has anyone pulled all that out of the door? what is that? were the hidges bolt to on the ends??? 
Door Bar Removal Thread
10 Second Club
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Idaho Falls, ID.
I got it done in about 20 mins per side. I ended up using my die grinder and my cut off grinder. I tried to find some old tools to fab the wrenches up but I didnt have any 12 pt metrics to donate to the cause. I admit I made a mess with steel splinters but I vacumed it all up off the floor and out of the doors. Ear, eye, hand and respirator were the order of the day and I did have to cut the bar twice to get it out of the door. The "nuts" that the bolts screw into on the brackets are the target if anyone else does it the way I did. The write up that you did is great and the pics are the best! My camaro is greatful to be rid of the extra weight!!
I havent looked into pulling the metal out, but for those of you looking to pull the bars out you do not have to cut a hole in the door or cut the bar into peices. Take your front tire off and pull the inner fender out, then removed the bolts on the door bar like you usually would and you can slide it out through the hole where the wiring goes through in the front of the door. The door will need to be shutso crawl out the other side. Done it on a few cars now, it works very well.
10 Second Club
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
From: Idaho Falls, ID.
I am going to go back into the doors and get rid of everything I can but still keep the electric windows. I think that there is more fiberglass and metal that can go. A buddy that owns a bodyshop did caution me to be careful and think twice before cutting because he has seen guys cut too much and then the window mechanism gets "floppy and unstable" resulting in cracks in the fiberglass. Has anyone replaced the glass in the doors with polyglass? I know that VFN offers polyglass, and I think that Percy's does too, that has the same curve and shape as OEM but it is thinner and way lighter. I don't think I could use the electric raise/lower feature anymore and would have to use the metal frame that they also sell to keep the polyglass in place. The only reason I like the electric windows is that when I am in the staging lanes I can open the left hand door then let the right hand window down a little, remotely when I am strapped in, and get some airflow in the car and cool it down.
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Brett Foote
thread revival!
im going to be removing my door bars next week, but want to go a step further. the car is track only car with cage. is it possible to cut out the inside door skin? will it have any ill effect? and how would i go about removing the window motor/regulator, but leaving the window up...is it possible?
im going to be removing my door bars next week, but want to go a step further. the car is track only car with cage. is it possible to cut out the inside door skin? will it have any ill effect? and how would i go about removing the window motor/regulator, but leaving the window up...is it possible?
Another bump
I couldn't get any wrenches on those bolts, and don't have a welder to make a tool. Any other options? Anyone able to just cut everything out with a dremel? I have no air tools either.
I couldn't get any wrenches on those bolts, and don't have a welder to make a tool. Any other options? Anyone able to just cut everything out with a dremel? I have no air tools either.
If it takes you very long you may be disappointed when you weigh them after getting them out. I used an abrasive cut-off disk to cut them in half, instead of drilling holes, or pulling wiring & inner fenders to get them out. Maybe ten /fifteen minutes per door. Be sure to weight them after you get them out. LOL
Someone said the doors would be easier to close? I didn't notice that. How can that be?
Someone said the doors would be easier to close? I didn't notice that. How can that be?
If it takes you very long you may be disappointed when you weigh them after getting them out. I used an abrasive cut-off disk to cut them in half, instead of drilling holes, or pulling wiring & inner fenders to get them out. Maybe ten /fifteen minutes per door. Be sure to weight them after you get them out. LOL
Someone said the doors would be easier to close? I didn't notice that. How can that be?
Someone said the doors would be easier to close? I didn't notice that. How can that be?
When you weigh them after you get them out, you will likely wonder why you bothered. There are things you can do in the same length of time that will actually make your car faster. This won't. 100 lbs is worth 6 to 7 hundredths on my car. 50 lbs is three hundredths. Those bars do not weigh more than six. Just small tubing and four small bolts.
every little bit of weight will add up in the long run ,IIRC I had to cut down a 10mm socket to fit using a thin 1/4 ratchet.If your not installing a roll bar in the car and it sees alot of street driving i wouldn't remove them.
I snatched up a set of spare Camaro doors locally for $30 last weekend, and they are the correct color for my car 
For a light-weight-swap-out race set.
I also snatched up a rear hatch in the matching color, got that for $30 too. Prepping it for SpeedGlass.
Since the doors were off, it was easier to remove the bars, but still took a while since I didn't have a ratcheting head tool. I had a ground-down swivel socket wrench. No room to use the tool for complete extraction. I put a 1/4 socket on it when the wrench wouldn't fit anymore. Then I just turn the socket with my fingers.
BTW, I've see the holes drilled in the back of the doors, but you could drill a hole in the flat bottom part of the door. From Memory, I used a 2 inch hole saw, and located a spot that was completely on the flat bottom, but right up to the edge of the door that started to curve up. Then I moved over towards the outer side of the door, against the same edge. Finagled the bar around, and it also required that the bar be rotated with the tongue down. It was that close to not having room. The bar will need to be moved around a bit to the upper-most front corner and then the back of the bar it will come out through the bottom drill hole tongue down, and the hole will remain out of sight.
or you could remove the tire and wheel well, etc as in a previous post.
Jay Johnson
For a light-weight-swap-out race set.
I also snatched up a rear hatch in the matching color, got that for $30 too. Prepping it for SpeedGlass.
Since the doors were off, it was easier to remove the bars, but still took a while since I didn't have a ratcheting head tool. I had a ground-down swivel socket wrench. No room to use the tool for complete extraction. I put a 1/4 socket on it when the wrench wouldn't fit anymore. Then I just turn the socket with my fingers.
BTW, I've see the holes drilled in the back of the doors, but you could drill a hole in the flat bottom part of the door. From Memory, I used a 2 inch hole saw, and located a spot that was completely on the flat bottom, but right up to the edge of the door that started to curve up. Then I moved over towards the outer side of the door, against the same edge. Finagled the bar around, and it also required that the bar be rotated with the tongue down. It was that close to not having room. The bar will need to be moved around a bit to the upper-most front corner and then the back of the bar it will come out through the bottom drill hole tongue down, and the hole will remain out of sight.
or you could remove the tire and wheel well, etc as in a previous post.
Jay Johnson
A die grinder with a thin cut-off disk cuts through those bars in about 30 seconds. How fast can you pull a tire & inner fender? You must be a lot faster at pulling that stuff than this old man. LOL
Staging Lane
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 51
Likes: 0
From: PHILLY, PA
I used a 10mm offset wrench and a 1/4" 10mm socket and ratchet to remove my bars. Cut the bar so you have 3 pieces, pull the ends to bend towards you and finish unbolting bar. no need to make special tools.
So far I am able to only get out the one 10mm closest to the door latch using my smallest 1/4" drive. The next one in I could only loosen, and the two at the front near the hinge I still can't get any wrench or ratchet on them. I hope this cutting and bending works. I even spent $25 at sears getting a swivel socket set thinking I could use them at 90deg bend but even that's too fat
