Art & Inspiration Trucks with Suicide Doors?

How many trucks have been built with suicide doors? I found this part of an old metal truck. I have no idea who manufactured this. I've seen a lot of old toys, but never one like this. The outline of the door struck me. I recalled that '33-'35 Dodge pickup had suicide doors with the rake along the front edge. Then, I could think of no other trucks with suicide doors. Can you? Post photos if you got 'em. Customs and utes can be included, but I'm really wondering if there were others made that way originally?


'33-'35 Dodge

 

There's a '30s Studebaker COE close to that style cab, but the nose is flat.
Steel toys rarely were exact copies of any real truck unless they were very expensive.

 

like this?

 

1935 Hudson

 

Thanks. I hadn't thought of Hudson.

 

My avatar was a 29 Hudson body cut down to a truck, so it has factory Piano hinges. They work very well.

Hudson would demonstrate these doors at the dealerships, by sitting the car on its roof, and inviting customers to open the doors.
The doors opened perfectly, even with the car upside down.

 

Love them dodge trucks.

 

Mine! 47 Autocar COE

 

Always liked the suicide doors. Chevy only had them one year on the 35 car. When I built my Chopped 37 Chevy Sedan I added suicide doors and really liked them so, later I built my 37 Chevy Custom Kingcab Pickup Truck I once again added suicide doors.

 

I found some more Studebaker photos that prove to me that the rakish front door edge does not necessarily mean it is a suicide door a sI had assumed.

 

IH built a COE with one door swinging each way from the factory. (note the hinge locations)

 

There are people who will tell you that it is not traditional to make a suicide door car or truck out of one that didn't come that way but the older I get the more I appreciate them and that makes it one of those things that I don't care what anyone thinks. A suicide door car or truck is just easier to get in and out of.

I would just about bet that it is not a new modification. They mush have known long before I was old that it makes the car easier to get in and out of.

 

That's wild. I would like to know why they did that.

The Autocar is very cool.

It looks like White had suicide doors on their earlier COEs

But phased them out by the later 30s.

 

My old 34 Plymouth pick up had suicide doors.

 

Grapes of wrath truck had suicide doors but it was made from a Hudson sedan.

 

And here I thought I was the only one who thought that way!

 

That's wild. I would like to know why they did that.


Some cars in the 1920's had front doors with one hinged in the front and the other in the back. There was a latch that allowed the door to be held open an inch or two to allow air to flow through.I would think a big rig on a hot day would benefit from this setup before air-conditioning was available. Bob

 

I had no plans to covert our 36 chevy to suicide doors, although I always thought they were super cool. The late 36 had wood supports for the hinges. I replaced the wood with 2x2 steel, my hinges were badly rusted out. While looking for exposed hinges that would look right, I decided to go with the hidden hinges. They fit the front side better than the rear, so suicide doors were actually easier for me to install. I am really glad I did. That tiny little cab is hard to get in and out of anyway. I did put a pretty stout spring on the interior handles, your not going to open them accidental ly.

 

I am giving serious thought to suiciding the doors on my A. Two reasons, one is its easier to get in and out and the other is that if I end up caging it I can just slip my but over the door bar and aim at the seat. LOL

 

Bob, I'm going to have to call you out on this post! I've been around for a while and the IH is the only production vehicle that I've seen or heard of that had one door each way. I'd like to see proof (pictures) of your statement.
I suspect the reason IH did it was due to ingress/egress past the steering wheel vs nothing in the way on the passenger side.

 

With the exception of the oddball COEs, the common theme here seems to be that the only trucks originally to have suicide doors used sheetmetal carried over from cars.

This is true for this example: Corbitt truck manufactured in Henderson, NC used sheetmetal borrowed from the 1934 Auburn. Literature says these trucks were manufactured for two years in the 11,00-13,000 GVW range (Crobitt's smallest truck). I can't image they sold very many of these. Not more than 1 or 2 exist today. It doesn't make much sense that a toy manufacturer would base their dies on such an oddball truck, but the coincidences are stacking up: 1) rake of the front door post; 2) three louvers on the side of the hood; and 3) the V-reveal across the hood, which was an Auburn trait from 1926 until production ceased in 1937.

 

Got any photos of that? Plymouth didn't start making pickups until 1937. None ever had suicide doors. I am very curious as to what yours was built from.

 

I think the toy manufacturer used obscure makes and models to get around design patents and copyrights, not all that different from today's rip off artists.

 

'34 Plymouth would have been just like this '34 Dodge, which used the same door as Dodge and Plymouth Passenger cars.

'36-'38 had a similar rake to the windshield and cowl area, but the door had been changed to be more conventional.

 

Yes, the 1934 Plymouth car would have suicide doors, but there were no 1934 Plymouth trucks.