Fiberglass doors. Anyone running them on the street?

[Spoolinup]

Just doing a quick survey of who has the fiberglass doors on their gns. I am getting a massive paint job and the car has some inner door rust and was already caulked up crappily. (is that a word?)

Just want to see if you are running atleast a 6 point cage, or if you do not have a cage at all.

I am might be working with my painter on getting or fabricating an inner brace like the stocker for the fiberglass doors. This way the side impact will not be as bad. And you can feel alittle safer if you do not have the 6 point or more on the street.

I can get the doors for $540, anyone find them new cheaper?

Thanks for any replies.

 

[Scott231]

Uh...it is my understanding that you only run fiberglass doors when the car has a complete cage assembly (not just a roll bar). The addition is necessary for reinforcement as the factory doors are an important piece of strenght to the car's body that fiberglass doors cannot provide.

 

[ULYCYC]

I wouldn't use fiberglass doors unless you have a full cage. You will be surprised how strong and safe stock doors are...

 

[J Banning]

I think Jack Cotton has them on the Great Pumpkin.

-Banning.

 

[Louie L.]

I wouldnt run them on a everyday car. They will not hold upto the use. On top of that it takes a lot of work to swap all the gear from a stock door to the FG door, about 10hrs a piece from what i was told.

 

[GNSCOTT]

Do you guys mean a full "X" on the side where the door would be for side impact protection, or the cage for structural integrity. I was thinking of going with the doors also. I'll only put maybe 1 to 2k street miles year on it. I think (not sure) the weight savings of 2 doors with power widows is more than bumpers, deck lid and hood put together, whick would make it a great bang for the buck.

 

[Spoolinup]

I understand the cage thing, just wanted to see if anyone actually does not have a 6 point. I want the car to run high 10's yet not have a cage due to it being a 99% street car. And who wants to race a GN with a 6 point in it? Screams stay away. I like the sleeper look with the GN's. And realize I probably will do one pass with the car at the track.

The reason I ask is I can get the doors for $540, cheaper than my uncle (painter) working on the factory doors and finding parts or even good GN doors. So I was thinking I would have an inner brace fabricated like the stocker to help side impacts. I like the cage and realize it is way safer and sturdier, but someone has to have the doors on the car and not a cage. My painter said it would be cheaper to get the doors and put the stock parts on then to cut sections in and find those parts in great shape.

Also, due to horrible hail damage, I have fiberglass bumpers, hood and a trunk. So what the hell, might as well have a Grand Vette. Even with the t tops the thing will probably weigh 3,200 with all the other billet aluminum stuff on the car. Sounds good to me if I can work something out.

Thanks for the replies.

 

[quicker6]

doors

Not to break the subject but, I was just wondering who you are going to get the doors from? I wanted to get fiberglass doors, hood, trunklind, and rear bumper for my project car. Could you let me know.
Thanks,
Derek

 

[UNGN]

It's safer and easier to buy a pair of junkyard doors and cut the crash bars out of them. Not quite the weight reduction of F-glass, but way less hassle.

 

[GNSCOTT]

www.cottonsperformace has glass and carbon fiber doors, and i beleive they are in that price rage for the glass.

 

[RealFastV6]

Spoolinup, the body on a 10 second car twists way too much without a cage to have anything except complete steel doors. You can try it, but I gaurentee you'll crack the doors either at the hinges or the post.

 

[Grumpy]

dammmm "spoolin" dont get in an accident!!!!! your insurance co might have something to say....

 

[RealFastV6]

yeah really... that too

 

[Spoolinup]

I can get the doors if you want them and take care of you, I know the shop out here. mike@spoolinup.com
I got the hood, trunk and maybe the doors from them. And they even have a whole front end piece. Email me.

As for the accident thing, I know!! Nothing like a side impact and seeing bumper asap. That is my main concern. But if you have a cage in your car, you better be able to back it up on the street. I would have to put on street slicks asap. No way I can do high 12's on the street with a cage. How embarrassing.
But safety first, the reason I shelled out $800 for my aerospace front brake kit.

But if I have to get the doors, I really do not want the cage to drive around town. I will never get any races, and the car then becomes too recognizable to cops and other supra guys. Love eatin up $25,000 supras.

NEXT QUESTION

I can get the inner brace made for the fiber doors just like the stocker. Do you think that will do anything on a side impact, even if I get it thicker? Other fabricators said it is way better then nothing, but really no one can say what it will do with a chevy blazer staring at me. Anyone get in an accident with the fiber doors?

Thanks for the all replies. I will have to make a decision on this in the next month.

 

[Scott231]

So during your 1k-2k street driving a year, you are saying that you can live with the doors vibrating and rubbing against the rest of the body (frequent rubbing on f'glass is not good). You're willing to accept the risk of highly increased odds that you'll be killed in a side impact street accident. And you're willing to live with the risk that your high-10 second car will mangle up the doors when the car body flexs during a hard launch because you refuse to install the necessary safety equipment. So, why are you still asking questions?

What most of us are telling you is that we don't want to lose another fellow brethren.

 

[rastaz]

I assume that inner door brace you talk about getting made is going to be steel because a fg one won't do anything for you. I'm no rocket scientist but don't you think in an accident that steel beam will detach from the fg door and end up in your lap with that Blazers bumper right behind it?...

 

[wagon]

Spoolinup,
You want the glass doors, and are thinking of adding the factory bracing to them for safety? Is that right? If you put the steel bar in the glass door for safety, and get hit, the only thing that bar is going to do is pop off and come flying at you. The glass won't hold it in. It will be like bolting a 2x4 to a piece of thick paper. I would stick with the steel doors if you don't want a cage. Better to be a hair slower, and still be alive.

Brian

 

[n20junkie]

i don't know how many of yous have fg doors, but i bought a set about a year or so ago, VFn to be exact, they are a srtictly race piece, mabe a cruis in or two but 2k a year is way to much, if you put stock internals, a brace and so on you almost negate the weight savings from the door skins because you have to brace that door so much to take the weight that it is almost back to factory weight, they are flimsey, they are ment for race cars, with a simple latch, lexan windows and such, with a race setup, you can probably shed at least 100 lbs, and a full cage and X bar are almost a must, there is no protection in a t bone or roolover senerio and the stock doors do alot to stiffen a car, if a car is on a chassis jik, and not setup right, if you open the door, the car will shift and you won't be able to close it, just some info guys, take it for what you will
Grant J Farmer

 

[Spoolinup]

Thanks for the concern guys, but I definetely was thinking of either fiber doors and brace, or the cage, no way just the doors. I was looking to see if maybe someone out there though was just running the doors.

Scott231, are you saying the fiber doors rub even during just cruising without the cage? Or even with the cage?

If you have ever seen the stock piece that is in the door it is so tiny. I mean the door does way more for stopping the impact than that brace. Thats why the idea of the fiber doors with the bigger brace system seemed better. Triple or even quadruple the inner support against the impact. Maybe that might equalize the factory door strength.

The fiber door would have a whole shell of inner support, not just a small strip. Weight is not really why I want them, its because my doors my be unrepairable. So if I have to add 7 lbs of support to each door I do not care. Probably still lighter. And I can get it done either steel or billet aluminum.

Maybe I will do both the cage and the brace just to pull it off.

 

[GNSCOTT]

I have a cage in my car, but don't have the X bracing on the doors, its just a swingout. I was planning on welding up the swingout because I never use that feature anyways, so i guess adding the other bar to make the X wouldn't be a problem (except maybe getting into the car)