Topic: Half door tips

[superyoat]

gettin ready to build some half doors. anything i should know or tips that may help before i start?

[DoveGray85]

Have you seen this thread? It's a good place to start.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=753204&highlight=half+door

[superyoat [OP]]

awesome thanks. i am trying to decide if i'm gunna make it so it drops lower about half way across the door or if i'm gunna make it so it drops all the way down next to the door frame and up twards the front of the door.

[Mavericks]

I would also take some time with where you put the release handle. I've seen a lot of doors where you need to turn half way around to unlatch it. I would not make them to low its nice having a little protection from mud and road spray.

[Steve_925]

I would also take some time with where you put the release handle. I've seen a lot of doors where you need to turn half way around to unlatch it. I would not make them to low its nice having a little protection from mud and road spray.

X2 on all that. my first pair where way to low, my rule of thumb is the top of you legs is a good height.

[superyoat [OP]]

Good info. Keep it coming. Thanks guys

[Snowtoy]

Check your Co. Vehicle Code, here in CA you have to have 6" of door above the floor to be legal.

Map out a pattern on some paper that you can transfer to the doors, makes it easier than just taping and cutting.  Reinforce the doors, it will reduce the flexing of the door, and cracking of the body work.  It can take about 8-10hrs per door for a clean finished door w/interior panel, so don't be in a rush.

[superyoat [OP]]

I'M deffinatly ready to spend some time on them. I'm gunna do all the metal work myself then the body guy at the shop I work at owes me some favors so he will finish up all the body work. I hate to spend a ton of time on it because the rest of my rig is pretty beat up from the rocks and I'm sure another summer of wheelin these doors aren't gunna look very new when we hit a trail we have up here. They call the section metal bender. It's tight gotta lean on a couple rocks to get up it and it usually leaves a good dent in the door

[OOPS]

Check your Co. Vehicle Code, here in CA you have to have 6" of door above the floor to be legal.

Do you have the V.C. number or section that this is in? I have looked and never been able to find anything.

[86moneypit]

just put some together last summer there a lot of work but it was fun. the worst part is the body work that's a good thing to have done.

I had the local sheet metal shop bend me some caps with a 2" bend to have a straight edge to work with and a place to mount the panel.

hope this helps hit me up if you need any info i learned a lot.

Martin

[Snowtoy]

Do you have the V.C. number or section that this is in? I have looked and never been able to find anything.

Not the actual number.  The local CHP desk officer told me it was 6", and a buddy of mine has been stopped for his doors by the CHP, who actually measured them.  Being skeptical of everything I am told, I asked the officer for the C.V.C # and he stated it was a Fed. safety regulation for passenger vehicles to have doors and therefore it is automatically adopted by the C.V.C.  He also stated that the 6" height requirement for the doors comes from the tub height on the Jeeps and similar vehicles.  The safety regulation of doors or tub height is supposedly to keep items inside the car from falling out when moving down the road.

Seeing how delivery trucks like UPS and bread trucks don't have tuns and drive w/the doors almost always open, this safety regulation may only apply to passenger vehicles and not commercial ones.  If this is the case than having commercial plates on your truck should exempt you from the safety requirement, since commercial plates allows one privileges that passenger plates don't, i.e. double parking, parking in delivery/loading zones, and as rumored exempts you from needing to use a front plate and being able to have tinted front side windows.

[superyoat [OP]]

That's good to know. I work on all of the county cop cars and CHP cars in our town so I just smile and wave.    and they wave back and I go on my way. It's awesome... I love having connections but I do go out of town now and then so it would be nice to be legal. But my motor is super weak now so it kinda become to be a trailer queen. Sad sad day

[fordh8r]

I cut mine down to the height of the arm rest that are inside the door panel so the top of the half door can be used to lean on as well. Much more comfy for long drives.  Which is about as high as the top of your leg as someone mentioned...

[Tallchevy]

 

Not the actual number.  The local CHP desk officer told me it was 6", and a buddy of mine has been stopped for his doors by the CHP, who actually measured them.  Being skeptical of everything I am told, I asked the officer for the C.V.C # and he stated it was a Fed. safety regulation for passenger vehicles to have doors and therefore it is automatically adopted by the C.V.C.  He also stated that the 6" height requirement for the doors comes from the tub height on the Jeeps and similar vehicles.  The safety regulation of doors or tub height is supposedly to keep items inside the car from falling out when moving down the road.

Seeing how delivery trucks like UPS and bread trucks don't have tuns and drive w/the doors almost always open, this safety regulation may only apply to passenger vehicles and not commercial ones.  If this is the case than having commercial plates on your truck should exempt you from the safety requirement, since commercial plates allows one privileges that passenger plates don't, i.e. double parking, parking in delivery/loading zones, and as rumored exempts you from needing to use a front plate and being able to have tinted front side windows.

  I live in Cali and I've taken the doors off my 4Runner for the past 2 years and have never been pulled over for the 6" rule. Even when I got pulled over for no mud flaps nothing was said about it 

Back to the half door tips 

[Snowtoy]

  I live in Cali and I've taken the doors off my 4Runner for the past 2 years and have never been pulled over for the 6" rule. Even when I got pulled over for no mud flaps nothing was said about it 

Back to the half door tips 

You didn't get cited for no doors, yet I was talking to a guy in a DMV parking lot about his truck, when a CHP officer walked up and asked us who owned the truck.  He said he did, and the officer replied do you know that it is a safety violation for no doors, and gave him a fix-it ticket.  With fix-its usually free(or at least they were) there is a lot of room for abuse.  My buddy who had the doors measured, the officer could have been hoping to find something else and used the doors as an excuse.

I think a lot has to do w/the actual officer, the mood they are in, their personality, and the area.  I have been pulled over twice for tinted windows(rural and urban area) and neither time did they say anything about no front plate.  Then I got pulled over specifically for no front plate(rural) but nothing was said about the tinted windows, same when I got popped for speeding.

[superyoat [OP]]

i think im going to go off of this guys doors.

[s.resko]

those look sick. id hafta make 4 of em tho

[YOTA yota]

Whats everyone using for cupholders??

[Caboose]

Whats everyone using for cupholders??

And what size?

It has been my experience that if you get a Big Gulp from 7/11 and copy the bottom 2 step design, you will be able to accommodate most drinks, or at least my gold cart at work has this style cup holder and its amazing.  Fits a big gulp PERFECTLY!

[86moneypit]

i used 3'' exhaust tubing, fits coors can pretty good.

[superyoat [OP]]

i used 3'' exhaust tubing, fits coors can pretty good.

perfect. usually whatever i drink is in a can.

[86moneypit]

me to

[Kaptain]

Whats everyone using for cupholders??

Another idea is goto a marine\boat shop and get a set of their plastic cup holders - drop right in.

[Mavericks]

Another idea is goto a marine\boat shop and get a set of their plastic cup holders - drop right in.

That is a good idea! I might add some of those to my half doors, that would be super easy

[rockin86runner]

i think im going to go off of this guys doors.

i went off his doors to heres how mine came out

[superyoat [OP]]

i went off his doors to heres how mine came out

looks good. we have a annual trip coming up and there is alot of snow and mud so im going to wait to start on mine untill after the trip. i will post pics when they are finished

[slacker]

for you guys whom dont have welders and such !!  

http://www.toyotafiberglass.com/halfdoors.htm







.

[Yota Rolla]

its also nice having a handle or bar to grab onto like the crawler trucks halfdoors. . also good to brace the inside if you plan on sliding on them at all