...Even though it's a part of the body/doors, it's technically on the inside, so no idea if this belongs in Interior, Exterior, or elsewhere...

My driver's door check strap/check link/that thing that is positioned between the door hinges that stops your door from flying open/closed on you, and also holds the door half-open (when it is still working)... ...anyway, it's getting old and no longer holds my door at the half-open position, or open at all on a steep hill. I've found out you can swap front left/right and rear left/right ones, but I was talking to an ex-wrecker I bought some bits off and he said that you can actually use the rear check straps in the front doors. I took at look at them and they appear the same, just swapped so the side that sticks out of the front body actually stick out of the rear doors.

Before I go to the trouble of going to the nearest pick-a-part wrecker, finding a rear one that still works, removing it and whacking it in my door, can anyone confirm that this is actually the case? If so I see a lot of wrecked E-series missing their rear straps in the future...

Well, he MAY be right but Ford had different part numbers for the rear and front check straps, The ONLY way you will find out is to try.

Given that ford have run out of genuine EF/EL check straps and no company has bothered making after market replacements. Perhaps we nerf to look at how we can fix them instead. Perhaps even if the back door check straps are different, we may be able to salvage some parts to make the front ones work. Even most of the wreckers EF/EL's have faulty front does after all.

Realistically we need to be able to fix them, not just look for working old parts.

I'm well ahead of you guys....

Not only have i been to the wreckers to salvage parts out of AU's and BA's i've gone and bought a full set of check straps for the current model G series.

I've begun to modify various check straps to come up with a solution to our problems and i believe i'm very close to a winner.

All i'm waiting for currently is a mate to laser cut some pieces for me so that i can finish the assembly. Thereafter i'll be installing the newly modified "G" series straps in my car, but also testing my modified AU and BA straps to see if they work too.

Assuming all three options will work i'll be looking to sell the AU and BA modified check straps as a full set (i.e. four check straps) to recoup my costs.

If enough of you are interested and willing to pay my costs (inclusive of my time/labour) i might start selling these on the side, else on eBay. So let me know if you wanna be kept in the loop on this...

Given that ford have run out of genuine EF/EL check straps and no company has bothered making after market replacements. Perhaps we nerf to look at how we can fix them instead. Perhaps even if the back door check straps are different, we may be able to salvage some parts to make the front ones work. Even most of the wreckers EF/EL's have faulty front does after all.

Realistically we need to be able to fix them, not just look for working old parts.

Sounds promising LTD_DF, if you can make front (not that worried about the rear ones at the moment) replacements, ideally some sort of adapter that can mean we can use stock AU/Bx/Gx straps in it I'd be interested.

And yes Nian we do need to think about that as well...

...That said, where I park at work is on a slope and I'm getting paranoid about my door flying open and dinging/scratching up the car next to me (although no-one else cares when they do it to me ) so I think I'll be heading up to my nearest wrecker to rip out a working rear one and see if it (or parts of it) fits the front.