Lighter Doors, Any suggestions? Options

[jgiroux67]

I am wanting make my doors lighter but still be good for the street. Is there anything that I can realy do to make this happen? The doors feel like they are 50 pounds each and i would like to drop several pounds from them.

Oh yeah the car is a 73

[red914]

i think that the '72 and older cars had lighter doors. also different window raising mechanisms. the weight difference, i think, cam from crash reinforcement; more metal.

i have two '72 doors, with glass. too far away to do you any good, i figure.

[SirAndy]

The doors feel like they are 50 pounds each and i would like to drop several pounds from them.
Oh yeah the car is a 73

get early style doors! they're MUCH lighter ...

from '70 to mid '72
(IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Andy

[skline]

I talked to a guy yesterday that is making parts for our cars out of Carbon fiber. I wont know more till I meet with him in a week or so. He told me he is making front and rear hoods and doors and roof panels and dashes for the 914s. Is there any interest in this kind of thing? I will be seeing him the weekend of the 24th and will find out more. He said they are lighter than fiberglass and stronger than steel. Sounded interesting to me. I could go for that on my Chalon. Hoods and doors. I think he even said he was making the engine lids too.

[SLITS]

There is a '73 door that had the "good" window winder mechanism, but does not have the side impact bar. These should be as light as the early doors. I know they exist because I have a parts car with them on it.

[Andyrew]

Slits, the early 73's had them. My 73 has no rubber tities, nor side impact bars. But its got all the other goodies.

[Andyrew]

Mike.. I think that driving the car is a chance anyways... With the bar in, a Tbone from a measly 25 is going to do a whole lot of damage, if not to the car, to the driver from the wiplash. And I think anything above that is probably fatal, depending on the car/SUV.

Andrew

[jgiroux67]

By street I mean I dont want just a fiberglass shell and nothing else. I want to be able to have a window and interior panel.

Also a 914 isnt the best choice for a safe car anywase, if I get hit im screwed anywase, but Im a good driver anywase so I think I can avoid any accidents.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif) i didnt realize i used the word 'anywase' so much. I'm retarded.

[Andyrew]

You cant avoid all accidents.

Anyways, just get an earlyer door. You'll get 40 lbs maybe.

[Jeroen]

I talked to a guy yesterday that is making parts for our cars out of Carbon fiber. I wont know more till I meet with him in a week or so. He told me he is making front and rear hoods and doors and roof panels and dashes for the 914s. Is there any interest in this kind of thing? I will be seeing him the weekend of the 24th and will find out more. He said they are lighter than fiberglass and stronger than steel. Sounded interesting to me. I could go for that on my Chalon. Hoods and doors. I think he even said he was making the engine lids too.

Hell yeah, keep us posted!

For doors, it's prolly a good idea to add a layer of kevlar
Carbon is good for very rigid and light pieces, if you want some impact protection (like on the doors), use kevlar

cheers,

Jeroen

[jgiroux67]

Anyways, just get an earlyer door. You'll get 40 lbs maybe.

You can realy lose 40 lbs if you change both doors to the earlier style?

[Andyrew]

Im pretty darn sure... They have a very thick very heavy reinforcement in the later doors..

In any case, weither its 40 or 20. Its still weight.

Unless you want to make a race car out of it and strip your doors, then just get the earlyer doors.

Are you going to be auto xing? Any racing? If not, leave the doors you have now in. You wont notice the weight difference.

Andrew

[Eric_Shea]

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif) with them. The late 73 doors have big ole bars in them

[bondo]

Anyone know the cutoff point between early and late 73? Mine says it was built in may of 73.

[TimT]

Drop Paul (URY914) a line, he made me some really nice glass door skins... Im going to do a "how to" write up when the weather here turns chilly

Carbon fiber is exotic, light, strong and has a great bling factor..

Yet its a bit more expensive than glass but isnt that much lighter than glass... and when its painted who knows?

have your dash and door panels made of carbon... have the fenders, hoods, doors made of glass... I dont believe at our level of the sport the benefit of carbon is worth the extra cost carbon warrants...

BTW I got all carbon parts for my 911 before I had this epiphany

[Brett W]

I have a set of light doors that I am planning on putting on my 73 when I redo the paint. They are quiet a bit lighter. I figure if I am going to have the extra wieght of door bars it should atleast span the gap in the door and add some chassis stiffness, not just hang out there and make the door heavy.

[campbellcj]

Here's my current solution. Early non-beam doors with my trick 'custom' (IMG:style_emoticons/default/jester.gif) $20 door panels (thin black ABS and angle-aluminum). Glass, regulators/winders and locks are gutted. You would not believe how much all that upholstery and inner-door stuff weighs!

The brushed aluminum matches the exterior and interior trim reasonably well, and the ABS door panel material is textured similarly to the stock (smooth) dash vinyl.

I will be collecting various f/g and c/f parts for this car as time marches on. Since I am this far into it, I might just go ahead and build it into a 250hp narrowbody 1800lb sleeper. May god help the rear tires...