Re: Cutting out the crash bars.

by Psychlonic Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:20 pm

dynchel wrote:I looked at mine, just out of curiosity. Wouldn't you be able to drill out the spot welds on either end to get the bar loose, then cut the bar in two to remove it through the existing openings behind the door panel? I wouldn't remove mine (for safety reasons) and by looking at it I don't think it weighs as much as people keep claiming. i'm thinking maybe 15/20 lbs per side.

You could probably drill if you wanted but I just used an angle grinder to cut a slot then patched and smoothed. Probably faster, but either way gets the thing out. The existing hole in the rear corner isn't quite large enough to maneuver the plate through unless you cut it repeatedly into tiny pieces which is a risk. I squared up the hole which should have zero impact on the safety of the door (at least in comparison to removing the bar!). I would place the weight between 25-30 pounds without a scale, per bar. So you're looking at about a 50 pound loss which works for me. I more or less repositioned the weight into a more useful structure by putting in a roll cage. For a typical street machine, I'd say it's not worth it. Our cars being heavy is just a fact of life. We love them anyway, love the body style, love being different. It's part of the sacrifice we make. Smile

by dynchel Wed Mar 26, 2014 10:52 pm

I agree 100%, if I had a roll cage I wouldn't hesitate to cut them out (along with most of the sheet metal behind the door panel) but for my street car I wouldn't risk bodily harm (or death) to me or my family if some jack a$$ t-bones me.

by SonOfTheGrim Sat Oct 03, 2015 4:29 pm

Sorry for digging up an old old thread but I am curious about this. Of the ones of you that have done this, how was it afterwards? Were your doors wobbly or rattly after? Does it feel better or worse when someone slams the door? Does it actually prevent door sag? And do they actually weigh 85lb?

And has anyone taken any damage after doing this? What was the result?

It seems like they didn't have these bars before our models and nobody has them after our models so I am really thinking the structure and strength of the doors can't really be that affected by these being removed, though I could be wrong. Couldn't you always take a smaller, lighter brace and make an X shape in the door to restructure it IF it ended up being wobbly or something? Kinda like a roll cage but inside the door.

by chevellelaguna Sat Oct 03, 2015 5:53 pm

Do you like getting around in a wheelchair? If you take them out and you get hit in the door, at best you'll end up crippled in a wheelchair. They are heavy, they're in the door for a reason. Otherwise, there's nothing protecting you from a side impact collision.
Want lightweight? Ride a motorcycle.
It's a stupid idea to remove the bars on a street driven car. Just my opinion.

by alowerlevel Sat Oct 03, 2015 6:58 pm

chevellelaguna wrote:Do you like getting around in a wheelchair? If you take them out and you get hit in the door, at best you'll end up crippled in a wheelchair. They are heavy, they're in the door for a reason. Otherwise, there's nothing protecting you from a side impact collision.
Want lightweight? Ride a motorcycle.
It's a stupid idea to remove the bars on a street driven car. Just my opinion.

My '67 never came with doorbars, so I guess without those magical door bars Ill end up in a wheelchair if I get t-boned in it.....

by chevellelaguna Sat Oct 03, 2015 10:56 pm

Your 67 not having them is the reason why they put them in our cars. Your door is half as long as a 73-77 door.

by SonOfTheGrim Mon Oct 05, 2015 9:58 pm

I don't really appreciate being called stupid and I am not trying to start a fight.
I am, however, pointing out that so many older and newer cars don't have big, heavy, barricades inside the doors. Hell corvettes have plastic doors and no reinforcement. And many things about these cars were able to be improved upon from overthinking or underthinking.
I know that the next generation el Camino and Monte Carlo don't have door braces and I would bet are made with thinner metal but nobody seems worried about taking a ride. The same thing with the bumper struts that have been found to only be effective at very low speeds and weigh 100lb.
I think if it is that concerning to you then you should figure out how to retrofit some airbags to your car. Those are proven effective and don't weigh much.

by Limey SE Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:32 am

I am gonna have to Agree with ChevelleLaguna on this I would not remove door crash bars from our cars.... UNLESS you want a drag car with very little street time I would leave them be.... And also is right about the 67 Chevelle Doors they are shorter and not as heavy Our era cars have the longest doors Shy of the Monte SS I think they are the closest in Length

by Limey SE Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:35 am

SonOfTheGrim wrote:I don't really appreciate being called stupid and I am not trying to start a fight.

And as Admin here he didn't say YOU were stupid, Just said it would be a stupid idea to remove them

KUUM BY YAA lets hug it out

by SonOfTheGrim Tue Oct 06, 2015 3:59 am

Yes I know that we definitely have football field long doors that weigh as much as well, but they are thick, heavy gauge steel that probably wouldn't dent if you took a dead blow hammer to them. Its not unknown that car makers try things for certain reasons and alot of these ideas don't prove viable or even effective (bumper struts). That is why I was asking if anyone had ever done this to their cars and what the result was.

Anyway Hakuna Matata and all that.
CL, you've been very helpful to all my noob questions and I really appreciate that. I am just trying to shed some weight here and there.

by dynchel Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:41 am

Cutting out the crash bars. - Page 2 FB_IMG_1444127822450_zpshm6ho8ld

One of my lightening methods, hole saw to trunk bracing.

by SonOfTheGrim Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:51 am

Yes I have considered that in some areas, maybe even the door braces (haha). I think I've seen your handy work on the front end grill mounts? I think that was you. I like it. It looks industrial.

by dynchel Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:53 am

Thats me, although those particular pieces aren't on the car right now. Did you know a '76/'77 grille is less than 5 lbs, where a '74 grille is 16.5 lbs?

by Keith Seymore Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:14 am

SonOfTheGrim wrote:Sorry for digging up an old old thread but I am curious about this. Of the ones of you that have done this, how was it afterwards? Were your doors wobbly or rattly after? Does it feel better or worse when someone slams the door? Does it actually prevent door sag? And do they actually weigh 85lb?

And has anyone taken any damage after doing this? What was the result?

It seems like they didn't have these bars before our models and nobody has them after our models so I am really thinking the structure and strength of the doors can't really be that affected by these being removed, though I could be wrong. Couldn't you always take a smaller, lighter brace and make an X shape in the door to restructure it IF it ended up being wobbly or something? Kinda like a roll cage but inside the door.

I removed mine back in high school or shortly thereafter (so - 38 years ago or so). I used a die grinder with a cutoff wheel and cut each end loose. I don't recall what I had to do to get it out the opening. My recollection is that they were 60 lbs per side. I weighed every component I cut loose from the car but my notes are not currently accessable.

I removed just the bar from the LH door and left the window regulator; I removed everything from the RH door (including the window regulator) and secured the window in the up position. No issues with door function, in terms of wobbliness, fit, sag, slam, etc.

K

Cutting out the crash bars. - Page 2 100_0442

Cutting out the crash bars. - Page 2 100_0442

Cutting out the crash bars. - Page 2 100_0441

by chevellelaguna Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:17 am

Thanks Limey for clarifying. SonOfTheGrim, no questions or thoughts for that matter are stupid. I'm in the collision industry and seen the changes of inner structures on cars over 20 plus years. Pieces are there for specific reasons. Is it heavy and combersome, sure, but it's there to save your life in case the worst happens. I'd rather be the nay sayer on this topic than say "cutting it out is a great idea" and then something bad happening as a result.
I agree with Keith, on a strip car with a cage, go crazy. As long as he passes tech.

by SonOfTheGrim Wed Oct 07, 2015 4:59 am

I've read that the grills on early models were ridiculously heavy. Luckily both of my cars have the plastic grills haha.
I bet it takes a really good hole saw to make all those holes in metal. I'm sure your biceps are bigger afterwards too.

Keith, thank you for the information. That is what I have been looking for the whole time: actual experience with this mod. I am by no means trying to make a track car or do some extreme weight shedding modification over every pound. I am just interested in the concept and maybe if I find enough information about it I will do it one day. Or not.

And CL I completely understand where you are coming from. I'm not trying to get myself killed. Like you said, if I wanted to do that I'd just ride my motorcycle without a helmet (no). I am just looking to modernize my project a little bit.
I really think that this info can help alot of people out who are debating doing stuff like this to their cars. Intellectual discussion is always healthy.

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