I need a new door for my 1982 Camaro. Classic Industries offers a a FIBERGLASS door.

-Wouldn't this seem flimsy?
-Could i put all of my window components in the door and have it work as the original one did?
-Wouldn't i need to buy both sides to balance it out? What would that do to the rigidity of the car as a whole?
-Would this help the door resist sagging?

 

firberglass doors on a street car is a no from my stand point.

strip car I say go for it!

 

4th gen doors are smc. i dont see the difference. go for it!

 

I posted a simialar question earlier. What I was told is that you cant do it because its not fuctional other than looks. For racing only from what I understand.

 

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/orga...ts-racers.html

Here is the link where it was discussed before.

 

CI has no such doors for the 3rd gen, I got a catalog and was just looking at it a few days ago and yes the add says 67-02 but if you look closer they have no listing for 82-92

and the 70-81 are listed as aviable soon

They also dont have steel outter sheet replacement for our cars but list all the other.....

Allot of 3rd gen parts are either not made or not sold by them.

 

Here's the Link:

http://www.classicindustries.com/con...rchCatalogId=1

 

Yes 4th gen doors are SMC but they also have high strength guard beams inside.

 

and smc doesnt break into lethal shards upon impact

 

yes but how many threads have you seen where people remove the guard beams to save weight? and if fiberglass shattering into lethal shards was such a problem why did they even bother making corvettes? i dont see a problem as long as you dont plan on driving like a maniac and running into everything, i understand that accidents do happen and that cars do get ruined, but the vast majority of people would have absolutely zero problems with fiberglass doors and since doors are a common rust area on third gens it would be a very good alternative. on that note, how many doors have you seen that are almost completely rusted through? id say that in some cases the fiberglass doors would be safer than what you have on there now!

 

When the 'vette was made, safety wasn't a word associated with cars. Any of them.

Find a mid '60's car r older with more than a lap belt, if you can even find that.

Also note that only 300 were made in the first production model year.

 

So, what you're saying is: If i have a Classic Corvette, i shouldn't drive it unless i Retrofit Shoulder Harnesses and Steel Doors, Right?

You know, I'm starting to lean towards the Fiberglass door option. Especially if you can install all of the hardware and make it work like the original.

 

you could always retrofit the steel beams from a 4th gen door into this door if safety is a concern, everything else from a 4th gen can be made to fit a third gen im sure you could make that work. just an option. or maybe a roll cage that has beams diagnally across the doors? there are ways to make this work, and i like the idea of a third gen door that doesnt rust since 99/100 of them rust especially if you have ground effects as well.

 

If there was a way to replace the outer doorskin with a fiberglass one, that would lighten up the door some. It could be bonded on with some kind of industrial glue, like the 4th gens were. then you still have the inner steel structure to allow you to keep the functionality. I helped a neighbor with a 79 trans am when I was in HS and I can tell you the windows are pretty heavy themselves. you might try lexan windows before anything else to lighten the doors but keep in mind lexan windows won't resist flying debris as well as safety glass does.

 

Sorry I don't mean to pick on you here but with your logic, why should we even carry insurance on our cars? If you don't plan on driving like a maniac right. As you stated accidents do happen but you seem to minimize that fact. There is a reason they say "for off road only". Nobody that I have ever heard of has ever got up in the morning and said "I'm gonna get into an accident today" there is a reason they are called accidents. If you drive this car on the street then please avoid these doors as stated there is no reinforcement in these doors and well it may not seem like a big deal because "it will never happen to me" there is a reason these cars had this reinforcement to begin with. I am not an engineer but I would have to say that I doubt the outer door skin has a whole lot to do with structural rigidity of the door if it did why would they have the reinforcements to begin with? so the rusted out door doesn't seem to carry a whole lot of weight with me (no pun intended). I have never seen any posts of people taking out the reinforcement bars in the door but I'm sure it does happen and I would say it's just as stupid.

No offense to anyone out there but I would say the general consensus for me at least is that the people who are all for taking safety features out for extra performance are the younger drivers, as they don't understand that accidents happen everyday and they think that all accidents are avoidable but you can not control someone running a red light or someone who doesn't see you, unfortunately it does happen and when you are sitting there with some guys bumper wedged into your ribs (and if you have never had a rib injury trust me it's not any fun at all you can't do anything without pain except lay in bed) does the weight savings really matter?

Also I wonder about using fiberglass doors and the body rigidity would it matter I don't know, but the car was designed for these stronger heavier doors, if you take that away who knows. And these cars are unibody cars where the windshield has a big structural impact so I would imagine the doors would too.

If you want to save weight in your doors I say take out the windows and anything that has to do with the windows at all (power window motors, all tracks) and I bet you will lighten your load quite a bit. Or just completely remove your doors (no I'm not serious).

 

As far as safety goes having fiberglass doors and no doors is about the same.

 

good job on missing the point .......

 

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It obvious that anyone who thinks this has never hoisted an old car door.

The problem is sh-t hinges, not door weight.

 

i think ive actually decided to get these doors once i save up some money. im getting an 87 z that im building as a race car, and street use will be minimal to none, so once i get them ill let you guys know how they are, i hope that they have all the holes drilled for the window motors and door panels, but for 350 a piece i feel its cheaper than getting all the dents pulled and fixed and repairing the rust in the stock doors. and yes, i realize they are not as safe as the stock doors, but before you go and flame my post its for a race car not a dd.

 

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