How do you guys lighten the doors of the 914. I have seen advertisements for fiberglass doors but does replacing the door skin lighten the door that much? Anyone seen a whole fiberglass door that works??? Or should I just forget about windows? I took off a door tonight and I forgot how heavy they are they feel about 35lbs each? Any help would be appriciated

The early doors thru '72 do not have any of the safety re-inforcing inside.
They are lighter. Of course all the window and hardware is not interchangeable
so if you buy them try to buy them complete.

It depends. You can lighten the heck out of a door by taking the window and crank out, cutting everything out from the inside including the frame and covering it with a thin aluminum sheet. Then you can wear a thick jacket when its cold.

If its for the street, I recommend not lightening it at all. The safety metal is there for a reason.

:agree

Typically, if you install a FG door, you might also want to use a polycarbonate "glass" and a simple method to raise and lower it (see RS-type doors on a 911). Not altogether practical for everyday driving, but you're the better judge of that and how you intend to use it. Other lightweight mods would typically follow (FG panels/bumpers, minimal accessories, etc.).

Sherwood

I gutted the doors on the race car. I WOULD NOT recommend this on street cars.

The door is now exceptionally light (feels like it weighs nothing). Outer skin is stock. You can see it in this picture

Click to view attachment

Street car leave alone...
Race car with cage and door bars...
do just like Bobs' car ...it's very light weight this way and the door still works so not so hard getting in and out of the race car...

Most of the guys I know/knew racing 914s do this & as shown on the blue car - with the aluminum skin added after removing the factory bracing.

The ex-racer shell I got for body parts on my resto - those guys kept the frame in the door (uncut) & used aluminum skin (thinner since factory frame was intact), since they were racing in vintage & not trying to overly modify the car so as to stay in their unmodified class.

If they were racing in cold &/or wanted to keep it aerodynamically clean, then they added polycarbonate "glass" (inoperable/fixed but pop-out/-in for access/escape).

Also agree to keep it all stock for street use.


Tom
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Cool I do have a set of 72 doors that are in actually better shape then the 75's so cool thank you. That would explain why the doors suddenly feel so heavy!!

Naro this looks sweet!! I will have a cage. would you mind posting a pick of what you did with the trim where the windows would be? Thank you

And thank you to everyone else who replied!!

not sure what you need. There's basically nothing there. I had thought I could make a lexan window to fit in there when I had an open trailer, but there was no way to make it stay up and seal since we don't have a window frame on these carsClick to view attachment

bare doors are pretty darn light. its all the other stuff that adds up.

yea I hear you I think I will compare them to the 72 doors and follow the advice of just leave on the doors though the race/lightweight looks cool!!!