1964 Dart 270 Suicide Door Conversion Input

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chinze57

Push Button tranny and a Slant 6 that'll never die
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I’ve got a 1964 Dodge Dart 270 that needs new paint. It’s a gorgeous deep metallic maroon color (not factory) with maroon and gray interior. Absolutely love the color, and want to get it sprayed in the same color when I get bodywork and painting done.

However, whenever it was previously painted, they shaved off the rear door handles, flawlessly I might add, leaving only the interior handles. Well, with it in mind that it’s already had the body work done to remove the rear handles, I’m considering converting them to suicide doors. They’d be the same handles as would have been on there, keeping the factory appearance, just swapped so that it mirrors the front doors.

I’d never do this to a car that was stock or close to stock, but the interior’s been redone, the whole car repainted a non-factory color, etc, and I think it’d be nice to give this car its own unique feature.

What do y’all think? I’d like input from other people who care about these cars.
 
The rear door line is not vertical. You'd have to get the hinges to be aligned with each other or the door wont open without changing height. Maybe they got them like that like a cabinet but it would really stick into the hip area of the back seat. I think its a difficult idea on the engineering side.
 
Too bad you don't have a parts car to play with so you don't open a can of worms on your ride .
 
The rear door line is not vertical. You'd have to get the hinges to be aligned with each other or the door wont open without changing height. Maybe they got them like that like a cabinet but it would really stick into the hip area of the back seat. I think its a difficult idea on the engineering side.

i hadn’t considered the odd shape of the rear door and frame where it latches. Excellent point. Alas this project might not work then
 
Anything can be done. But at what cost?

i think pishta was right. A hinge mounted to the inside next to the bench seat and then to where the door itself latches currently. It would work, but cut in to useable space for the bench seat.

alternatively, modifying the door jamb to have two vertical parts, and do a corresponding mod to the door itself, so that it would open and close on a level plane. But that’s a good bit of fabricating.
 
Hood or decklid style hinges hidden in the fender and seat back?
 
nah, i think you just need a double hinge instead of a single
kinda like this vette

 
So the doors would open like an old Lincoln? Both latched at the middle post ?
cool , cool , cool.
I say , Hell Yes !
 
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So the doors would open like an old Lincoln? Both latched at the middle post ?
cool , cool , cool.
I say , Hell Yes !

That’s what I was thinking. I think it would look really good, and if done properly would be a really subtle unique feature. Now to see how well this can be executed. I’ll be talking to a bodyman pretty soon about the whole car anyway, see if he has any input.
 
To do this you would need a single heavy duty hinge at the top rear of the door. The door would need to fully swing out and not have the end of the door swing in.

This was done on a Jaguar featured on Bitchin Rides.

Might actually be easier on a 64 Dart as the doors are probably lighter. Either way there will be some serious engineering involved. There are companies that sell kits for both suicide and lambo doors, might be worth looking into.


Alan
 
^^^^^agreed, one SERIOUS hinge right below the upper body line and into the quarter panel would be the way I would go.......or, take out the center post between the doors and make one huge door. You might need three parking spots to get everyone out of the car though...:rofl:
 
I think it would be more structurally sound to make a large heavy duty hinge at the bottom of the door, coming out at the back of the door jamb at the bottom, just on top of the rear of the rocker. Tie it into the rocker panel and tie it into the frame rail. If done correctly, it'd hold up a couple of Georgia fat women.
 
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