95 Cutlass Supreme 2 door Check Strap

[brockx]

The drivers side door check strap has broken on the wife's 95 convertible. Although all the GM on line parts folks list it, they reply discontinued not available. No luck so far at Salvage yards they don't seem to keep anything very old anymore. The part is supposd to be the same for 88/97 models ( 2 and 4 door models are different). The part number is 10204701 if any one can give me some guideance here, or perhaps has a donor car please let me know. There is nothing special about it from a std 2 door car vs convertible.

If you are not sure what the item actually is, it is the lever that runs from the body pillar into the door and keeps it held in position when open, and keeps it from going open too far. The assembly inside the door is broken, have not removed it yet.

[aleekat]

I have the same issue. I removed the panel and took a look. I bet yours is the same. The bracket didn't break, the weld broke free on the door side. Only fix is to re-weld it. Not sure if you'll find anyone who will tackle it..

[brockx]

I am going to pull it out in the next couple days. I noticed there are 2 small bolt heads sticking out of the door side. Can you remove it without pulling the door panel??

Where is Indian mound Tn., I just moved from Jackson Tn. to Punta Gorda Fl.?

[aleekat]

Pretty sure those bolts are to remove the door. But you will notice the bracket/arm that goes inside the door to another bracket, that internal bracket is welded to the inside. Indian mound, outside of Clarksville, Ft. Campbell area.

[brockx]

The 2 bolts I am referring to are under the rubber boot the check arm goes through on the door. Guess I will find out what they do soon enough . I'll keep the post up on what I find. I bought the car new for my wife and it only has 26K on it, triple white with every option, 3.4L. So I will have to get it right somehow

[aleekat]

Good luck.. I know mine has broken weld. Wind grabbed the door one day.

[brockx]

Okay......got the assembly out of the door today and the bracket assembly is broken, pretty cheap construction I might add. The good news is the two bolts accessible from the front of the door where the check strap goes through are what holds the assembly to the door. If I cannot find a replacment unit I feel pretty comfortable I can straighten it and get it welded.
The piece that bolts to the door spot welds to the part of the assembly that is broken, 2 spotwelds gave way and the bracket tore itself apart.

[aleekat]

Thanks for the update. Took another look under the rubber grommet on mine. Well, only one bolt head there. The other appears to have sheared off, and the bracket is cracked through where the bolt screws in.

[brockx]

I have mine disassembled and straightened out good enough to weld. The bracket is in three pieces and it connects to the mount plate with 4 crimps then the whole thing bolts to the door with the two screws I mentioned before. I plan on welding the bracket directly to the mount plate. Also, I have determined the same bracket is used on Regals, Gran Prix and Cutlass. Suprisingly I can't find a match on Monte Carlo or Lumina. I'll spend more time tomorrow trying to locate a new one.

[aleekat]

It sounds like your bracket inside the door is intact? That is what has pulled out of mine.

[brockx]

No... there is a flat plate that fits between the door and the formed bracket, The formed bracket is swaged onto the flat bracket. The two bolts go through the flat bracket and thread into the formed bracket. The formed bracket is all torn up and bent that is what I am planning on welding togather as a last resort.

[brockx]

Update......

Thursday, the 18th I set out to get the bracket welded. I decided to stop at the Chevrolet, Buick, ex-Pontiac dealer in Punta Gorda to talk to the parts department about the part. Thought it might be worth a shot since Regal and Gran Prix both used the same part. After about 5 minutes the parts guy announced he could get it and it would be here next week. So....we shall see, I'm not betting too heavy on it but just maybe. The price was/is $60, all the online places showed list of $44 and sell prices from 27 to 35. So I'm getting getting worked over on the price but worth it if this guy actually comes through.

[brockx]

Wonders never cease.....

Stopped by the dealership yesterday to check on the part and was told it was on back-order. The counter guy was a different person than I had ordered from and said he would do some searching for it.

I was pretty well convinced nothing was going to happen so I took the old one to the weld shop and left it with them.

So guess what...this morning I get back to back calls, the weld is finished, the new part is at the dealership. The counter guy found one at a dealer had it overnighted and I'm good to go. Problem is the weld job was $30 so I'm out a total of $94 but it's back together and wifey is happy.

[aleekat]

Thanks for the update. I'm still battling the same door where it stops opening from either inside or outside. Linkage intact.

[brockx]

Probably going to need to replace the latch assembly. If you have any interest in the check strap I had welded let me know. The way I had them weld it I am sure it is much better than the original. The orginal bracket was just swaged to the base bracket, it pulled loose from the base then tore itself into 3 pieces. I welded it to the base bracket.