Opinions on 4 doors???

Lol I don't know about tough, but we seem to love inconvenience.

 

I've held off on responding, not wanting to get drug into the argument, however, I would like to make one quick point.

the sheer amount of threads about 4 doors lately should be enough to tell you that they are not going anywhere anytime soon. And this does not even take into account the for door owners whom some of you assholes have shamed into the shadows of the board.

Yea, I own a four door. I've heard not one derogatory comment about it at any show or cruise in. I don't usually take it to judged shows either, just charity shows. In any case, this is just my car RIGHT NOW. It's a fun party wagon. Not my dream car, but I still love it. probably only because it's a HT though. I do have a distaste for most post sedans. My point being just because you 2 door fan boys have been brainwashed into letting others tell you what is cool, it doesn't make it so. I have seen plenty of cool four doors, and ten times as many ugly two doors.

 

It must be a love hate relationship. Like in I love the snow I just hate dealing with it?

Nothing wrong with 4 doors I don't really want one myself but if someone wants one I don't see that it is a problem and even if it was why would anyone care if I liked it or not.

Ya builds 'em the way ya sees fit and let the chips fall where they may.

We are not brainwashed, we just came up in a world of traditional rods and customs before traditional hot rods and customs were traditional.

A while back there was a post on tail lights and one of the customs had late model caddy lights grafted in. The custom was as smooth as they come but it was not a traditional custom.

The 4 door custom is in the same boat as the late custom that the fella had. With very few exceptions it will never be considered to be what was in when tradition was not yet tradition. Yea some of the fellas cruised four doors, some were even pretty smooth from a distance, but for the most part those fellas we trying to get out of mom's car and into something that could claim some respect. That's just the way that it was.

This is in no way a slam on your Caddy or anyone else's 4 door ride. It is just a statement of fact. I'm am truly sorry that the truth is offensive to some but it is still the truth. Bottom line is that we are still a traditional Hot Rod and Custom board. I think that for the most part we are pretty tolerant of some of the newer ideas probably because for the most part we have a young membership.

You younger fellas are the ones that will carry this torch in another 20 or 30 years when those of us who lived tradition when it was still cutting edge are dead and gone. It is important that you hear first hand what we remember from when we were still young fellas. You will do with it what you will but at least you will know what the truth is when the burden of telling the truth to the next generation falls on your shoulders.

 

I'm pretty sure this discussion will be determined by age. If you grew up in the 50s early 60s, 4drs were looked down upon. The peer pressure was pretty strong against 4 drs. Old folks drove 4 drs. My uncle had a 57 Olds J-2 with 3 deuces but it still was a 4dr.

The young guys don't understand why we hate them so much. You'd have to live through those times to get it. I'm too old to change my beliefs now.

I've owned a few 4 dr woody wagons and once looked pretty hard at a 4dr Deuce because it was cheap but I just couldn't do it. I had a couple of 4dr Willy's

I remember a few 4drs. One of my favorites was a 47-48 Chevy in one of the little books. It was a rare model with only windows in the doors and a bigger bustle back. It was chopped in the 50s and really looked good because it was so unusual. A friend had a chopped Deuce 4 dr in the 60s. The fact that they were chopped made them a little less ugly.

We laughed at the 59-61 GM 4dr HTs We called them aircraft carriers. It was not meant to be a compliment. I still think that they are ugly. Very unique but still ugly.

There was a short term fad of chopped 39/40ish GM 4dr cars in the early 80s. (Buicks and Olds)They were OK but a friend bought one at the Nats one year when they were hot and got stuck with it and couldn't find a buyer when he tired of it a few years later after the fad cooled.

I learned to drive on my mom's 51 Chevy 4dr. I had no choice. You couldn't give me one today.

If you are under 40 you probably think that we are nuts. Sorry but if you grew up with something considered ugly and it was reinforced for over 50 years, then you might understand. We will just have to agree to disagree. 4drs are parts cars.

 

Not what I said. MY opinion is that a four door doesn't look as good as a 2dr. Drive whatever you feel like driving. I don't like 'em and think that wanting people in the back to be able to get in and out easier isn't a good enough reason to not buy a car with 2 doors.

 

well it's good to see that there are still people who hate 4 doors and will never own one... keeps the prices down for the rest of us who just like old cars of all shapes and sizes.

 

That's a deal I can live with! Ill keep paying increasingly ridiculous prices for 2drs, and you can have all the four doors you want. We will both be happy I think.

 

Well it works both ways. I couldn't afford a 2 dr if they were, again, the only acceptable option.

 

we're currently doing a 4 door. People can say what they want abotu 4 doors...i think its all in their head. i see no written rules that 4 doors are not worthy of hot rodding, customizing or restoring. Even back in the hey-days of hot rodding, 4 doors were still hot rodded and driven...whether the "traditionalists" here want to admit it or not. We couldnt afford anything 2 door and the 4 door we chose had 22K on it in entirely original condition with ZERO rust. We wanted a low budget, easy project and thats what we bought

I love lookign at cars a the shows but i will honestly say i get really sick of seeing the same cars over and over and over again...one after the other. It's nice to see something different so here is my big thumbs up to you for going the 4 door route!

People here on the HAMB wont give you much of good adice or the "OK" to do a four door.....like i said its all in their head and they need to start concentrating on the big picture of (saving vintage tin, and having one more vntage car on the road) rather than concentrating on whether or not it has 2 door handles or four.

We love our four door. We can pack the fam and friends in it very comfortably with plenty of leg room and go for a cruise or to dinner, etc. We've packed it full of beach gear and driven her to the beach, etc. Enjoy it!. it's much nicer having more room to pile people and crap in!

 

i beg to differ. i hate the 2 door 50 plym look compared to the 4 door look. the 4 door adds more roof and length and overall is more pleasing to the eye: visually; than the 2 door is.

just remember: its YOUR car and it needs to fit YOUR wants and needs; not someone elses.

 

you will also find that the majority of the time your four door will get more attention in the parking lot of a show than many of the 2 doors...even if its ratty? Why? because most people who grew up in the era of that car will relate to it and they'll have plenty of stories to tell because their families had that car. its fun to watch theold timers' faces light up.

 

These are both great posts and completely understand where both of you are coming from. It makes sense.
I'm not old enough to be influenced by tradition nor do I necessarily want to follow tradition, but I do respect it. I think the new or next gen (whatever you call it) wants to jump into the hobby and have an old car to customize. That makes sense too. 4 doors are cheap, easy to come by and can be customized to look really good.
At this point, in a world of plastic... all american steel is good, so take your 2dr, 4dr, wagons and drive.

 

A '50 Plymouth is not a pretty car no matter how you dice it, I've only seen one or two early '50s Plymouths that looked decent, but they had serious body modifications.

 

I have a 2 door wagon and it works great but I would not turn my nose up to a 4 door wagon either. But just like a lot of people have said already, they are not a good investment.

Good to drive, convienent for loading up the kiddos, but not good to sell.

Now, a 58 edsel village or bermuda wagon... that is a 4 door with style

 

I think you are going to be hard pressed to prove your 4 door traditional hot rod and custom statement. Some 4 doors did see some down home dirt track use, they were cheap and you didn't loose anything when they got banged up.

You are absolutely correct about the 4 door being a good family car. None of us ever said that they were not good for packing Beaver Cleaver's family into for a family outing.

Unfortunaltely you and many others seem to miss the point. Hot Rodding in its many forms was never a family thing. Rodders traditionaly were out casts in the eyes of society. This whole bring the family along for some fun in the sun thing never came along until rods became main stream. I have nothing against it I went with the Ol' Man all over when he was tuning or racing or just for a ride.

That is not to say that your four door car is wrong for you. If you like it then all is good. The only time it becomes a problem is when you try to pass it off as a traditional custom or rod.

Let me use an entirely different example so as not to hurt anyone feelings. I currently own a Willys pickup 4WD. It is a 1961 model so it fits our guidlines as for cutoff date for what is deemed traditional. It has a V-8 swapped in using Crager adapters, it was done back in the day and I for the most part have used back in the day pieces to get it back on the road all the way down to finding 7.50x16 bias ply mud and snow tires. In a lot of ways it does match our criteria for traditional hot rod.

To use traditional hot rod 4WD Willys is an oxy-moron. Even though it is put together as it would have been out together originally it is not a traditional hot rod. It is just an old pickup truck and there is nothing in the world I can do to make it a traditional hot rod or custom. I like the hell out of it and I could probably post it here on the main board and it would be accepted by some as cool. But traditional hot rod it is not, it is just my old pickup truck.

You can find yourself in the same boat with whatever old piece of tin you decide to build or drive. Just because it is old does not make it traditional. It is what it is, no one will slight you for owning it and many including me will aplaud you for keeping it alive, just don't try and make out that it is something that it is not.

 

I personally wouldn't own a 4 door unless it was wagon, but it would have to be a particular model because I don't like all wagons. I used to have a '47 Ford Tudor and they have plenty of room in the back, and are easy to get in and out of. But.... if you want a 4 door than have at it.

 

All I have to say is, I never saw anyone trying to make a four door from a two door, but it sure as hell goes the other way. That about sums it up.

 

delray54 if you can pick up a 4door in nice shape you like cheap buy it. like others have said you just wont get your money back out of it if you dump 30K in it. I dont mind 4 doors. And cruise night is much easier. Small children in booster seats are not bad getting in and out of 2doors. Your 6'2 brother crawling in and out of cruise night is a pia. I've had several 4drs and plan on doing a mild custom 55 4dr. When I had this 68 hardtop impala no one ever bashed it about being a 4dr. My 63 bel air is fun cruiser I don't have a lot into. I picked up at a garage sale didnt run because of bad distributor cap. I got the dealer installed ac going last summer. I got my eye on a wagon too. as someone already stated if wagons were not in demand why is the price so much on them today?

The kids today don't have the discrimination of 4 doors. I mean its been 20 years since the last car was offered in 2 or 4 dr in a full size. civics and Grand ams dont count either.

I'll admit if my 55 4dr I paid 1500 for was a 2dr I'd paid 4500 for it easy

 

Let's try put this into perspective;America; choices, really cool 50s two-door, or marginally less cool 50s four-door.
England; choices, Morris Minor, or mini (outside of importing, or paying top dollar for a relatively scarce cool 50s American car)

even allowing for the fact that I've grossly simplified things, you guys over there really don't know when you've got it made in the shade.
Paul

 

Ok, it is a 1949, but not pretty?

 

Well, that's you, I was only quantifying my own background. I loved coupes and roadsters too but growing up where there weren't any and living on 17 miles of gravel roads plus having to drive whatever you owned in the winter, well all that formed what was popular amongst us youngsters then and there. And 2 of my first three cars included a 4 door and a wagon but I wasn't happy until I had a 2 door hardtop with a 4 speed.

 

all my friends have their own cars

 

This is hilarious. I hate old four doors, but I've owned plenty of late model four doors.

 

i did? i could have sworn i said guys on here made me realize a few simple changes would make my 2 door work perfectly fine.

yes, my title of the thread was/is misleading a bit. it was never about the cool factor. again, it was about doing what's best for a young family. i'll take the blame on that.

i know what i'm doing, but feel free to carry on the conversation.

 

I like fordors alot.

 

Opinions on 4 doors???

My Grandmother loved them

 

^^^^ I love grandmothers!!! Around here we call them gilf's!!!!

 

My Granny Drove a Coupe Deville

 

Yeah it must really suck to be into traditional, American hot rods and customs when you don't live in the country of their origin. But, that also doesn't change the facts.

The fact of the matter is that in the traditional sense, 2-doors are supreme, and just about everything else is a lesser vehicle.

I think it's great that guys are out there saving whatever vintage tin they can, no matter how many doors, but in the traditional sense those cars will never be as cool.

First, it doesn't scream custom to me, so I don't see what your point is.

Secondly, no. It doesn't do anything for me, it looks ok from straight ahead and tolerable from the angle that picture is in, but from the profile around the back I think it's a hideous vehicle.

I think the problem with this thread is the same problem we've seen develop in other opinionated threads: there are several different arguments going on in this thread, and people are criss-crossing the arguments.

So I think if this is to continue in a somewhat healthy and positive manner, we should clarify what exactly we're discussing here.

 

I love my old four door. Here's why. I feel nostalgic for the "good old days" when a FAMILY could pile into mom and dad's car and take off across the country for a vacation. While I would love to have a two door as well the four door is still serving as my only mode of transportation. When I can afford a 2 door I will probably get one but for now I like having a FAMILY car to drive. I still get smiles at cruise ins and shows, but I also get oldtimers smiling at the camp grounds. It will be even more fun when I'm pulling my new tiny camper.