A strut is a metal piece that runs the full width of the garage door.
How to repair cracked garage door panel.
If the damaged panel is not on top you will also need to remove the panel on top by sliding it up.
Cracks in the top panel are usually caused by the opener not being installed correctly.
Is it in the middle of the top panel because a garage door opener put stress on it.
Once this is done you can then slide your damaged panel out.
Just the woodgrain layer on top is peeling off.
You can either go the whole 8 or 9 foot length or even 3 to 4 feet is pretty good.
Painted wood doors should be repainted every 1 2 years as needed to protect the door against the elements.
They sell struts at garage door outfits like overhead door company affiliates etc.
In this situation it may be possible to install a strut to support the garage door panel.
Your garage panels are attached to each other and the track rollers.
The wood piece behind the surface is ok.
Unscrew the damaged panels to remove.
Bolt these into position with the hardware you removed earlier and your socket wrench.
Instead of having entire sections of a garage door replaced this video will show how to repair of warped panels to restore the appearance of an older garage.
If your door needs repainted follow the instructions in the painting the door section of the care maintenance manual.
The cure for this is a long strut that you drill and screw along the top edge.
A crack in the top panel of your garage door usually indicates some other problem.
If your garage door is metal or vinyl it is much more difficult and even impossible to fix.
If the garage door panels are wood then yes a garage door panel that is cracked could be fixed using wood fillers and glue.
As you can see in the pics the thin piece of fake woodgrain on the lowest panel has sucked up some water and has separated from the wood portion of the panel.
Actually fixing a crack in a garage door panel can be a difficult and even impossible task.
Annually examine your door for signs of cracking or peeling paint or cracks in the wood door section.
If the piece of metal that broke off your garage door is not where the j bar connects to your garage door it may still be possible to repair the garage door panel.
Step 4 lift the garage door back to the upright position and reattach the side springs into position.