Body / Glass: Modifing (Lark) sedan doors to hardtop doors??

[Jeff T.]

I read somewhere on or off line that hardtop doors were originally made by modifing sedan doors. Has anyone ever done this. I have some two door sedan doors that may be in better shape than my current left door and time I have

I also figure measure twice, cut once would apply here too.

Just some rainy day pondering

Jeff T.

ps. it's a Lark

[JimC]

That would make my day, as it's probably a TON easier to find sedan doors!

[41 Frank]

Yes it can be done and I have done it on my 63 Daytona convert. Bought the NOS 63 and later Lark sedan doors from SASCO. It entails cutting some spot welds to remove the flat metal piece from the top of the old hardtop/convert door and attaching it to the sedan door. Some window regulator holes will have to be drilled in sedan doors to accomodate the hardtop mechanism. This can only be done on 63 and later doors that used the bolt-on window frames for sedan doors. 62 and earlier sedan doors have thick metal upper door frames that are a permanent part of the door. I do not know if 63-up doors can be used on earlier hardtops and convertibles.

[PackardV8]

Oh, we're talking about Larks! That does make a difference.

I was strainin' my brain trying to figure how I'd missed this info. My mental map of making a 2-dr sedan door become a '53-58 K-hardtop door just wouldn't compute.

[KGlowacky]

don't know what year and car you are asking about but I did do that exact thing on my 56 2 door wagon. Sasco had one side but not the other. He sold me a sedan door and told me they were the same except for the top window fram. I cut my old one off and welded to the new door bottom and it worked great. Sorry if this is not what model or year you are asking about.

[Jeff T.]

Sorry, I'm was asking about Larks. ooops. Does SI in SB have 59-62 two door sedan doors?

Jeff T.

[mbstude]

It's the '63 and up sedan doors that are easily modified for a hardtop. Those have the window frame that is bolted and spot welded in place. Earlier doors are one solid piece.

[r1lark]

'62 doors can be done the same way. Strip down a '62 hardtop door, and set it side by side with a NOS '62 F-body door, and you can see easily how this can be done. The hardtop door looks like it was stamped from F-body tooling, but they just didn't use as big a sheet of metal......the hardtop door will look like a sedan door with the frame cut off when you take the beltline trim off. Sorry I don't have any pictures of the conversion that I can find (pre-digital camera days), but basically it involves cutting off the door frame off the F-body door, and then transferring a small stamped metai piece that is tack welded to the hardtop door over to the 'new' door. All this is from memory, so it's not real detailed. I'll look for pics just in case i did take some.

[Jeff T.]

Dug through the barn Sunday and found a right side two door sedan door that is actually in better shape than the right door on my 62 hardtop. I called SI today to see if they have any 59-62 Lark sedan doors for either side and am awaiting an answer.

Jeff T.