I have been amazed at the guys who do the 55-57 Chevy conversion of a 4 door sedan into a 2 door sedan. That got me to wondering as I p***ed by a 40 Ford 4 door today. What other makes and models can be "2 doored"? Cars form the 30's 40's 50's? Not the shorty Chevy wagon thing, but a real conversion. Whose done one? Whose got one? What bodies are bieng overlooked that could be converted?
Friend had a 40 chevy sedan del. and the front doors were like the 4 doors/short/ and he wanted better entry so he put on 2 door, door's and it looked great. Almost all the old cars were based on the same frame and similar floors so I'd guess a bunch.
You can basically make any car that has the same roof line in both 4dr and 2dr versions. 50's hardtops usually don't have the same top in the 4dr hardtop version. Post sedans usually do. to make a conversion correct you MUST get 2 door coupe or sedan doors and the post section to graft them into a 4dr car. OR you'll end with an odd proportioned 2dr car with short doors. You can also lengthen the front door, but this is more time and work than finding a set of 2dr, doors. Also note on some 30'd coupe the 2dr coupe door is a bit different from the 2dr sedan door. Sometimes is helps to find a 2dr donor car and buy the whole thing, cause you'll need sill plates garnish moldings, gl***, all the details to make your car look legit. Most older than 40's cars look fine as a 4dr you just gotta get over it. The other thing is it seems to me you'd be looking to make more work for yourself, by purchasing vehicles and thing of that as 4dr to 2dr projects, instead of saving up some more bucks and buying the 2dr car you truly want. 1940 Ford sedan are nice cars in both 2dr and 4dr versions.
You could probably do most any car. I think the only drawback may be whether the roofline really fits the proportions of the car after the swap. Unless you use the appropriate 2 door roof, that is. I'm going to start on a 54 Linc, going from 4 door sedan to a 2 door hardtop. But I DO have the roof and doors off a hardtop. I also plan on putting 2 door doors on my 50 Chevy sedan delivery, which came with 4 door front doors. Should make it look better, proportionately. Maybe even doing a hardtop conversion on the delivery, too.
Have you seen that 55 chevy that was converted on one side only??? Boy is it neat! 2 door sedan on one side, 4 door on the other!!!
my 1932 plymouth/desoto was a four door just 2 weeks ago and we are turning it into a tudor sedan delivery. took 7" out of the rear doors, that gives the right look to the car without having to change the front doors in any shape or form. l have a thread about it here if you want to see more. also when l started l thought it was a 33 dodge so search that and 1932 plymouth and the build will thread should show up. also search 34 chrysler. l think its by wahoo172. Later
Any car that has the same roof line/top on their 2 and 4 door models. The rest look like you turned a four door into a two door... Sam
Now THAT would be cool... and the STORIES you could tell! "Uh, it was made as a NY City cab in the 50's" "It was a Friday/Monday car." "My grandpa special ordred it this way... only three were made." "What??!! It has TWO DOORS on that side??!! I never noticed that!" "I did the conversion on the one side... then my welder broke" Man... I'm going to add that to my list of **** I want to build! Sam
My 59 Dodge Custom Royal was an original 4 door, somebody welded the rears shut years before I got it. It was a real nasty job and was near impossible to get anybody in the back. I cut the door post out and removed the rear doors completely, then re-mounted the post back in about 9 inches further back. I then made new doors to suit the new opening, and made some new panels for the remaining gap that was left from the removal of the rear doors. This transformed the look of the car and its practicalities. I also had to fab up all new door tops as mine was a post car and the PO had removed the tops and screwed angle iron in as a replacement. Just to make it more fun it also has a 57 plymouth roof on it . It turned out pretty good, I would post pics but I have to get some scanned in at some point as I have no digital ones. Paul.
Here's a pic of my old 57 wagon that started life as a 210 4dr wgn. The rear door was made into one piece, also. I sold it to finish the car I drive now. I like the "crows foot" Americans.. I don't see 'em around anymore! And this was a 4dr 56 Bel Air..The entire floorboard is perfect, and too nice of car to cut up & make a couch out of the rear section. This thing starts right up.. even after sitting for a year. How much would you say this things worth? It is a major issue. When you do something like that.. It's cos you want one, and you're not doing it for resale profit. People lose interest fast, when you tell them it's an ex 4door..
I turned my 4 dr nova into a convertible - had to drill about a million spot welds out of both cars and then weld it back together also had to make up some kind of frame so it wouldn't break in half going down the road .thinking back I should have just saved more money and bought one
Thanks.. If I were to ever do it again, I would chop it & put a hard top windshield in it. Then it's not ever trying to p*** off as something it isn't. Not trying to hi-jack the thread. I am only speaking on my experience in the past when I dealt w/ would be buyers for my 57 wagon..
37-40 willy's 4 door sedans are a super easy conversion. willys made a factory 2 door sedan in 38 and 39. at the factory they welded and leaded the rear doors skin shut and had a flat panel in place on the inside ,rather than the typical 4 door rear doors innerstructure. the front doors 2 or 4 door even interchanged. The roof line was also the same.
I've posted this link up a billion times but why not once more, my '60 Plymouth conversion thread http://jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120 Here it is with the conversion finished These Mopars were made for this conversion, it's much simpler than some of the more complex GM ones. I'm cooking up another one that will be a never-made-at-the-factory type car for this spring, should look good.
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