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History 2 doors vs 4 doors

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by bobg1951chevy, Oct 21, 2016.

  1. Back in the '50's, when I was in high school, we were allowed to drive our cars to school.
    We did have to have a "mini" safety inspection from the local police dept., plus we had to obtain a parking permit from the school itself, after the safety inspection.
    2 door sedans, 2 door hardtops and converts were the in thing ........ if you brought a 4 door to school, you did not admit that it was yours.
    If it was a 4 door, you told the guys you were driving your Dad's car, or your uncles car.
    4 door cars and "KOOL" guys were not seen together.
    Today, H.A.M.B. has many 4 door builds that we read and follow.
    For me, I'm still stuck with the '50's mentality ..... if it's "KOOL", then it must have 2 doors.
    What do you say?
    Are you a 2 door guy ...... or a 4 door guy ....... and why did you choose the 2 door or 4 door ?
     
  2. Ed Angel
    Joined: Nov 17, 2015
    Posts: 122

    Ed Angel

    I think today a 4 dr is excepted due to the price point of a 4dr . I will say this tho from experience .
    A crappy 2dr will sell before a stellar 4dr .
    I'll buy a rusty 2dr and fix it before I'll buy a 4dr and then have to convert it to a 2dr .
    So I guess I'm a 2dr guy .


    Sent from the frozen North
     
  3. I remember those days..... A 4-door was mere transportation, usually foisted off on you by your parents. A weird off-brand 2-door was superior to nearly any 4-door. I remember one guy welding the rear doors on his 4-door '57 Chevy sedan shut then installing a 2-door front seat. You had to be a gymnast to get into the back... LOL.
     
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  4. jcmarz
    Joined: Jan 10, 2010
    Posts: 4,631

    jcmarz
    Member
    from Chino, Ca

    I remember in the 70s, 4 doors were part cars but there are some 4 doors that look cool. A 1950 Chevy 4 Fleetline is cool as is a 57 Chevy 4 door hard top. Shave the door handles and most won't notice it's a More Door. Or is it Mordor? No, that's the place Fordo went to. You know he was a weak link in the Corleone Family.
     
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  5. Any of us who are 60+ yrs old would agree that it had to be a 2 dr, and still believe that (I'm in that group).
    I certainly wouldn't condemn someones 4dr build, as the price of entry makes it affordable to them.
    Ironically, the fact is that the cost of the drivetrain, plating, painting, upholstery, is the same, and upholstery can actually be higher, on the 4 drs.
    Build what you want, I'm not here to judge, and no trophies will be given out.
    This has been discussed several times on here.
     
  6. Rex_A_Lott
    Joined: Feb 5, 2007
    Posts: 1,148

    Rex_A_Lott
    Member

    I was always of the opinion that the 2 door was better, also. My Daddy bought a brand new 1955 Chevy BelAir w/ the 265 PowerPack option, three on the column, and for a while it was the fastest thing around here...but it was a 4 Door. I asked him when I was a kid why the hell he bought a 4 door? He said at the time they were more expensive, and he wanted to buy all the car he could afford.:eek: I think he said he paid $ 1995 for it @ Burwell's Chevrolet in Spartanburg.
    When I started looking for my own 55, it didnt take me long to figure out I could get a 4 door for about 1/2 the price of a 2 door...and if you are taking others with you its a hell of a lot easier to get in and out of a 4 door. It truly is an old man's car.
    I do have a 2 door post body, as a "someday" project, but its rough. Maybe not to some people, but to me, and the skills I have, it is.:)
     
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  7. Lebowski
    Joined: Aug 21, 2011
    Posts: 1,564

    Lebowski
    BANNED

    I think most people would prefer a 2 door over a 4 door but, as previously mentioned, a 4 door is usually a lot cheaper and a lot of younger people can't afford a 2 door. I had a '54 Lincoln several years ago and heard "nice car-too bad it's a 4 door" several times. That will be my last 4 door....

    PICT0003.JPG
     
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  8. raymay
    Joined: Mar 2, 2008
    Posts: 2,532

    raymay
    Member

    There are also some desirable cars that only come as a 4dr. Case in point, a current Station Wagon build I am doing. While I am one who prefers a 2dr, I find with the right donor parts and a little imagination, a conversion to a 2dr can be made. So I guess like Ed Angel I am also still a 2dr guy.


    nomad18.JPG DSC00118.JPG
     
  9. MO_JUNK
    Joined: Jan 22, 2006
    Posts: 1,197

    MO_JUNK
    Member
    from Rolla, Mo.

    There are a couple really nice 4-doors that come to our local cruise nights. They can respond well to the right wheel/tire combo and the correct elevation.
     
  10. I think it depends on the car. Most look better from a design perspective as 2 door.

    But there are some that look ok to me as a 4 door, like a shoebox ford, any Caddy, model A's, etc. I've always wanted to build a model A coupe, but I want to be able to drive with my wife and kids so I've been looking more at 4 door sedans at shows, and I think they look pretty cool, and the kids could easily hop in and out of the back

    This one I think is awesome, perfect IMHO, but I also like weathered, old things. IMG_1477054101.225130.jpg

    This one was for sale around here for $8k, I tried but couldn't swing it.it IMG_1477054229.908298.jpg

    But I think it's mainly generational. I think that in the 50's and 60's, 4 door cars weren't cool for young dudes. I would imagine especially for hot rodders.

    I was a teen in the 80's. The rats (leather jackets, marijuana) drove f-ed up old muscle cars in primer, the jocks drove new Camaros a-la-KITT and David Hasselhoff, my friends got hold of early 70's Novas or chevettes, or anything they could. My dad wouldn't let me have a car or bike even though a hippie at the factory where we worked was gonna give me a running chopper for free, I wanted wheels so bad I would have taken anything, 4-6-8-10 door. I really liked 50's music, so I delved into that culture and took a liking to old cars and hot rods, while my friends were hanging posters of red Ferraris and stuff, which I never cared for.

    My idea of a cool old car now, or hot rod might be shaped from my own experiences and things I've seen rather than the more accurate experiences of people who grew up in the 50's and 60's.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2016
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  11. Looking online, a Bel Air 6 cylinder, 4 door sedan was $1932, while a Bel Air 6 cylinder, 2 door sedan was $1668.
     
  12. When all is said and done, they are still four doors. just saying.
     
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  13. wicarnut
    Joined: Oct 29, 2009
    Posts: 9,052

    wicarnut
    Member

    Agree with you ! It's us Old Timer's that put the curse on 4 doors and IMO think it still applies to prices today, but I am seeing more 4 door resto mod cars (particularly w/ Tri-5 Chevy) all the time, probably due to availability and $$$ involved. Talking about our daily drivers, for me, it's 4 doors only, Car/Truck/SUV. IMO, In the future, Hot Rodder's will be building many 4 doors as there are so many 4 door factory Hot Rods on the market for many years now, Plus, I don't think the youth today has the stigma of 4 door ride like we grew up with.
     
  14. patmanta
    Joined: May 10, 2011
    Posts: 3,872

    patmanta
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Woburn, MA
    1. MASSACHUSETTS HAMB

    @clunker that BADRAT car stuck out to me too because you could see that it was built to be enjoyed and driven in this area (radials/disks) extensively and with company. That is actually more the reason I see 4 door sedan hot rods up this way. It's more often someone with a couple rug-apes or grand kids they want to haul around to shows than budgetary concerns.

    [​IMG] 20160820_144505.jpg

    Lots of FUNCTION going on inside this one. The steering wheel adds a bit of whimsy though. Looks like it tilts too.
     
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  15. I like 4-door cars and always grabbed one up if I liked it, definitely a bargain over a 2-door most of the time. Easy to get passengers in & out, can place stuff on the back seat a lot easier.
     
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  16. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    A 2 door implies that you are an unencumbered, sporty, free spirited individual ready to take off for parts unknown at a moments notice. A four door implies that your in-laws are waiting for you to pick them up at bingo.
     
  17. metalman
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 3,297

    metalman
    Member

    I'm old enough to be in the camp where 4 doors aren't cool. When I was in high school my cousin was given his mothers car, a 4 door 64 Polara. Nice car, did have a 383 but we still all gave him a hard time. One day on the way to school the Polara broke a fuel line and burned to the ground. His Grandmother felt sorry for him so she gave him her car, a 66 Rambler Ambassador 4 door. I was giving him a hard time about going from bad to worst so he had to show me how the seats folded to a bed, told me it will be great at the drive in theater with the girls. I told him the problem with that was getting a girl to go out with a guy driving a 4 door Rambler in the first place!
    The only 4 doors I every thought were cool were wagons (still do) in a utilitarian type of way, like the tow/push cars you'd see at the races.
    raymay, your wagon is looking good.
     
  18. Deuced Up!
    Joined: Feb 8, 2008
    Posts: 4,206

    Deuced Up!
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I am a two door guy, trained from an early age. Austin never offered this little fugly thing in two door sedan trim. We had to help them with it! :p

    13.jpg

    Resized_20160923_083741.jpeg
     
  19. 504640
    Joined: Aug 8, 2011
    Posts: 533

    504640
    Member

    My criteria for a cool four door is as follows:
    A 49-51 Fleetline, or other corresponding year fastback GM model
    A car with suicide doors
    A four door hardtop (no B pillar)
     
  20. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,933

    squirrel
    Member

    I have one 4 door, but it's a car that is intentionally an undesirable piece of crap. Being a 4 door helps amplify the effect.
     
  21. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    I like Model A through late '30's full fendered four doors, but only those years (esp 33-34 Mopars)
    My wife being practical, only likes 4 drs
    And yes being in my '60's , 4 drs sucked in school!
     
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  22. upspirate
    Joined: Apr 15, 2012
    Posts: 2,299

    upspirate
    Member

    Yep, but that is a special edition one with historical value!!!:eek::D:rolleyes::)
     
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  23. Lebowski
    Joined: Aug 21, 2011
    Posts: 1,564

    Lebowski
    BANNED

    Are you referring to your '59 Edsel? If so where did you get the stupid idea that it's "intentionally an undesirable piece of crap?" That certainly wasn't Ford's plan when they decided to start a fourth line of cars. Did it ever occur to you that there are others on this board who own Edsels who may be offended by such an idiotic comment? Obviously not.... :rolleyes:
     
  24. squirrel
    Joined: Sep 23, 2004
    Posts: 55,933

    squirrel
    Member

    I intentionally bought this Edsel because it's a piece of crap. Edsel wanted it to be a nice car, and to many folks, it is. But it's still an Edsel.

    Your Edsel is much nicer than mine. Mine is a piece of crap. You've probably seen pictures.

    And if you still don't believe me, ask my wife. She won't ride in it.
     
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  25. "Rug apes" ha!

    You got it. I loved that car, Everything about it; the fireball 8, the old caddy air cleaner, the peeling paint, glass bowl filter, headers, steering wheel, unapologetic use of radials, everything old and f-ed up yet clean and functional. To me it's anti-gold chainer rod. IMG_1477061315.190865.jpg
     
  26. This whole post is based on opinion, nothing wrong with someone expressing it.
     
  27. dana barlow
    Joined: May 30, 2006
    Posts: 5,115

    dana barlow
    Member
    from Miami Fla.
    1. Y-blocks

    1959-continental-mk-iv-1.jpg
    The 4 door exception?; Then{1950s 4 me] n now,it was about what looked cool ,n cool was sporty , fast n lite. Roomy was not part of cool. The biggist cars over the years I've had were 2d stationwagons,there was that one 4d my Anty gave me an my wife in 1966,it was a 59 Mark IV ,I got it after my Anty crashed it in the right front an front pass door. I repaired it an painted with some small mods. Montser V8 with amazing power for a tank. But hay it was a hardtop,plus I had repaired the broken front bench seat so just by pulling a added pin,it could lay the back down too inbetween front and back seat=very big bed for camping an that trunk could hold two weeks of camping goodys. The wife loved driving it,ya 10MPG but AC. I painted it very dark forist green.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2016
  28. slowmotion
    Joined: Nov 21, 2011
    Posts: 3,330

    slowmotion
    Member

    It has been discussed more than a few times on here. 4 doors got their place. Just not my place...
    Some sellers mysteriously lose count of the doors when pricing. I wouldn't say I'd never own one, on purpose at least.
    Damn hard to lose that 50s/60s stigma...
    All that aside, there are some really nice ones that are cool. And others that are cool for completely different reasons, like Squirrel's self described pile of....Edsel...
     
    dana barlow likes this.
  29. Come on Ya'll, the more the merrier.
    Prom night 1930: $_1.jpg
     
  30. Ha! Now that's funny. Well written, madmen couldn't have done better.
     

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