Removable doors

[LanceDa]

has anyone out there made removable doors?

 

I have been thinking about it, making the doors removable somewhat like that ones on a jeep.

 

Here is what I was thinking. Please put me in my place, and tell my I am being ridiculous if this sounds too far fetched.

 

I have a 2000 Forester, and I was thinking of removing the door hinges, drilling out the hinge and replacing it with a lock pin like this

Then cut the wires and use wire connectors like this

does this sound too far fetched?

 

thanks

-Lance

[WoodsWagon]

You'll have to check if you have space in the hinge area for the electrial connector. Depending on how many options you want to keep, there's a fair bit of wiring there. Power locks, mirrors, windows, all add a fair bit of wiring. If you take the kickpanels off the interior, it might be easier to plug and unplug the factory connector. Pack it with grease to keep it from corroding while it's unplugged.

 

Roll the windows all the way down before you take the doors off, the guides aren't strong enough to put up with manhandling the doors around when they're off the car.

[idosubaru]

they're so easy to remove could you just remove them as is? it takes like 5 minutes, doesn't seem worth all the fabbing for how simple it is.

4 bolts, one pin and an electrical connector, not much to it.

 

the most annoying part will be handling them. they're very heavy unlike jeep doors. i mean not heavy like you can't move them but big and awkward. good chance of dings, scrapes, and dropping them due to the awkwardness. i think every door i've ever swapped i did by myself but a helper is far easier. playing balance beam while balancing on my leg...

[what huh]

arnt the doors a structural part on unibody vehicle?

 

the reason why you can remove the doors on a jeep are because it is on a frame

 

a unibody vehicle uses the whole body for strength including the doors.

 

if you made a tube frame door to put something back in the doors place then you would be fine, Somebody on here did it to there Brat

[Numbchux]

arnt the doors a structural part on unibody vehicle?

 

the reason why you can remove the doors on a jeep are because it is on a frame

 

a unibody vehicle uses the whole body for strength including the doors.

 

if you made a tube frame door to put something back in the doors place then you would be fine, Somebody on here did it to their Brat

 

good theory. But not so much in practice.

 

 

 

Get a wrangler teetering on 2 wheels (RF & LR or vice versa), and then open the doors. when you go to close them, you'll find the latch is inches off.

 

do it in a subaru....they'll open and close all day (unless it's really rusty, in which case, might be time to get a new shell. That was kind of the indicator on the PoopenVagon).

 

 

Also, when I pulled them on the poopenvagon, I contacted the local sheriff's office to see what the legal perspective was on it, and after a few days research he called me back, and said the only thing that might effect it (this was in MN, about 5 years ago. do not consider this legally concrete), were the rear-view mirror laws. And then he said something about a jeep being designed to run without doors, to which I reminded him that you have to buy aftermarket brackets to relocate the mirrors to legally run without doors.

 

 

When I did it for the Crawl 4 the Cure 2006, I just brought a ratchet-wrench. 4 bolts, and one plug (there's a great plug from the factory just a few inches into the car). And I pulled off the front doors when we got to camp.

[what huh]

 

Get a wrangler teetering on 2 wheels (RF & LR or vice versa), and then open the doors. when you go to close them, you'll find the latch is inches off.

 

do it in a subaru....they'll open and close all day (unless it's really rusty, in which case, might be time to get a new shell. That was kind of the indicator on the PoopenVagon).

 

 

 

Thats good to know

just cause i want to know, how hard are you wheeling without doors on your wagon? Ive always thought a doorless lifted brat would look pretty sweet

Edited September 22, 2010 by what huh

[WoodsWagon]

You can wheel them hard with no doors, the doors don't add much to the structure as far as suspension is concerned. If you slide it sideways into a tree, rock or stump, they are very important in protecting your sorry rump roast.

 

My loyale when I started out, you could open and close all doors with it flexed out and a rear wheel up in the air. After 3 years of hard wheeling, rust, welding, and suspension mounts torn out and reattached to the body, it got a fair bit looser. The rear hatch would move 1 1/2" sideways if you opened it while it was flexed out. Doors would still open and shut, but you had to slam the heck out of them. On the flat it was fine.

 

I think all the spot welds in the body had been worked, so nothing was really clamped tight anymore. This will happen with or without doors.

[Numbchux]

Thats good to know

just cause i want to know, how hard are you wheeling without doors on your wagon? Ive always thought a doorless lifted brat would look pretty sweet

 

I was in a group of jeeps all weekend (that blue YJ is a good friend of mine's, running a Ford 8.8 rear end and a spool). almost all of them with at least one locker (not only did I not have a welded rear, it was not even an LSD). I got hung up pretty nasty on a trail called Pucker Point. It was quite awesome, I intend to pull the doors off my 4Runner when wheeling (although I do intend to get a set of tube doors for the external protection that 91Loyale mentioned).

[Fairtax4me]

arnt the doors a structural part on unibody vehicle?

 

the reason why you can remove the doors on a jeep are because it is on a frame

 

a unibody vehicle uses the whole body for strength including the doors.

On newer vehicles the doors play a part in side impact structure. But, unless it's a convertible, they don't generally add any rigidity to the chassis. The roof is the important part. Cut that off and you might as well be driving a tarp.

[johnceggleston]

The roof is the important part. Cut that off and you might as well be driving a tarp.

 

 

what if you leave the A, B, and C? pillars on an outback wagon and just cut off the rear section of roof and rear hatch, like a baja?.

[Jibs]

The laws seem to be the same in Nevada as in Minnesota. It is perfectly legal to run without doors, as long as the mirrors are intact.

 

Shameless Plug on the doors:

 

[Fairtax4me]

what if you leave the A, B, and C? pillars on an outback wagon and just cut off the rear section of roof and rear hatch, like a baja?.

 

That would probably be OK, but it's hard to say with wagons. With a sedan the rigid safety structure of the car is generally encompassed between the axles. That structure is generally dual purpose, serving both safety and performance/handling requirements of the design. Whether that aspect gets carried over to wagon designs is probably dependent on if the manufacturer intends to allow seating in the cargo area. Which would be a no in Subaru's case.

My non-professional opinion... if that makes sense.

[Fenix747]

Ive ran my Brat without doors, one thing i gotta say are those doors are heavy so it seemed worth it to remove them while wheelin.

 

 

But it wasnt so fun to drive down the highway without doors. My plan is to either gut the stock doors to make them lighter, make them into half doors, or build custom tube doors.

 

If i can make half or tube doors but also have a way to close a window of some sort that would be awesome.

 

Dont jeeps use some sort of canvas soft window that they can remove on half doors?

 

-Andy

[Fairtax4me]

Clear PVC with a zipper around it. Maybe cut up a shower curtain?