So my ol 95 has seen better days, and I'm sure there are at least a few of you that can relate. The original gray plastic wind protection behind the door panels is long gone and I've been dealing with a VERY drafty car for the past few years. It's great in the summer, but it becomes a problem in the winter. I also had a very annoying rattling/clanging sound from the door handle/door lock rods inside the door. Super cold wind from all directions and jenky sounding doors arent my idea of what a plush, luxurious, high class Cherokee should be like so heres my "fix".

First I needed to find a suitable material to re-cover the insides of my door. I needed something thick enough to hold heat in but thin enough to fit under the actual door panel. It also needed to be dense enough to block out the wind, but not weigh 100lbs. I settled on some under floor insulation and cushion. It's a closed cell material so it should absorb much, if any, moisture and also has mold resistant stuff in/on it so hopefully it wont funk up my car in a few months. Here is a link to it http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1...atalogId=10053.

I started by, obviously, taking off my door panels and surveying the vast gaping holes that let all the cold air in.

Firstly, I wanted to fix that dumb rattle from the rods inside the door. I cut out a 2"x2" square, folded it a few times to make it nice and thick and zip tied it in between the two rods near the door latch. I forgot to take a picture of it, but just follow the metal rods inside towards the latch and you'll see where they run parallel right near the latch, thats where you want to do it. Dont make it too tight, the rods still need to be able to slide separate from each other, but you want it snug so they dont move a lot. After that I found where the rods were hitting the inside of the door (Mine were hitting right above that weird cross looking thing) and wrapped a long thin strip around the rod with zip ties at each end. I wrapped it kind of like a candy cane and did a 6" section. Make sure these zip ties are TIGHT, you dont want this to move....ever. Make sure your windows can roll up/down before moving onto the next step. I have manual windows so I'm not sure what it looks like with power. Probably not all that different.


To fix the drafts it's just a matter of measuring twice and cutting once. Make sure you cover all the holes (duh) and make sure you have a nice flat spot on the door to glue/tape/adhere it to.

I figured the more overlap I had the better so I just cut it as big as I could and trimmed it to fit the very edges of the door frame. Dont forget about the little door panel anchor holes. This stuff is very easy to work with and is very impressionable. If you line up the edges of the material where you want it and rub your hand all over it, kind of like when you were a kid and put a coin under a piece of paper and rubbed a pencil on it, you should be able to see the outlines of the holes as well as the higher points of the door frame. It makes trimming it very easy. I also tried to add another smaller piece to the area around the door handle and lock. It was kind of difficult and I still get some air through there, but every little bit helps.

Overall I was very happy with the results. Like I said, I still get a little breeze from the door handle area and I'll update this when I get it straightened out. It was well worth the $50. I'm on my way out to the garage now to do the rear area under all the trim panels. Enjoy your new and improved cozy car.

 

I forgot to add that I used a weatherproof silicone adhesive to glue it on. Whatever you get make sure the temperature rating is high/low enough and waterproof.