Man, that is awesome, you make it look way too easy! I've always felt that a lot of 50's era GM 4-door hardtops would look great as a 2-door. For instance, 57 Chevy 4dr hardtops... they have a great thick top, I think would look killer as a 2dr model.
Yep, by a good long margin. As far as the hovercraft photoshop, the car is going to have stainless rear skirts, but I doubt I'd be able to blank out the front wheel and make it fly. I bet the designers in the 50's figured all cars would fly by now. And I agree that a 55-57 GM four door hardtop done as a two door would look nice, I always liked the rooflines on those. Would be fairly simple to do, too.
I think this is sad... like those medical shows showing siamese twins being separated and one dies... yes.. the child that lives has a better look and life, but to what price? Whats' wrong with a nice 4 door? What's wrong with fixing up both cars? If not you, then let someone else have the rusted out one you didn't want. What a shame... cuz when they are gone, they are gone forever. Then we will be left with restoring and customizing Mustang II's, Chevy Monzas, and Caprice Classics. But hey, opinions are like assholes...
WOW!!! i got to see this car a few weeks ago when i was back home in wisconsin, and i been biting my tongue ever since you showed me the thing,, you make it look pretty easy, but trust me, all that trimming, fitting, trimming is a ton of work! Jon this car is gonna be MUEY bitchin bro!
I was freaked when you said you cut up the Fury. It is coming along real good. Time will only tell if you get it done by spring.....I know I will have something done! Next year let's take my '60 Dodge and convert it from a 2 door to a 4 door using the leftovers from your Fury. The doors are the same, aren't they? Oh wait, mine is a hardtop. Will that work? Actually, let's make a three door. Driver's side is a 2 door hardtop, pass side is a four door sedan!! I LIKE THAT!!!
I can see your point. There are a lot of really nice old 4 door's running around. I've always believed that's because there is typically 2 to 3 times more four doors made of a body style, than 2 doors, and 2 door hardtops. I just chalk it up to the odds of survival. That being said, 4drs seem to sell for half of what a equivilant 2dr would... they just aren't in demand. I think as time goes on, turning 4drs into 2drs is going to be more and more common. Look over in europe, where most of the old american iron is 4drs... they cut them into 2drs without remorse. Because that's about the only way they will ever get a 2dr model.
Excellent Tech. That is the best way I have ever seen to fix a four door. I also like the factory experimental three door idea, but it isn't my car. Keep up the good work. dave
This is a really good question that I had to think about before I started cutting up the car. First off, it would have taken a miracle to fix that two door sedan. I admit the one driver's side picture makes it look like it's fixable. In fact, the car sat in a Mississippi woods for 30 years. There were no floors left and the framerails were thin/rotted. Being a unibody there was no hope for a frame swap. Maybe someone could have put it on a different chassis and built a drag car or something. But it was on eBay for all of the world to see, and I was the only one willing to bid $60. The guy was crushing cars that were left on his property and he said he'd start the bidding at the scrap steel value in case someone wanted it. I was that guy. Every piece of that car that was even remotely useable was either saved to be used on my car or resold to someone else on eBay. I even have a buyer for the four-door doors that I'm not using in the conversion. Nothing is going to waste. Why do I want a two door so bad? Partly because a two door is so much cleaner, less body gaps, door handles and such to break up the design, and partly because when I drove the car (daily for two years, put a few thousand miles on it) I constantly had to hear "Boy, it's too bad that's a four door." Comments like that piss me off. But mostly, I did this so I'd have an interesting tech article to give me a fighting chance at that HAMB Drags T-shirt! Isn't that why we do all this stuff?
You've certainly got my vote for Best Tech for this past week...anyone that goes to that much trouble deserves the tech award!!! R-
Hey Squab, how ya gonna get in the back seat? Moredoor front's don't fold forward.... (yea, I know, but somebody's got to be the smartass ) Great car, super idea, excellent execution. You're my new hero, man.
This is actually proving to be more of a problem than I thought it would. '60 Plymouth Fury's and Dodge Darts used a special split seat that was about a 40/60 split with the driver's side way taller than the rest, a really cool looking arrangement. I haven't found one to use yet (the seat in my parts car was rusted away and it wasn't the cool one) so Cliffy is going to lend me the one for his '60 Phoenix until I can find a replacement. I know I could just put any seat in there, or buckets or something, but when the factory used something that cool, it seems a shame to replace it.
funny thing happened to me today saw this post last night then while i was driving my truck route today i see an old car in the back of a used car lot, not for sale, not too rusty, BUT ITS A GOD AWFUL 4 DOOR its a 1958 oldsmobile 88 so i thought shit if this was only a 2 doot id be all over it well i turn my head to the left and what do i see but the front end of another olds over behind a trailer, so naturally i inspect its A GoD DAMNED 2 DOOR its on its brake drums and rotted to hell but not the doors or portions id use for the swap go inside and ask about them, GUY says hes wishin theyd go away and gives me the number of the property owner who in the guys exact words " PROBABLY WANTS TO GET RID OF THEM" im callin tomorrow maybe youll see a similar thread by me in a few months -dan
That would be really cool if that works out for you. '58 Oldsmobile is a really cool, really overstyled futuristic dream machine (my favorite kind) and it would be really cool to see it get saved and make good use of the two door at the same time. Be sure to let us know how that turns out, and if there's anything I can do to help. The conversion was pretty straight forward, not nearly as challenging as the shoebox chops I've done. Go for it, and post pics.
maybe youll see a similar thread by me in a few months -dan I will be sure to stay tuned. that would be one cool project to follow.
3 words: Imperial Swivel Buckets!!!! and another thing, make sure you grab a square steering wheel while you're at it!!!
Hey Squaw, Thanks for this post, as maybe it will get people ta think outta the box- as the supply of deuce doors goes ta nill, in the years ta come, this idea may serve ta save the mordoors that would only wind up crushed 'n' sent to China anyway. Good yahob!
Thanks guys. Ka-zoo, I've already got a square wheel for it, just needs to be recast. Some swivel seats would rock, but the prices for the one's I've seen are astronomical. Bugman, it is almost as easy as it looks. Not quite as easy as cutting out a '69 Chevy truck rear window out of plexiglass on the kitchen floor of the clubhouse after the road rally, but easy enough. I would say anyone with decent welding skills, the right parts, and a little patience, could pull this off no problem.
The Jalopy Journal
