Back by popular demand! 55 chevy 2-door CONVERSION MANUAL!

As Rustynewyorker said, to do a hardtop conversion would require a whole hardtop roof and quarters. Sure, you could convert it into a 2 door sedan, and then hardtop it by welding the door pillars to the roof and cutting the center divider out the way the chopped Merc guys do, but that is a whole shitload of work and isn't really made any easier by having the car cut apart for the 2 door conversion. Hardtopping a post car is not a simple task.

As for the B-pillar thing, if you're using a 2 door sedan donor car you don't have to swap out that section of the door, but a four door center pillar is shaped differently than a 2 door sedan pillar, so it's easiest just to cut a piece out of the door and weld it in. I'm sure you could build a door pillar that would take the 2 door sedan door without cutting, but apparently this is easier.

My '57 4 door is getting a whole 2 door sedan roof and doors for the conversion off of a '56 donor car. I want functional quarter windows and unchanged door jambs. The original post is the way to do it if you don't have access to a parts car. And considering new 2 door sedan doors are now availible new I don't see any reason not to do it.

 

Thanks for the replies. Good information to have... It seems like tooo much damn work to do the hardtop conversion... I have a line on good used post car doors... I will either go with cutting the latch panel out, or see if I can get the B pillar from the donor car the doors are coming from. I think that would work too.

 

If you have access to a donor car, cut the whole quarter panel sections out and use them whole. It'll be much easier. CSU55Chevy did it the way he did because he didn't have access to the donor parts. His is an ingenious method but if you have the parts do it the easy way.

Here's a tech I did using the quarter sections.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120

 

Great Tech article A+

With all that work, why don't you suicide them while your at it...?

 

that is just amazing work.

 

I have access to donor parts, but not a whole car. The guy I found with the doors has "odds and ends...." I will have to check for sure, he's not easy to get a hold of. I definitely see what you mean about using whole quarters... that would save a lot of cutting and welding, as well as finish work. So far the only aggravating part has been getting the damn phillips head screws out of the rear hinges. I had to drill through most of them. Aside from that, the doors and B pillars came out pretty easy.

 

I love this conversion! It looks to me like the basic idea could be done on a lot of 4-door to 2-door sedan conversions. And it's cheap, by hot rodding standards. You can still buy fairly solid 4-doors around here for less than $2000. Definitely a situation where the "whole is greater than the sum of the parts."

 

ABSOLUTELY AMAZING !!!!!!!!!! did you mention that you have GREAT TALENT & MAJOR PATIENCE !!!!!!!!! very nice work ............. steve

 

Great tech, thanks for the tips.

 

He is Young. His accomplishments at that age are nothing less than spectacular. Can you Imagine what he'll be up to when he graduates from College?

Thanks I appreciate the incite, Workmanship and your generosity. There are few people young or old willing to do what you have much less take the time to share the project details so accurately. You single handedly saved at least a few hundred four doors.

 

How do you mount the rear quarter glass?

Hobbs

 

Awsome write-up and pics...

But man am I glad I have a 2 door sedan(post)...

 

Why ruin a good 4 door Now you have a fake 2 door that may be worth less now.

 

Wow, now you've really got me thinking about a very nice 4-dr wagon I saw for sale recently!

 

Great tech article!

Hmmm...



Actually, I think I like mine better as a more-door, but it's nice to know the 'option' is out there!

 

I cut everything loose for this conversion, and went to weld the 4-door latch panel into the 2 door donor, and almost panicked. The 4 door latch panel looked way too shallow. I thought for sure I ruined one of the doors or something. I looked back at the pics in the post and saw how it looks the same in the pictures, so I'm OK. I found that it was a lot easier to cut a "box" out for the B pillar. Just cut out with an angle grinder at the ends of the factory seams, top and bottom, and recycle the front door for patch panels. Got a nice smooth line at the bottom this way, and it doesn't appear to have any structural impact. I also figured out that a lot of the parts are interchangeable, so I would recommend to anyone that is going to attempt this to save EVERYTHING. You can always pitch it later, or sell it online. Just trying to help with my findings, but so far so good. I must have looked at this post 100 times, still pretty incredible work.

 

Great! Now the price of 4 door cars is going to start climbing, and some of us actually like 4 doors.

 

CSU55Chevy is a RULER


I've watched this thread for years and since it got bumped, it had to be said. Ruler!

This kinda stuff will allow me to live the 2 lane blacktop dream......

 

There is something kinda cool about old 4-door cars... But I wanted a 2 door 57, and for me this was the only way to get one that wasn't a rust bucket. I have a very solid 57, and so far I have less than $1000 into the whole project, including the car and passenger door. I am deliberately trying to see how inexpensively I can do this, while still coming out with a cool, safe conversion.

 

maybe find a 2 door hulk that you can cut the rear inner panels from and then you could have operating 1/4 glass. i'm thinking of doing this to a '49 cad 4 door. they never made a 2 door in that body style.

 

Wow guys, Thanks for all the compliments! I look back on this thread every so often just to see if there is any new buzz. It is still alive and kickin, needless to say. Amazing! And apparently Ive gained RULER! status! ahaha thanks Shifty! To be honest I'm somewhat surprised that everyone seems to think I have some sort of super human talent... I assure you, I do not. I have never been formally trained in metalwork. I have a cheap ass welder (but i can run a decent bead), and I certainly do not have any specialized tools. Just a angle grinder, welder, sawzall, and some welding magnents... What you see in this manual can be done by anybody!

Well, since its gettin into spring-time a bit here in Colorado... I may have to poke around for a set of 56' two-door doors... and do an even better conversion manual on my 56. I will let you guys tell me where you want some in-depth explanations.

 

THAT"S what makes you a RULER!!!

changed my thinking forever.

 

There is no way that car is worth less. Even unfinished it's probably worth 3x what it was as a 4 door. Ruined is not the word I'd use. The word is RULER!

Seriously, this thread makes me punch myself in the head. Must've passed up a hundred super clean 4 door tri-fives in the 80s & 90s. Beautiful cars for pennies on the dollar compared to 2 doors. Even though I'm pretty broke now, I was super broke then. Knowledge truly is power. And money.

 

WOW!, There is hope for the more-doors after all! Nice job!

 

Wow!

~Jason

 

I haven't been able to find a set of 2 dr doors for my 55 4dr around here at all (Hawaii), even in very poor condition! The cost to bring a pair out from the lower 48 is more than my entire car is worth! So might just have to leave it as a 4 dr gasser for now anyway, but hey, if I put a roll cage in that leaves access to the rear seat, and put two light weight race seats in back, as well as in front, it's destined to be a gasser style cruiser anyway, but I sure wanted to do this work and change it to a 2dr. Can always do it later if I run into a pair of doors at a reasonable cost.

I printed out all the photos and instructions and put it in a binder and have been showing it around to the kids around here who think they are hot rodders with their souped up civics. Just trying to convert them and give them decent goals to improve their skills, this presentation always amazes them! The real goal is to convince them they can do this too, hope I convert a few at least....
Aloha,
Willy

 

I saw a post from this same guy where he shows/explains how to weld the doors together to make a "2 door" door from both "4 door" doors. Pretty much measure, cut, weld together and lots of finish work.

 

There's a set of 55-57 post car two-door doors for sale locally...but I ain't no welder, and I like my heap as a more-door!

But...the doors ARE out there if you look, people!!

 

Thanks for the post. I want to try this with a 55 wagon.

 

anyone got a 2 door to 4 door conversion tutorial???