Pandora's box! Any time you open up something, gotta be prepared to find stuff you don't like. Working on my door cards which have totted out. Going to replace the speakers at the same time since I find, without surprise, that since 1983 they too have gone to hell.

The photos shown here (drive.google.com/drive/folders/11ms_-Foek7Gn8OzAaif-QICbZry-6zbH?usp=sharing) are from my driver's side door.
They are about the same as seen at about 7 minutes into this video (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZwgniXSxYM).

None on the passenger side but that door gets very little use in comparison and it is my theory that with my speakers attached up high near these points and only to the door card which literally hangs from the piece in the first photo, the action of the speaker moving inwards when the door is slammed closed repeatedly causes or at least contributes to this.

I have realized that hanging a speaker from the door card only is NOT ideal or even a good thing as it stresses the door card itself. So have been looking for something to easily allow me to attached the to the 4 pre-drilled holes which already exist on 4" centers around the speaker hole. I can only feel more strongly about this now.

Suggestions on what to do about these cracks? Thanks

You wrote: "it is my theory that with my speakers attached up high near these points and only to the door card which literally hangs from the piece in the first photo, the action of the speaker moving inwards when the door is slammed closed repeatedly causes or at least contributes to this.

I have realized that hanging a speaker from the door card only is NOT ideal or even a good thing as it stresses the door card itself."

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the doors on a Volvo 240 are designed to take a side impact at speed, they will protect the passeger to the extent that No One had died in a 240 --- NYTimes article in the late '80s---no I don't have a link.


So Slammming the door with a mounted speaker causing crack? '(he)overthinks(protests) too much, methinks'

Cheers

Overthinking is my middle name! So too is over-engineering. In my DNA somehow.

I agree with your assessment of the Volvo's safety design and that is exactly what caused me to replace and "accordioned" 1980 Honda Accord with this 1983 242. However, the pillar that hold up the front part of the door card is simply stamped out of the single layer of sheet metal that has shown to crack - only in this one area (and only on the highly used door).

I decided to both drill a 1/4" hole on the "leading" edge of the big crack as suggested by Peter (maplebones). I was quite frankly amazed by how easily and quickly my under powered battery drill with less than stellar 1/4" bit went through that metal! I think that much of the side impact safety being mentioned here comes from the design and especially that large metal pipe running inside the door. It ain't from that sheet metal otherwise it wouldn't be so easily drilled and wouldn't have cracked in the first place.

In addition, I have affixed a "splint" made from a piece of metal over that large cracked area using JB Weld. I did not drill the smaller crack but I did splint it with JB Weld and a small piece of carbon fiber stick.

I have also decided to do away with the door speakers all together. Just put the grills back on and taped over the conductor ends on the speaker wires. I really don't drive the car much any more (or any car actually) and when I do listen, it is only to NPR so hifi isn't very important. I will just replace the 1983 vintage rear deck 6x9 which requires far fewer technical challenges and move on.

Thanks to all who responded!

Thanks to all! I find the suggestion of drilling a hole at the end to prevent further spread interesting. Used to do something like this on cracking bicycle crank arms. I wish I had welding capability but I have never done anything like that - with any method. I am starting to think that I should just do-away with the door speakers entirely unless I can find some good way to secure them to the door metal and concentrate on rear deck speakers.

fwiw.

In car stereos, I've ridden in some, a friends SAAB comes to mind, an upgraded system(back in the 90's), that had small tweeters upfront, installed on the front pillars, just below the headliner. Small and mounted on the surface.

The main speakers(3way-tweeter/mid range/bass) were in the rear deck.

Tweeters are an easy front mount and will add to a F/R full cabin sound balance.
Pretty sure you can get 'encased tweeters' ---- probably the size of a jeweler's ring box.

Hi David,

I've encountered those cracks more than once, always on the driver's door. I've wondered if the flexing of the interior rubber window seal has something to do with it. It's attached to the door card, and the door card hangs from that sheet metal.

I've always just drilled a 1/4" hole at the tip of the cracks. This stops them from propagating any further.

Although I'm capable of welding the cracks, I hesitate to do it because I'm not able to determine and remove the condition that caused them. I think it's possible that the cracks relieved whatever stress had initiated them, and the panel may perform better with the added flexibility provided by them.

I guess time will tell.

regards, Peter

I've seen those cracks many times myself (having owned to drive many 240's and owned to sell many more) and to be truthful have left them alone with no ill effects. - Dave

Weld the cracks with spot welds applied with an electric welder rather than a torch so you don't have to remove the glass. - Dave