History 2 doors vs 4 doors

I feel four doors get built more now for the same reason that every couple of years the generation of Chevy trucks that's in style gets bumped up one.

Money.

If you can afford a two door or a 57 or a whatever, you build what you can. Personally I'd rather see a nice four door build than another ratty coupe.

Prices for old stuff aren't going down any time soon and the cost of living sure as hell isnt either so it's just a practical way to get into the hobby and on the road for a lot of people. Is a two door cooler? Well yeah 99% of the time. But it doesn't mean the four door isn't cool at all.

The other reason I see four doors is as someone mentioned, kids. Trying to get a car seat or three in and out of a two door sedan a couple times and you'll warm to the four door idea.

I support that thinking personally because it's getting kids involved in an era where let's face it, the older generation is dying off pretty quick. Would you rather have the next kustom legend not even get into cars because his dad couldn't afford a two door or it was such a pain in the ass the shove everything into that coupe?

I guess this also would bring into account the "traditional " view of hot rods being a street terror. All power and no cush. But in 2016 a lot of people like to take road trips and head to events on the other side of the country. To some hot rodders that cruiser is a street rod and not a real hot rod because it's to practical.

That's the line I fight with the most.

If it doesn't feel "hot rod" when you see it go by or you walk up to it then I feel like it missed the mark. It's got to have attitude even if it's subtle.

But if I can't afford to drive it to my buddy's hot rod run, I can't sit in it for more than 30 minutes with out a stretch break, and there's hardly room for a bag let alone my dog or family. Well then what the fuck am I going to do with that? It's as useful to me as a motorcycle and I've zero use for that.

You'd have to trailer the damn thing around to take it and your crew anywhere I'd and rather drive a four door than trailer A roadster.

It's just a balance.

A balance that all changes with money i suppose. More money and you get the three window instead of the four door. More money and you get the 32 not the 82. More money and you can justify having a practical car and a wild car that gets used once in a while.

A balance that i suppose also changes with time. Time to collect treasures at a bargain, one ravine and junk yard at a time. Time that your young flexible and single, time that your still paying a mortgage.

Lots of variables.

I guess in the end, yeah, from a design and aesthetic view point two doors are better. But the reasons four doors still get built are pretty good too.... even if your weird and think they look cooler than the two door


~as an aside I was raised by a two door lover who recently picked up a car that most people aren't even aware was even offered as a two door because he hates four doors so much lol

 

I bought my 4 door Merc. because I was a Biker & needed a Car
I didn't care if it was a 2 3 4 or 5 door as long as it was a Closed Car
I road My Bike ( motorcycle ) in all Kinds of weather
I was what they called a Stone Cold Rider.!
so when I came to the scene of a Accident I seen the 50 Merc
wrapped around a ell Pillar,
I told the Cop on the Spot I wanted to Buy it even it looked like
the Frame was Bent.
which I did and Had it ever since, its Great for a Family
put the Kids in the Back seat & away you Go!
I have had 2 doors But as far as kids go they are Not Great
when I first got my 4 door its Been Nosed all the Chrome has been taken of
and Painted Flat Black.

Just my 3.5 cents
or when the Cows
come Home.!

 

just 2 years ago there was a 55chevy for sale ...ad said 150.00 , that may be why nobody
called or went to look at it ...150.00 really , i'm sure the scrapers would have showed up eventually.
but as luck would have it , I called got the address and went, well it WAS a 4 door,
yuck but hay i sat in it , it was on the street and started it up bringgg one kilick of the KEY and
it was running (6stick w/OD) AS i sat there with that big ol steering wheel in my hands i said to myself why not
so i offered 140.00 and he said SOLD CASH=TITLE and away i DROVE...
so 2 door or NOT it still was a 55 chevy...

 

I am of the generation of 2dr. is best. I was cursed with being given a 46 Chev Fleetline Sedan as my first car. I HATED IT but wish I had it back. I owned a 51 4dr. and bought it to strip parts from it. Had a 60 BelAire Sport Sedan that I got rid of as fast as possible. I own a 41 Graham Hollywood which is a 4dr. (that's all they made) and drool when I see a 2dr that somebody has converted. The Merc is a 2 dr., I would not own a 4dr. one. Yes it is an old guy thing and is a mental thing that most of us have. There are a few exceptions like 63 Lincoln Continentals or 20's-30's Touring cars but that's about all.

 

Agreed. To me that car says "I found the nicest stuff I could afford and made a hot rod I could enjoy" and probably got on the road years ahead of where he'd have been doing the body work on a comparably priced tudor, coupe, or roadster body in that range. I see decent (for New England) A sedans pop up for anywhere from under a grand to about $2500 pretty often whereas most of what I see for Tudors, coupes & roadsters is roached/janky and twice the price or more IF and when you find it lately. I've been tempted by a few.

 

I guess I should expect that because a lot of people have a low opinion of Edsels. I know you have no interest in doing it but here's what your car would look like with a decent paint job. This was my first Edsel which I bought back in 1992 when I lived in San Diego. It's a '59 Ranger 4 door sedan like yours except it was a 6 with a 3 on the tree like my current '60 model (which is my sixth Edsel). I had it painted and it looked pretty good (for an Edsel). I even paid extra so I could have a personalized plate which said 1EDSEL1. I have this photo hanging in a place of prominence in my home so I can look at it every morning while sitting on the throne, if you know what I mean. Long live the Edsel...

 

I blame the automakers and NASCAR. As I see it, everything was fine and everyone understood their place and door count until Ford stopped building the Thunderbird. Suddenly they had nothing to go race with in NASCAR. So they decided to race the Taurus (a front wheel drive four door) and NASCAR agreed.

Now the lines between something cool and fast (at least in the case of NASCAR) are totally blurred. Fans went from having killer posters on the wall of their heros' T-birds and Torinos, to a car that up until that point lead only in the most rented vehicle of the year catagory.

Somehow the public bought into the crazy idea that a little four door (four cylinder or v6) family car could actually compete at the grand national level. It didn't take long for other car manufactures to join in on the craze. Toyota says well if Ford can race a Taurus, we can race a Camry. Then here comes something new from MOPAR! A brand new Dodge Charger! Praise the Lord now we can get back to real racing (what do you mean it has four doors)?

Finally Chevrolet gave in, why keep building the Monte Carlo when we can just race the Malibu. And not the cool Chevelle cousin you remember from the sixtys, (you guessed it) a new boxy little import style car with 4 doors and a Chevy emblem on it.

Then the "piece de resistance" NASCAR announces the Nationwide Series is going pony car. The new Mustangs, Camaros and Challengers are all about to be back in head to head racing action. But what they actually did was just take the grill and nose pieces off the Mustang and Challenger and super glued it to the Four Door bodies they were already racing (scary looking)! Kuddos to Cheverolet for saying absolutely not, at least for a while anyway.

 

When I was a kid my Dad bought a 56 ranch wagon. My brother an I wore him out getting in and out of the car. He said he would never buy a two door again.

 

I think I might hold some kind of record for having the Fordor for sale on here the longest if that's any basis for 2 vs. 4! But I like the accessibility to the back and putting passengers back there is easier. I'm still looking for that buyer.

 

in my life there are very few things where I care what anyone else thinks. what type of old car I drive is definitely one of them.

 

around 1990 I had a 62 Cadillac sedan deville for sale. original paint, 90K miles, perfect black leather interior, everything worked but the autotronic eye. it did have a dent in one door and rust at the bottom of the fenders, but if it were painted it could have been entered in a concourse, everything else was that nice. some stupid fuck comes to look at it and tells me it would only be good as a parts car since it was a 4 door. fucking car would be worth $10,000.00 today and the value would only be going up 4 doors or not.

people are idiots. that is why I try mostly to avoid them.

 

I have a bunch of cars , only one 4 door . I couldn't afford a more desirable 33-34 Ford . so I cut up my raggedy 4 Door and made it a little more desirable Ford never produced a FORDOR C400 Vicky , so mine is one of a kind

 

Stigma is the correct word, that we lived with, for certain. LOL.
In 1960 / 1961, I was off to college, but still that "stigma" was there.
I bought a 1956 Chevy BelAir (only 4 years old at the time) from a lady who had driven it only 12,000 miles.
A great deal by any stretch of the imagination, but it was a 4 door.
God, I hated to tell my buddies I bought a 4 door !
Out of high school, but that STIGMA was going to stay with me for life.
Have to say though, the one 4 door that was "accepted" in my world of 2 door lovers, was my buddy's '57 Chevy 210, 4 door hardtop, dual exhaust and skirts.
Somehow, that cat broke through the STIGMA barrier.

 

Im a factory 2 door post guy. I like the hardtops plenty too but i hate 4>2 conversions. 4 door cars are for parts and hell i was born in 98 so i wasn't around for 2 door cars really.

The one exception for the 2 door only rule is for the 1959-1960 gm sport sedans. Thar roofline is just too cool to pass up.

What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Thank the Good Lord that worrying about what the zit faced kids in high school though about
how many doors were on your car have come & gone,personally I didn't gave a hairy rats arse what anyone thought about my car.

When I was in school a poor ride was better than a proud walk!

I've has both 2 door & 4 door cars and one thing I can tell you that when I sold my 4 door deuce sedan I got more for it than I got for my deuce coupe.

If it's the right style of car a 4 door is just as desirable as a 2 door. HRP

 

What about a 3 door?

 

When I got interested in Hot Rods if you weren't doing a 32 or 34 don't bother with anything else.
It had to be red also. The "Cool Guys" had roadsters and coupes .Trucks and sedans were way
down on the list .2 or 4 door is almost" like tastes great or less filling ".I have owned my coupe
for over 30 years but have always wanted to be a" Roadster guy".Sadly I must admit the old more door
really makes a lot of sense getting a group together to do something looks like a fun thing to do .I have a
40 Chev 4 dr. on the side of my house that I could see being a fun car .I think it comes down to what
works best for you ! Screw what other people think .If you are only concerned with the almighty $$$$$
value try another hobby.

 

We have some things in common here, we both like 2 door cars, plus you were born in 1998 and I still wear underwear bought in 1998.

 

I remember 10 or 15 years ago, 4 youngins pulled up near me in a shopping center parking lot in a 4 door 64 fairlane, jacked up in the back a little, pretty nice dark blueish green paint, aluminum slots etc.etc.(pretty cool) and I remember thinking, I wonder if these guys know that 4 doors arent generally recognized as being as cool as a 2 door, Then they got out laughin and cuttin up, opening and closing all those doors......ahh, they had something way better, youth

I like 2 doors but I like a cool 4 door for what it is, and what it isnt.........and I even like some 4 doors better than some 2 doors, so.....

 

I prefer the 2 door variety myself, that is why I have an AD truck.

 

I'm basically a two door kinda guy, but there were a few 4 door hardtops in fifty's and sixty's that look really right. Case in point:

 

Brizio built a beautiful 1932 Vicky 4 door for Eric Clapton,these never existed but I would sure love to have one. HRP

 

I definitely remember when it ''had to be'' 2 door or you just didn't admit to anything else...or it was ''my parents car'' that I was ''borrowing'' for the moment....it was pretty common. As I've gotten older, I still have a couple of 2 door cars, but I must admit, that I've grown very comfortable with the 4 doors of my wife's 54' Ford...it runs good, and it's comfortable as it is....the access, and the ease of pretty much everything, makes it more in my league of comfort once in a while now that I'm a little older and my body is creaking a bit more.....and everyone still knows what it is, and only has the benefit of more doors

The 2 door cars that are/have been so prominent in the hot rod scene, are not as available as they once were, (and the inevitable cost of a small fortune of the traditional 2-door cars possibly seen as potential hot rod material)...but, a 4 door is a great way to have the family comfortable and modern kids seats in the backseat, and the constant in-and-out tactics involved ....I've completely reversed my ''younger ideal'' that a hot rod MUST be a 2 door, and with all the great looking 4-doors still out there, still available, and $$$-wise worth the time spent on them..... and what they bring to the hot rod scene, for what ever reason....I'm personally enthused to see them, as well as the station wagons that were once a ''No Way Man" mentality not so long ago...more doors, more fun....seems like common sense to me....a nice looking 4 door will excite me just as much as a nice 2-door....I see the merits in both models equally balanced.

 

That 4 door looks pretty nice...until you compare it to the 2 door version...

 

With the '56 Ford what really stands out is the top of the 2 door has a nicer profile and the doors are longer.

That was the main complaint with my 4 door '32,the front doors are shorter and harded for a guy with a 6' 4" frame to enter & exit. HRP

 

I am spending a lot of time on my 57 chevy converting to a 2 door. I didn't like it when I bought it but the car was pretty nice and priced right . I don't lie about it being a 4 door originally ,I'm proud to think I could do the work.

 

Yeah, I like the 4 door one better just because it is a 4 door and still has a clean design to it.

 

grandmas & old men drive 4 doors, unless it's a station wagon, then it's ok

I'm a 2 door man!

 

"I like 'em big and long..... the 4 door, silly."


I guess I'm a 2 door or roadster guy. BUT...... I'll still check out a nice 4 door and there are quite a few. If the builder has the "eye" to get the right combination of parts, paint, etc., a 4 door can be a sweet deal.

And as far as the 2 door ego shit goes, that went out with Microsoft version 1.