to dismantle the torsion spring ouselves. I would like to pay someone to do the whole job, but am broke right now and trying to do a cheap fix. Thanks for any help!

Answer 1

The panels are the most expensive part you would be better off getting the whole door.  The older doors are usually very heavy, while new ones are not.  This will make the door run poorly if you use the old spring.  I do not reccomend doing this yourself either way as the cables are connected to the bottom panel and there is a lot of pressure.  If you are not careful you can lose a finger or need several stitches.

The company I work for the diffrence between the whole door and just panels is only about $85  

Answer 2

I believe some type of bandaid with a thin plywood and  using rivets to attach it to the current pressboard and large area washers too.  This could get the door past a season or so while you build up finances to replace the door.

Answer 3

The door should have a I.D. plate or name of manufacture take that info along with width and height of door call a couple of overhead door suppliers or go on line to see if manufacture is still in business. If they are order replacement panels if not take measurement of panel and try to replicate it out of sheet metal or wood. Be careful that your repairs are to heavy as this will strain your springs and break them. Also call overhead door companies and ask if they will give free quote to repair when they come out see what they suggest.

Answer 4

There are aluminum sectional doors on-line for about $400, delivered and with all new hardware. I don't know where to buy the sections by themselves. Then the problem of getting the length so the rollers will work OK. Torsion springs can be replaced by a DIY. One needs to use two bars and never release until one bar is against the header at the top of the opening. I can't do it, because Only 1 of my arms work, but the two guys that replaced my spring weren't the sharpest crayons in the box. They broke a cable when they hit it with a hammer and those need to be replaced in pairs !!! Assembly of the door is easy and can be done with hand tools if an impact wrench isn't available. My wife's friend just had a new one installed in California and I think it cost about $1100. If you guys were careful and studied the project before starting it, I think you could do it without any problems. It's not rocket science. You can even buy the adjusting tools for the springs. Just turn the spring 1/4 turn at a time being sure the tool is inserted all the way. People get hurt by not using the proper size bar to turn the spring with. If it is loose in the adjusting hole, it can slip and fly back at you. There are even how-to videos on You-Tube showing how.

Good luck with it.

Answer 5

seeing the springs have something like 500 psi on them, and they can rip through a body like butter, you might want a pro.

Answer 6

Light plywood should replace the panels but you will want to replace the whole outer surface.Good luck.  

P.S. you do not have to mess with the torsion bars or springs to replace the face of the door.

Answer 7

i did that about 5 years ago as a temorary measure and its stilll there.

I took out the panels and glued in 1/4 inch plywood with exterior grade Liquid Nail.

It took some doing but it worked.

When you do decide to change the door you dont have to change everything. All you change is the door. The new ones are feather light. Its like 4 panels you set in in the track one by one and s***w them together .

Have someone show you how to set the torsion spring. Its not  that big a deal.

Answer 8

You are limited to the repairs  you can make in reference to altering the weight. You cannot change the weight of the door I.E using aluminum panels or lighter material because this will cause a dangerous situation. Changing the the TPPI's your altaring the ratio of the weight, spring, and drum ratio and if you have a overhead door operator, it may close, it may open, but in a manual mode you have a dangerous situation. You should definately contact a professional. Maybe seek used panels of equivalent weight to temp. repair.