Can any one give me any advise on turning a 4 door 1955 chevy sedan into a 2 door sedan, and make it look like it is original? Any reply would be appriciated, thank
Hello and welcome to the HAMB. At the top, you'll see the option to seach. Type in 4 door conversion and several old posts will show up. Lots of info on that here with some good pics.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=350312 This one is my favorite conversion. CSU55's thread is the way to go if you don't have access to the quarter panel sections, but So-Cal Tex's method gives you fully functional rear quarter windows and makes the car factory correct stock once it's finished. Here's one I did on my '60 Fury. Not the same as the '55 Chevy, but you get the idea. My '57 Chevy is next, I have the pieces to do it like So-Cal Tex did his. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120 There's updated pics a few pages in.
Welcome! I did the conversion a couple years ago. To make it look stock, you have to make it a 2-door. Parts you'll need: 2-door doors, as much of a 2-door sedan's b-pillar / quarter panels as you can get (interior sheet metal as well), all the interior trim (around side glass), rear window regulators, and if you are installing trim, all the 2-door trim for your model - mine is a 210 so I needed the side and door spears as well as the beltline trim. I measured a 2-door sedan compared to my 4-door and found that the dip in the beltline is in the exact same place on both cars (right behind the door on a 2-door). Also, the roof has the same arc so the interior parts will fit and work fine. I started by removing the stock b-pillar /rear door post and installed the 2-door doors and aligned them. This told me where the new b-pillar would go - with proper gaps - and so on. I used the 2-door inner and outer sheetmetal from the b-pillar back to the rear wheel well. This allows you to use stock interior trim and parts as well as fill in where the rear doors were. You will need to cut a portion of the rear outer wheel well for a dimple for the rear glass to be lowered. It sounds confusing but if you get a complete rear quarter you'll see what I mean. My car had no rust, so I replaced only the metal that was different. There's a ton of minor details that I didn't put down here, but it's kinda like chopping a car, you just need to work with what you've got in front of you. One of the 'quarters' that I bought was a '56, the other was a '55 off a REAL gasser - so I guess my car is technically a real gasser - The leaded wheel well was sooooo heavy. I think the doors were the same, one '55 and one '56. It doesn't really matter - you can fill the holes or re-skin them like I did mine. Anyway, it's a ton of work and you have to measure about a thousand times before you cut once but it is possible. This was my first conversion and I would do it again. Best of luck to you and have fun. Later, Mike
Any more pics of this, in progress? Specifically pictures of where you tied the roof and the replacement quarters together. I'm collecting info for my '57 conversion. I have 2 56 quarters, cut the same way yours were, plus a 55 2d post door and a '56 Handyman wagon door. Should all work the same. Pontiac 2 door posts from 55-57 should work as donors too.
step 1. sell 4 door step 2 (optional). save money up step 3. Buy two door I can hear the "I already have THIS car argument" coming... Buying a 2 door car will probably cost you some money, plus being able to brag about your customizing would be pretty cool, but... Consider what you can make in an hour at work; with all the hours spent making a 4 into a 2 door (and doing it right), you could probably pay for the difference. Your time is worth something, after all. This is quite an under-taking. Especially if you want it to look like it came a 2 door and it isn't all hacked together. If you're pretty new to serious fab, it probably isn't the place to start. Didn't mean to rain on your parade and if you decide to try it, you've come to the right place. Good luck with your build. Adam
Don't listen to this guy. I found a 4 door mercury almost rust free. After tracking parts down and a ton of work my wife has a 2 door car. I have around 9k in it and would not be able to even get near a car like hers for 15 to 20. In this economy, labor is cheap and parts are getting cheaper and the lessons you will learn are priceless. But I love cutting on metal.
Hey thanks, thats really great advice. I never said he should buy a 2 door show car; thats my fault i guess. What I meant was he could get rid of his four door and buy a project 2 door. As I'm sure you know, there is plenty of work to do to make a project into a nice car. Personally, I don't believe it would cost that much more. Which brings me to: Building is cheaper than buying, never said it wasn't. And that isn't what we were discussing. For whatever a rust free 4 door car costs a rusty 2 door could be bought. Spend some time fixing rust (or spend a bit more on a nicer 2 door), but unless a lot of rust, less time than making a 4 into a 2 door. At this point, both cars are 2 door shells. Either will need a drivetrain, 2 door interior, paint, etc. Should you spend 9k on either, they should be about the same. Again, I didn't say he should buy a $15-$20k show car. I meant he could build a two door for not very much more than taking a four door, making it a two door, and then building a two door anyway. He could save a lot of time. Rather than spend all the time on halving the # of doors, he could fix something else or make money to buy the things that he needs. As an example, I bought my 2 door Galaxie for $700. I doubt a four door would be a ton cheaper. As a speculative guess, you might save a couple hundred bucks. At minimum wage, gross income, thats about 26 hrs. Unless you have one of those Snap On majic wands, I doubt that you could remove the doors, b pillar, interior, move body lines, reinstall b pillar, find 2 door parts and get them home, put on 2 door doors, weld on the tin to close the gap, re-instal the interior, plus the multiple little things that are so damn time consuming that i didn't mention... all in 26 hours. I don't know how nice his 4 door is, but if it isn't a project... all the more reason to sell it. He could sell it for more and buy a 2 door that is closer to being nice. I never said it couldn't be done. My word isn't law. I never told him what he HAD to do, nor did I insult or attack him. I gave him my opinion... which he asked for. If young grease monkey has the knowledge and the tools, and the drive, to make his 4 door into a 2 door, all the power too him. I believe i said something similar to that in my first post. Critique me, correct me, and argue with me all you want, but please don't completely disregard me like that. I don't appreciate it and i don't believe it was necessary. Thank you, Adam
I've done both. It takes the same welding skills and patience to properly repair a rusty 2 door as it does to convert a good 4 door into a 2 door, and the conversion is often much less work. Also, the buy-in price for a nice clean 4 door and some donor parts is a lot less than even a rusty 2 door car and the patch panels it needs. 4 doors are cheap, and they're hard to sell once you have one. Plus, I do this stuff for the fun of it, not to try to recoup each hour I put in as some kind of investment. So I personally would rather do something fun and creative as opposed to just straight up rust repair. That can take the fun out of a project fast. Easier to find, less work, and less overall investment. Take it from a guy who's done this both ways.
Isn't this really one of those questions that comes down to what's right for the individual? I think all of you have done a very effective job of presenting the pros & cons...
Again, I didn't say he should buy a $15-$20k show car. I meant he could build a two door for not very much more than taking a four door, making it a two door, and then building a two door anyway. He could save a lot of Critique me, correct me, and argue with me all you want, but please don't completely disregard me like that. I don't appreciate it and i don't believe it was necessary. Thank you, Adam[/QUOTE] Wow
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