I've got a friend who made a Tri 5 Chevy 4 dr. into a 2 dr. by moving the post back and installing 2dr doors. If done right, there's no way to tell it was ever a 4 dr., and the value of the car goes up a lot. I've never been a big fan of cutting down the wheelbase and body to make a 2dr, and ending up with an odd looking short wheelbase car. It surely limits the number of people who will be interested if you ever sold the car, and much more work/cost than simply making it a standard 2 dr. conversion.
I bought this car 3 years ago as a 4 door. I cut the posts out hung a set of 2 door doors on it that I had a off of a parts car that the frame was bad on and the body was just real bad. I cut the post out of the 2 door and welded them in place and went to town on the body work. Really the hardest part was welding in the inside panel where the rear window mounts and making the rear window work. I've actually got pics of it as a 3 door and I have driven it like that. People went crazy over it because they never seen a car like that. I told them it was factory like that. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
If you check the internet,sorry I don't have the int.address at this moment but there is a canadian rodder who made a 28 Dodge Victory 4 dr. into a very correct proportioned 2 dr. Dodge did not have a true 2dr.sedan til 30 It usually is at the Syracuse nats.
Two of my conversion threads have already been posted, this is my first one. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78120 The coupe body and the sedan body are the same length, assuming they're from the same series. So cutting length out of the sedan will not make it the same dimensions of a coupe. And a 2 door sedan and four door sedan are the exact same dimensions inside, so whoever said there's more room in the back of a 4 door is wrong. I have a '36 Chevy coupe shell sitting here now I'd sell you for $300 but you'd have to come and pick it up. Has the quarters and what's left of the trunk lid still on it but you'd have to cut up your sedan doors and make those work. Either that, or stretch your sedan front doors to 2 door sedan length, move the pillar accordingly, and fill in the rear section. If you post a picture of it, I could do a quickie photoshop to show you where the cuts go. And no offense to the many people who have done it, but I have never seen a shortened car body that I thought looked appealing. Longer doors and factory wheelbase/body dimensions keeps the proportions looking nice.
Squablow, excellent job. I'd love to get a '36 coupe body to tinker with but I'm afraid WI is just too far to travel. Thanks again fellas for the input.
Not sure vintage44 where in New York you are located. Potter Wi. is about 11hrs from the New York/Pennsylvania border. This may be a great deal for your build and if you check there may even be someone traveling your way that could reasonably haul the 36 body.
It's real light weight too, just a shell, a little utility trailer behind a car or a small truck like an S-10 would haul it. One really long day on the road might save you 200 hours of welding and metal fab. I can post pics if you're interested.
I guess this is where I'm a bit lost. A sedan and a coupe body are the same length. They fit on the same frame. How are you going to shorten it? It is already the same, just more doors and a smaller trunk area
Here ya go ..... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=322953&highlight=door+conversion+with+pictures Cheers Rod
Squablow, I appreciate the gesture regarding the coupe you have, but truth be told, the distance is only one of a number of factors limiting my ability to take advantage of your offer - physical limitations being the biggest. I still get weak knees when I see shots of well done '36 coupes, but reality slaps me around a bit more frequently these days. Still would like to see a couple of shots of yours if it's not too much trouble.
The Mopar guys have been doing this to early B bodies for years and it is less time consuming than replacing floors in a rotter.
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