The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk suicide doors anyone?

Started on suicide doors.....

Sorry, I hit the add reply by mistake. It's still St Patty's day ya know hehehehehe! (dang jack & cokes)

Seriously though, check out page two of my web shots & tell me what cha think

Wild!

51, i wish you hadn't posted this, it is what i have wanted to do. i always have wanted something with suicide doors. my truck is in the body shop now having the body panels redone. i have to pay for the work and i am really far into this. i think i will wait til everything si straightened the thik about the doors. looking good. ron

Very good! I have always liked suicide doors! Did you find they very complicated to do?

I've never understood what the seeming obsession is with suicide doors. I don't see that they look any different closed and can't see any advantage to them. Can anyone explain? I have a car with them, and people come up and say, "Wow, suicide doors!" and I think,"So?"

Speaking of doors, I posted this in The Doors under Clinics but stuff seems to get overlooked there sometimes.
I'm thinking about using a set of 1950 doors on my 1954 chevy. Can anyone advise me of what problems I will run into?
Thanks

we b old , I know exactly what you mean. I get that twinge of jealousy/envy whenever I see em.

Coach-frank, They're really not hard to do, they just redefine the old "Measure twice cut once." I think the hardest part is that I quit smoking going on about 2weeks now. Hopefully that explains all the cussin and throwin stuff!

Windows?............ I knew I forgot something.......
The trickiest part is you can only get about 3/4" deep in the door before you hit the window track. I still have to make an 'S' bend on the top hinge to get the door to swing out 90 degrees(without the back of the door hitting the cab) and close properly.

Baldy, What are your suicide doors on? Where I'm from, you only see suicide doors on high-dollar rods. I wonder if it's because most shops charge an arm & a leg for em, or they have more taste than I do?. To each his own, it took me about a month to convince my wife to let me do them she thinks they would ruin the truck. Oh well, she doesn't have to ride in it .... :blat:

Smitty , just as an idea, LMC lists doors from '47 - '50 and '52 - 55. I'm not certain but the only difference should be w/or w/out vent windows.

Hey Smitty. I did it with no problems. Hey rust bucket...sweet doors.

the shop i use wanted 2500.00 to do a car but didn't really want to do it. because of the price i think the guy did not do it. i havn't talked to him about because i would like to get it back and drive it for awhile. i has been one shop or another since last june. i have even toyed with idea of getting a car with the doors, probably a mid 30's chrysler product. but i then think the money spent on the new car could make the truck first rate. ron

smitty's54 the differece should be your vent windows on the doors, other than the one piece windshield i believe the cab is the same as a 47-53.

The rear doors on my 33 Chevy sedan are front opening, as have been the back doors of several cars I've owned, including a 39 Packard hearse and a 46 F@rd. My two 1952 MGTDs were the only ones with front opening front doors. I often had to push start one of them, and found it hard to get in quick enough to pop the clutch, so I usually jumped over the door to get in.

Baldy, I actually thought of suiciding the back doors of my wagon kind of like the old lincolns. I got a four door so I could tote my kids around & My only worry is that I just know one of em will forget to deadbolt a door.

Here's a couple things you might give thought to because you obviously have the ability to do them. These old trucks used a windlace around the door opening which cuts wind noise to about 55mph but no faster, you might make provision for a gasket type seal since the latch opening is gone (I'm sure your using bear claw). The bottom is the challange. A switch that's open when the doors open and closed when door is COMPLETELY closed and interlocked into the ignition is a safety touch, especially if kids may ride. In cases of close window channel clearance (not yours) the strap can be mounted to the doors inner surface and then a sculptered upholstery panel used. The bumps can be incorporated into the sculptered design. We're doing a 31 A coupe now and it's doors are really skinny so this might be imperative. Good luck and yours looks great.

Good idea, what type of seal would you reccomend? And yes, I'm using bear claw medium latches. I guess I was just planning on ordering the original style seals. I want to say there is one seal for the door and one for the cab plus the windlace?

I think Autoloc sells the automatic deadbolts, they aren't cheap but they're a heck of a lot cheaper than a door blowing open a speed! I figured I'd order them when I get the rest of poppers and electronics.

I know what you mean, were doing a ground up on a '35 chevy coupe at work. These are probably just a hair thicker than an A's doors.We went with the power windows that have their own track which gave us just enough room to get the strap flush with the inner panel.

Thanks for the advice

Robin, thanks for the info. Yours looks good, like the 'vette wheels too.

My uncle had a Lincoln Continental. Big as a whale. I loved those suicide doors. No one else had them. Too cool. Don't you just love all that old iron. Remember all that chrome?

I know what you mean. The only reason we have the '01 Monte is because the wife got tired of driving my '72 Nova. Divorce was too expensive.... sooooo we got her a new car.
I would rather spend my time polishing chrome. I hate front wheel drive, puny fuel injected motors, ABS brakes, Air bags & all that junk.
Give me old iron with a fire-breathin, carbeurated gas guzzlin small block, crank windows and 'god I hope it stops' brakes. I prefer my 'air bag' in the passenger seat (here comes the hate mail now!) There now I have finished my rant.

can i put suicide doors on my 64 with out much prob ? keep in mind when i say not much prob im 13 fixen 2 run 14 friday

Rebel, they're not that hard if you're handy with a die grinder and mig welder. Your best bet is to google 'suicide doors' as much as possible, look at Robin58's and my pics then just start cuttin and weldin. Ask all the questions you need to, you'll see its not hard even for a young'n!

Thats a pretty informative site. I got sidetracked with some family stuff and have yet to get back to finishing mine.

Rust bucket, what we usually do is to give the dimensions of the channel we want the w/s for to Metro Molded Rubber Products in Minneapolis and they invariably have something with the right dimension in stock. They aren't a stocker and re-seller like many suppliers, they actually have the dies and extrude their own. I think Steele might also but the others all come in Taiwan packages. Metros catalog has actual size cross section pics that can put you real close. Will get their ph.# tomorrow if my brain doesn't go dead the minute I walk through the door.

Thanks Evan, do you recommend this single gasket over the double factory seals. If you get a chance is there anyway you could get a picture of a car with this seal done? I would kinda like to see what the finished product looks like.

Thanks,
Scott

Scott, will be glad to take a few shots but right now it's unfinished. The A doors overlap the body about a 1/2", kinda like shingles on a roof. We used the door as a guide and cut around it with a plasma torch which gave 3/16 clearance for door gap. Then a 1/2x1/2 angle formed from 18g cold roll was migged in. I went to the Metro Molded catalog (http://metrommp.com/) ph 800-878-2237, and clicked onto "extrusions". I think I will use the 1/2x1/2 seal that has the flap sticking off of one corner, much like door seals in the 50's & 60's. Like all from scratch projects everything is in flux and adjustments necessary but, that looks good right now. Will snap a pic and put it on my photobucket site with the "as is" progress.

Heck, you could just leave the door overlapping and that would eliminate the need for the seal right? Just be sure to use the proper size nails when securing the door to the body.

I appreciate it, just let me know when you get around to it.

Thanks