73+ door beam-ectomy - worth it?

[MRGTX]

Correct me if I’m mistaken but the 1973+ models received some “improved” side impact protection in the form of steel beams in the doors.

How much steel is in there? Is it worth removing these beams to save the weight? Do they even really make the car that much safer?

 

[brian6pac]

You only need them if you get T-Boned

 

[gregpurcell]

The earlier doors are much lighter. You can bolt on the 72 door. The window cranks and door latches on the inside are different.

 

[MoparMike1974]

I dont recall my 73 having them. I know on the E bodys they add a ton of weight.

 

[MRGTX]

The earlier doors are much lighter. You can bolt on the 72 door. The window cranks and door latches on the inside are different.

The window cranks probably don't matter but if the latches don't line up, it sound like a headache to make that work.

 

[gregpurcell]

What I mean by "latches" is the inside door handles. On a 72 they are on the armrest and on 73 they are up toward the top in plastic "cups". The hinges and door latch mechanisms and even the body lines align perfectly. If you can deal with slight differences in the interior door panels and stuff, it's a bolt on swap. Also note that there are extra metal braces in the rear seat area for side impact protection as well, but they tend to be bolted on..

Removing the steel I beam that runs down the inside of the door can be a real MFer. I'd always go with an earlier swap

 

[MRGTX]

You only need them if you get T-Boned

I dont recall my 73 having them. I know on the E bodys they add a ton of weight.

While I laughed at @brian6pac 's comment...it's hard to completely overlook safety concerns. It's amazing how @MoparMike 's point highlights a disturbing fact about automobiles from just a generation ago- they were seriously inconsistent from car to car depending on when it was built, etc. Can you imagine if you decided to go for a 1973 model because of the improved safety equipment only to have your family seriously injured in an accident because yours was built in late '72 and the new doors hadn't hit the production line yet?

But that was part of my initial question about this- do the chunks of metal in the doors make enough of a difference to safety to lug around the weight everywhere you go? For example, it would be a bad idea to get a non-collapsing steering column just to save a few lbs...but most people don't think twice about removing '74+ bumper reinforcements.

 

[MRGTX]

What I mean by "latches" is the inside door handles. On a 72 they are on the armrest and on 73 they are up toward the top in plastic "cups". The hinges and latches align perfectly.

Ah.. I thought you meant the latch where it connects with the body of the car. This is good news.
Rather than cut up original doors, it may make sense to keep an eye out for a set of earlier ones.

 

[FM3 Dart]

Not all 73 doors have the beams. Early ones don't.
Just like the front bumper shocks in 74. Early built cars had the 73 steel brackets.

 

[Princess Valiant]

Ah.. I thought you meant the latch where it connects with the body of the car. This is good news.
Rather than cut up original doors, it may make sense to keep an eye out for a set of earlier ones.

There is also the trim to consider. If you bolt on earlier doors to your 73+ car, they will bolt up but they all have the metal top where the 73+ doors had the plastic trim. So then you need to change the rear upper door trim to match. Not a huge deal but just something to consider.

I went through this with a 71 scamp, It had mismatched later doors from a 74.