loneroad

iTrader: (3)

anybody know what the door weight difference is between verts and hardtops?

Anybody swap the doors to lose some weight?

Im trying to get mine in the paint shop by april, and Im pushing the 4000lb mark.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I always thought they were the SAME doors.....

jstoltz

iTrader: (16)

last I knew they are the same.

loneroad

iTrader: (3)

i coulda been given some misinformation. What i was told was that there is more bracing in the doors, therefore they are heavier.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

There is some more support under the floor on the convertible vs hardtop chassis. The stamped sheetmetal "SFCs".

And I suspect the 91/92 F-body doors might have had more inner structure, to satisfy crash test requirements, but that's it, AFAIK.

jstoltz

iTrader: (16)

I think someone was bs'ing you even the 91-92 doors are the same. like Stephen said only difference is the stamped sfc underneath and some fender bracing. I would leave that stuff alone anyway unless it is a track only car you would be risking yourself by putting in lighter stock stuff. If you wanted to do it correctly and fabricate something better by all means go for it but lighter stock stuff just usually means flimsy so you would have to add your own bracing and would probably come out heavier then you started with.

Darkshot

iTrader: (4)

I bet that 383 makes her feel pretty light though.

(I too, always thought the door's were the same.)

Wild Weasel

If it is a track car, I would think that any weight reduction on a vert would be nullified tremendously by the super slick dynamics of the vert. Top up or down. Just a thought.

Guest

As far as I know, they're the same. The front fenders are slightly different, and there is bracing in front of, below, and behind the doors that the hardtop/t-top cars dont have but I cant think of a reason they would want to or would need to add anything else to the doors.

loneroad

iTrader: (3)

well part of the problem is that it isnt gonna be a track only car. id pull everything out and gofrom there,but its mostly a DD. id never cut any of the bracing out. iwas planning on putting a 8pt cage in it. so i figured i could help off set the weight gain by changing doors and still keep the safety factor. In theory it seemed like a simple change.

by the time i add the cage and a 1gal fuel cell and fuel pump ill prob be sitting at 4000lbs.

gotabekidding

A 8 pt cage in a vert?

A vehicle that was never supposed to be a vert into a vert is always going to make the car heavier, due to frame bracing.

All 4th gens were designed to have t-tops, therefore the weight difference was neglible.
Third gens seem to have taught GM that lesson.

WHy are you trying to decrease weight in a daily driver?
Just curious

The doors are the same, unfortunately so are the weak door hinge pin bushings, the doors are just heavy.

A/C still in the car, you could delete the evap housing, condensor and compressor and go with a a/c delete fan assembly

Get rid of the spare and jack and carry a can of fix a flat
Crossfires, vettes, minis - they all do

You still have a back seat?
the back seat in a regular 3rd gen would warrant chiropratic help afterwards, if used
the vert's back seat functions more as a shelf than a usable seat

When you go to the track, do you really need the passenger seat inthe car?
It will save you a little weight

jstoltz

iTrader: (16)

then th enormal fiberglass hood (I am going with a steel cowl hood though because of the bad fitment and cracking that comes along with fiberglass) aluminum heads and intake switch to an aftermarket pulley setup relocate battery to the back. if you are actually making any power though that 8 pt bar won't get far with the track officials. At least not an NHRA track. 13.99 and under requires a 14 pt to be legal. I am only doing an 8 pt for mine to just because I don't plan on being at the track too often anyway.

loneroad

iTrader: (3)

im pulling the back seats out when the cage goes in. Im 6'2 so only bob (insert guy with no arms or legs joke here) could fit.the front seats im pulling for a set out of summit. even with the sfc when i come out of the hole i can watch the car twist. I wont be running any sanctioned races in it. funday sundays and street drag nites that type of thing. the tech so far only demands a helmet. im trying to get into the 10s by fall, id rather have the 8pt then nothing.

as far as hoods. that is a ongoing joke with most of my friends. ive had the harwood cowl, (wife couldnt see over it). The ram air( didnt like the lines) the SS style( that was a pieceso's**t). and finally the stock hood is on with a scoop of a 70s boss mustang.(functional but needs a bodymans touch)

i ditched the spare awhile back,iwas hoping the "run flat" tires would start dropping in price.

jer4251

iTrader: (6)

just put a new door on. from a coupe. same door. no difference

okfoz

Convertibles were ALWAYS heavier than a hard top counterpart, Even cars back in the 50's and 60's interesting the differnce in weight is about 130# or so for a 3rd gen, I forget the actual number. Your reason is correct to why they were heavier, but your claim that "A vehicle that was never supposed to be a vert into a vert" indicates to me that a car that was intended to be a vert would have been lighter is incorrect.
What are you talking about, 3rd Gens were also designed to be T-top cars, your thinking 2nd Gen maybe? I guess that you have ALL, because you can just pop off panels and install T-tops on the 4th Gen... is that what your referring to?


John