Ok, first off I dont want your Opion... That means no "lambo doors are retarded" DUMB Stuff like that... I Want to know has anyone bought a kit online? What kit?? Pics?? How hard was it to assemble/use?? Ok, so I want strait facts too... I only want opinions from people that have had them and how they worked over time?? So more like factual opions.. lol Sorry for being picky but i hate all these post of opions I want the facts!!

 

Do a - there's many threads on this.

Not sure how many folks ever actually did it, but there's alot of posts on it.

I've got to say though - I've never seen a set on any car that really worked that well. OK - so I'm east coast, and it seems the best modded cars are west coast cars. But (of the ones I've seen) they always seem to bind, they are really particular about how you open them (ie you must be extremely careful), etc.

 

My dads friend put a set on his '93 Prelude and after a year and a half the hinges started to give out becuase of all the weight from the doors hanging in the air. He did alot of shows and left them open alot but even if yu didn't have them hanging open alot I think the hinges would still give out eventually. It took him about 2 days to install. I'm not sure what kit it was and we don't have any pics because he decided to convert to suicide doors.

 

Not sure what an "opion" is but here's my opinion: The third gen's use the doors as part of the structural integrity of the body itself, hence why they weigh as much as they do. Putting a lambo kit on a third gen is going to be an exercise in frustration for you because of this. Your kit may work at first, but will rapidly wear out the hinge as the weight of the door puts undue stress on the components. Add to that the fact that these cars were not engineered for such stresses, and you're going to face further problems, like misalignment at best or the possibility of tweaking or tearing the attachment points on the A pillar at worst. Your option could be to replace as much of the door as possible with a lighter weight version, like fiberglass, remove all power accessories from the door (things like power mirrors, power windows, power door locks all equal excess weight), and run a strengthening brace inside the door so you still maintain the car's structural integrity with the door closed. Look at the 4th gen doors, this is essentially the way they are constructed (a plastic resin / fiberglass composite with a structural steel bar inside). Your lambo kit could conceivably last longer if you went this route, but using the stock doors would definitely not be recommended.

 

Not sure where this is coming from ... my 4th gen doors are at least as heavy as my 3rd gen doors, and they are all steel - no composite anything. 4th gen is the same construction as a 3rd gen - unibody. In fact, most everything as far as the main body goes is identical - that's why 4th gen sub frame connectors, strut tower braces, rear axles, exhaust, etc are all the same. Maybe you are thinking 5th gen? Almost everything with the exception of front suspension/steering and body panels is identical between 3rd and 4th gen 'frame/body' wise.

 

^^^
My 94 Trans Am's doors have a fiberglass outer skin. I think, if I rember correctly, the inner was metal. I could be wrong though...it's been forever since I drilled in it to change the window motor.

 

The 4th gen cars ('93-'02) use a composite material for the door skins and inner structure, with a steel reinforcement bar inside (I've pulled enough of them apart in the junkyards to know this for a fact). The same composite is used for the front fenders and the roof skin. The rear quarters are steel. Yes, the doors are heavy, being that they are physically larger than 3rd gen ones. I never said it wasn't unibody construction, that would be my point of mentioning that the door forms part of the structural integrity of the car when it's closed. My point is if he uses lighter materials to make a 3rd gen door, it will weigh less and put less strain on his lambo components.
Subframe connectors are specific to '82-'92 and '93-'02. The substructure was changed enough that they cannot be swapped directly. The rear axles will bolt in but are not the same width (necessitating a different backspacing on your rims).

 

The inner framework of the door is composite. I pulled the inner door handle pop rivets out with a screwdriver and a hammer in the junkyard by easily puncturing thru it, then prying the pop rivet out. If it was steel it would have been far more of a headache. Someone had already pulled half the door skin off the same car, and it was also obviously composite, not steel. The front fenders were mangled in an accident, and showed that they also were composite (they were shredded where the material broke in the impact). I've seen dozens in the yards with similar damage and levels of disassembly. I've never once seen one with steel. There may be some out there, or aftermarket replacement parts on cars made of steel instead of the composite, but the factory material is a plastic / fiberglass composite (sheet moulding compound, or SMC).

 

I have a customer (86 IROC) with the "lambo doors" he has had them for about a year and a half they look nice and that's it! They don't line up right, they sag a little (you have to lift the door just a little to swing them closed), they rattle like crazy. I asked him did they always sag he told me no they started getting bad after 6 months when the A pillar started to crack. The shop that installed them weld THICK plate steel but were never the same after. Oh and i forgot the swing (like normal before going up) is limited so if you are a "big" guy I wouldn't do it.

 

The problem with Lambo doors is the unibody structure. You are applying weight to areas that are already weak; this causes them to sag and not line up properly overtime. Your pillars are weak enough, from a structural point of view it's a no-no.

 

there was a guy on here who wanted to do suicide doors. i know ones rear mounted and the other is liftd upwards/hinges mounted in fron. but they strusture where the hinges are mounted are already weak and the hinges not the greatest. they work good in a sort of parralel operation(thinking like open and closing regularaly parralel to the ground) but once you open the door and shoot it upwards alot of excess wear and weights will be on the car. like it was said the doors are a big part of the cars structure. mess with that and youll have issues. the doors are very heavy and awkward in length.

 

I think you should do suicide lambo doors and for the hatch and hood too!

Imagine everyone staring at your car as the hatch swivels off sideways! Better tell them fools to duck!

 

What? Dude... 4th gen doors are not as heavy as 3rd gen doors...they arent SUPER light compared, but they arent quite as heavy... As stated, they are a composite material with a metal bar. Hmm..maybe Im speaking out of turn here, as Ive only looked at 98-02 doors...but I thought even the 93-97s were the same.

Yes the 4th gen is a unibody...like the 3rd gen. And the rear suspension is basically the same...but thats about it. 4th gen sub frame connectors and strut tower braces do not fit, where'd you hear that? Rear axles fit because the rear suspesnsion is the same. Exhaust fits until about 3/4 of the way to the motor. Almost everything is NOT identical...but some of if is close enough to fit, and some bolts right up.

haha...this isnt the scope of this thread but jsut didnt want mis-information popping up to new comers.

As for the original post. Hey..its your car. Done the right way...anything is possible. Just dont think you are going to find a kit that falls into place and works 100% without some fiddling. At least a handful of people have done it, and have been successful. Maybe do some searching around, find the people that have it done, and ask more specific questions to them. Im sure you'll get some way better info that way. Im not gonna sit here and tell you what to do and what to do with your ride. Just gotta do some diggin!

Good luck!

J.

 

And you thought right. They (4thgen doors) are all smc plastic.

A thirdgen door is actually pretty light, compared to a '71.