Half door fab.

Has anyone made half doors for an early CJ? I have a steel half-cab "55 I would like to put half doors on. I know there are several store bought ones out there but would like to make my own so I know what I'm getting! (one size fits all sometimes doesn't). Solid, canvas covered frame or open frame, thanks.(searched archives but didn't find much)

 

have not made mine, but my original metal doors are just two pices of sheet metal forming a sandwich with some half inch or thinner square stock giving them thickness and a place to mount the window and slide mechanism. Can send pictures by monday if you need them to get ideas.

 

The only ones I've ever seen are the bestop soft top doors. I'd guess kayline has some also. I had at one time thought about putting some sheetmetal on the bottom doors.

You could easily make a set with just some light steel tubing and sheetmetal. You'd have to be able to bend the tube in the shape of the door opening and then you'd need to figure out the latch issue. You could just use soft top latches and hinges.

Kevo

 

There is a guy who sells on ebay, sells diamond plate rocker guards. His picture of the jeep showing the rocker guards also shows a set of diamond plate half door installed. I can't find him right now but he has a web sight somewhere selling all kinds of fabbed stuff like that.

Not a big fan of diamond plate myself, I had kicked the idea around of making my own set out of 3/4 square tubing for a frame, sheet metal for skin and using a set of handles off of a set of hard top doors. I don't like the lines of any of the cloth half doors, not even the ones I have on $ sink right now but they do their job.

 

that shape is more what I was thinking

 

Seems like I read a thread somewhere that described using a piece of 1/2" plywood covered in fiberglass. Seems easy enough if you know a little about fiberglass. I'm considering making some like that for the 7.

 

Cheap? cheapest I've found are about $350.00 But you're right and they look really good IMO. Just couldn't swing for $350.00

 

If someone were to fab some, might consider fiberglass over 1/4 or 1/2 insulation foam board works .

 

i made a set for mine out of diamond plate, i thought they looked ok, you can try my webshots link but i dont think it works anymore. those are the only pics i had of it. i posted them here once (i think) let me dig around a bit

 

they are not in my webshots anymore, let me keep looking

 

man i know i posted those, but i just cant seem to find them

 

Thanks for the info,just trying to get some ideas, a picture would be great.

 

still cant find those darn pics in my search

sparky: could they have gotten lost in the switch over to the new site, this was a long time ago? no big deal, i think i may have them on a cd somewhere

 

Thanks Mike, they do look good but I wanted to go with steel or diamond plate alum.

 

Not a bad idea,the fiberglass would add plenty of strengh to the plywood, and would make mounting handles and hinges easier.

 

I think Lynn posted a link to JU that had a thread about cheap jeep tricks. The recipe for this was in that thread. From what I've read this sounds like the cheapest best method. Anyone can cut plywood with a jigsaw, and I'd imagine most anyone could do the fiberglass if they followed the directions. Personally I would take them to someone else to do professionally, but still....