History 2 doors vs 4 doors

I also grew up in the 2 door era. But have grown to appreciate and own both. I guess it just depends on the individual and the car.

 

Did everybody just breeze by the 55Chevy "3 door sedan" on page 2? I saw the car at Kalamazoo, walked right by it----twice. Somebody said "Hey go check out orange 55". I looked again and STILL didn't get it!!! Finally it dawned on me. A 4dr on one side-----the other side is a post coupe!! A darn nice clean car, but how did he do it? The portions on BOTH sides of the car are so spot on, was it originally a four door and he made the other side a two door? Even using the longer post coupe door, wouldn't the back window/quarter be off? Never did find the owner to ask him how it was done.

 

Did everybody just breeze by the 55Chevy "3 door sedan" on page 2? I saw the car at Kalamazoo, walked right by it----twice. Somebody said "Hey go check out orange 55". I looked again and STILL didn't get it!!! Finally it dawned on me. A 4dr on one side-----the other side is a post coupe!! A darn nice clean car, but how did he do it? The portions on BOTH sides of the car are so spot on, was it originally a four door and he made the other side a two door? Even using the longer post coupe door, wouldn't the back window/quarter be off? Never did find the owner to ask him how it was done.

 

I haven't read all the comments here, but I did read the reply from @Tory and that pretty much sums it up in this day and age.

My fathers first car in 1953 was a '34 Ford roadster. He paid $150 for it, which is the equivalent of about $1200 in today's money. It was less than 20 years old, beat up but running. Try buying that car today.

There is no comparison to today, and absolutely no surprise that a lot of guys who want an old car end up buying a 4 door.

 

I probably said this already but in the event that I haven't 4 doors make good sleepers.

I remember once in high school for whatever reason my mom decided to make a weekend trip in my old heap. She left me with her Buick Special 4 door. One of the guys that I ran with had a hot 401 and a bunch of us got together, pooled our resources and shoved the nail head in where the 6 used to be. When she came back we told her that we put glass packs on her car ( which was basically true). it was a hoot watching that more door leave the driveway and launch.

 

Did your buddy ever get compensated for his hot nailhead, or did he settle for the 6?

 

We changed it back after we were done having fun with it.

 

Wicked! more so, because.........

 

AS we say PICTURES, or it didn't happen !!! what year was the four -door?

 

The wheelbase, floorpan, and roof skins are identical between the 2 door sedan and 4 door sedan. My dad's '56 was a 4 door and when I did the conversion the roof skin remained untouched. So assuming he started with a 4 door, did the conversion on one side and not the other, the proportions should match spot-on. It'd be a lot tougher to add the 4 door sedan doors to the side of a 2 door sedan although in theory it's possible.

 

I dig my Deuce 4-door. If you like your car, no matter how many doors, that's all that matters.

 

That 32 is beautiful!

My first car had too many doors. I loved everything about it except the matronly image of those rear doors. However, it was a great car for me in high school. Everyone always rode with me. We always had a car full and made good use of those doors. The extra doors eventually gave way to its demise. When the motor blew up before freshman year in college, I didn't have time to get it back on the road. Once I had the time and money, I didn't want to invest anymore in the sedan. If it had even been a four door hardtop instead of a sedan, I would probably be driving it to this day.


I am more into trucks these days. Now, ironically I'd rather have four doors, because that is what is rare in the truck world. The perception of scarcity must drive desire. I gave up my beautiful 88, because it was not as shapely as a Holiday hardtop. And now my dream vehicle is this four-door Kaiser pig. I'm sick, and my closest friends will tell you that's true.

 

I hear you John when it comes to the Deuce sedan ,2 door or 4 door,I love them both. HRP

 

Like everything else in our world, opinions are changing.
The acceptance of 4 doors have increased for many reasons, I would think.
Maybe someone REALLY prefers a 4 door over a 2 door, or maybe it's because 2 doors are disappearing and folks are accepting 4 doors or converting 4 doors to 2 door cars.
Whatever the reason for liking 4 door cars today, if you were living in the '50's, like me ..... a 4 door back then was as acceptable as a 1" wart on the end of your nose.
But ....... opinions and times have changed, haven't they ?

 

I suppose that's true,my ideas have matured over the years,I celebrated the 50th anniversary of my 16 th birthday last April and when I was in my teens I wasn't too keen on 4 doors but I was smart enough to know that a 4 door, while being a poor ride beat the hell out of a proud walk! HRP

 

As I said, our thoughts do change, as we "mature".
My wife, though, still says I act like I'm 12 !

 

.........plus, big ol 4 doors make super cool party wagons! Might have been a little less conspicuous if it'd had the original tan paint. Me and my brother and my 47 caddy.

 

'66 and I never owned a camera 'til '80.

You guys who were important documented your lives, guys like me just lived 'em.

 

"Unimportant" lives matter!

 

Back in the 50-60s, even my old man never owned a 4dr. When I first started driving, I had a beater '62 Galaxy 4dr. It was a love/hate relationship. Hated that it was a 4dr, loved being mooobyyle for the first time. I had no illusions of it even being the slightest bit cool, it was wheels. I designed a homemade 'Cobra-Jet' decal and put it on the gas door as a self-inflicted pun. It immediately became 'The Cobra Jet!' among our crowd. Took a little of the sting out of the situation at least.

 

I have a 4-dr but mainly because I always went against the grain. I enjoy being the outsider in some aspects.


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You talk'n to me?
This probably will sound familiar to some of you.
Only picture I own of my first car, somehow lost the few that I had waaay back.
The kid I sold it to wrecked it shortly after buying it.
61 Impala 4 door hardtop 348/3speed. It came with black painted International Dragmaster five spokes, a pretty good looking four door I must say.
Also came with air shocks so it already had the typical 60's rake. First thing I did was put a Hurst Syncro-Loc shifter in it.
Boy did I think I had the world by the ass!
Bought in 1969 at 15, couldn't even drive it (legally) so my high school pal got to drive it first. Got in big trouble one time because I just couldn't wait to try out the Hurst shifter.

 

Dammit!

 

I am bias.....I will always be a 2 door guy by nature.

 

I'm with ya (usually) but my wife insisted on a four door.
So I bought her a 96 Impala SS.
See, I'm flexible.

 

Problem is that we come from a time when 4 doors just were not cool. I think that things have changed some because car companies stopped producing 4 doors and people who grew up with late model cars just don't get the stigma. The other driving force is that we used up all the good cars when we were young and you rod what you can get these days.

its a funny thing, there are things that are just not "cool" to me. Maybe better said for me. That does not mean that I think everyone should build what I build, it is just not the way that I like things. I have probably already said this so if I did consider it a recap, 4 doors are fine. Not for me usually but if you see me driving a more door it is probably not the worlds best idea to go for pinks with me. Old lady cars make damned fine sleepers. There are a few examples of more doors that make good customs, but they are few and far between.

 

I also think I mentioned this on a previous thread.
In the mid 80's my niece bought her son a 69 Nova four door and this was the poster child for "little old ladys car", a plain Jane 4 cyl/3 on the tree, manual steering and brakes, etc.
I was just tuning it up and tidying up a few things for them but I gotta tell ya, I could have put a Muncie 4 speed in it in a day because I had one ready to go with a Hurst bolted up.
I would have driven the snot out of that little four banger.

 

A kid I went to high school with had a '56 2door hdtp with a really hot 327 4 speed in it. The problem with the car was that it was already a rust bucket. I think it came from Lincoln city or there about and you know how those old salt air cars are. Anyway his brother had a shop on Puyallop and he said he would fix and paint the body. his mom had a 6 cylinder 3 speed '64 more door Chevelle that she said he could have. it was a no brainer, engine and tranny was pretty much a bolt in. We had a lot of fun in that car.

 

I assume that this wouldn't have been popular even as a 2 door with a big block and rock crusher.. haha..

They didn't make this model in a 2 door to my knowledge...

Which is exactly why I'm building it as a sleeper. I want to see shocked faces as this Binder leaves a stop.

20161204_130016_1480904428671 by Thrift-King posted Dec 8, 2016 at 3:59 PM

 

They actually built a 2 door model carry-all in the mid to late '60s I think but they were never a muscle car.LOL

I got a friend here in town named Denny, that always has fast cars and always has. They were not always desirable cars as hotrods go. A few years back I was headed down a divided highway and saw a few hotrods headed in the opposite direction. I noticed a flat black 47 Chevy 4 door sedan headed that way, chuckled and said to myself, 'well now that a Denny car if I ever saw one,' then blew it off. About 5 minutes later I look in the mirror and this black hulk of a car is catching up to me like I'm standing still. It pulls up next to me and motions me over. Sure enough its Denny, in that '47 moredoor. he had build a mountain of a chevy motor and backed it with a Super T-10, then bought the chevy because he could afford it.

Funny how economy drives some of our decisions, isn't it.