suicide rear doors (63 4 door bel air)

***le says it all gang, I want to put suicide rear doors on my 63 bel air. I wish it was a hard top but its not. I want to get a good idea as far as:

1. Estimated Cost <-- I am about $1000 into project, I am willing to spend about $1500 to $2000 more, still need paint, all new interior, replace right quarter rear panel, duel exhaust/carbs, and some flashy bells and whistles hear and there.
2. Level of difficulty <-- I am a newbie, but I have friends and neighbors who most likely can help me out with this part of the project.
3. Pros and Cons <-- Not really sure what the cons are, why are suicide doors only popular in customs or projects?
4. Is it outcome worth the effort <-- I already know I wont get dollar for dollar on this project, as I stated in my intro I am not looking to sell this, its my first project, if anything Ill give to my brother when I start another project.

Any thoughts on the matter will be much appreciated. Thanks gang!

Gabe

 

I might spend the money/time on other mods... no real advantage besides the "cool" factor when you are parked...

however I love suicide doors and think they are cool , so I personally might do it just because I like them..

difficult -yes, you might run into problems if you are not ready to fabricate, and make creative decisions to get something to do what it was not designed to do.

issues to think about..
reinforce rear1/4 and jamb to hold the weight of the door.
reinforce the rear and inside of the door to hold the weight of itself.
redesign/buy a door latch system that won't open while you are moving(moving open= bye-bye 1/4 panel)
will the new hinges/reinforcements interfere with the window rolling up and down.
can you trust your friends not to open the rear door at speed?

 

I'd do it.
Not sure if it should be your priority but its something almost mandatory on a 4dor.
Just be sure to plan it the best you can.
I will do it on my 4dor too, i'll tell you how is gone if i manage to do it b4 you,
but its something i seriously doubt.
God luck.
Nick.

 

Geez, I can't think of one valid reason to do this to your car. You are a newbie to custom cars, yet you want to spend a lot of money on a hokey modification that very well may trash your car if not done correctly. And this is not a job for a beginner.

Plus, nobody will know you've done it unless you are "profiling" at the parking lot. Sounds rather juvenile to me. Are you 18 years old?

Customizing is meant to enhance the car's design. Change for the sake of change is usually done in poor taste.

 

since you asked...a lot of work and $$$ for no improvement to your car , spend the money on something else

 

I agree.
I have suicide doors on my truck, and although it's a conversation topic, i have come to hate them. Unless it came that was from the factory, just leave them alone and put the effort and cash elsewhere on the car.

Tony

 

Just swap the door handles, and make it "look" like it has suicide doors. That'll give you an idea how difficult this will be for someone who states, "I'm a newbie". I think I'd do the other bodywork (quarter panel) first, and build up ti it as your experience increases and gets better. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

the problem (other than why) is there is not much meat to locate the hinges. Most of the back section were you need to mout them is wheelwell. Heck it would be easier to gull wing them ha ha

 

'63 Bel Air four doors are dime a dozen...there's no real value to be recouped should you spend all your hard earned doing this conversion. IMHO it'll never work properly, you'll lose interest and/or junk the car.

Put your time and effort into your car to make it run better and be safer...suicided rear doors do not apply to either of the above mentioned areas of improvement.

R-

 

If ya swap the handles the rear handle would wack the front door when you opened( or tryed to open ) it. Anyway who uses door handles anyway?

 

at least he didnt ask about going lambo

 

Too many structural problems, work, and cost for minimal gain - especially for the inexperienced. Can't think of one positive thing about this project. If you want suicide doors on something get a Ford product that already has them - even if its a Lincoln or a T-Bird.

 

why?

 

X10 And this didn't mention you'll only have enough room for one hinge which won't be enough to hold the weight of the door itself.

Get yourself a late '40's Studebaker Land Cruiser. They already have suicide doors.

 

OR any '61 to '66 Lincoln...they even made convertibles with suicide rear doors...from the factory...

R-

 

Or blow the door handles off lower it shoot it all one color and take the rest of the money you saved by not doing the doors and drive it

 

and to top it off..its not really the car you wanted to begin with..your wasting your time and money on a car, or body style you said yourself you wished it was a HT..its not.
and suiciding the rear doors isnt going to make it any cooler..but it sure could **** it up.
forgetabou***

get it running and reliable..use it and put that 2,000 or 2,500 or what ever in the bank..and when you find that HT..than sell that 4 door and use the money you get from selling it and the money you saved and make a deal on the Hard Top

 

That's how I got my 32. They kept cutting, bending, etc until they realized the whole body was ruined.

 

My car came from the factory with suicide doors, so that was one cost off of my check list

 

Take your time and figure out what else to spend money on maybe a tail dragger kit

 

I did what your thinking of... i like it. and its cool, when parked.... save your $ and invest it in another car you REALLY want to build right.

 

get the sawzall and make it a BEL CAMINO

 

I do interior work, and honestly your "budget" would be shot on a decent interior. this is a money game. so as a guy who has about 6K wrapped up in a non running 54 chevy car, I'll tell you, If you do **** right and don't half *** it, you're going to be a long ways past your budget.

So as the other guys have said. Get it road worthy and enjoy it. Save your money and buy someone else's half finished project for way less than they have in it.

 

Listen to what this guy has to say. When you bite off a lot to chew without a huge amount of experience, it ends up with a bunch of parts strewn about, a non-functioning, it'll be cool someday, damnit i wish i could drive it, screw it i'll sell it for a huge loss kind of car. I have done this exact same thing before.

Rather than getting the car really straightened out and drivable and then start worrying about cosmetic, I-think-it-would-look-cool stuff I did it the other way around. My car WILL be cool someday but, if i'm honest, I just wish I had a car to drive around in and have fun with.

Put your money and effort into a more doable task and go from there.

 

here is a 64 i found on craiges list looks like it was done when it was new.

 

Good grief... Why even bother.

Go for it man and please post pics. This will be awesome.

 

You want to do what....! bad idea.

 

Von rigg fink is the man to listen to, pure wisdom