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Thread: Questions on Daytona Doors

  1. #1
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    Questions on Daytona Doors

    Other than the '87-88 seat belt latch, are all the Daytona door shells the same? And window regulators? And lastly has anyone successfully removed the side impact bars from the doors without destroying the door skins?

    Thanks,
    Rob

  2. #2
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    early doors have a different gromit hole in the front edge for the wiring - the gromit got bigger if I remember in 86 or 87 (?)

    relief for window surround trim is different in 92-3 - presume different holes for diff door panel stuff

    down and dirty way to easily get into the doors and mod the guts..

    without removing anything.. cut the inner door down the back , across to the front and down from the front corner so as to remove the entire inner skin with all the guts still attached

    after modding the doors you stitch weld the inner piece back in and hopefully everything is right where it was as you started

    door panel hides your cut and weld

  3. #3

    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    Quote Originally Posted by Rob_Mopar View Post
    Other than the '87-88 seat belt latch, are all the Daytona door shells the same? And window regulators? And lastly has anyone successfully removed the side impact bars from the doors without destroying the door skins?

    Thanks,
    Rob
    You don't have to cut the door apart to remove the impact bars. They are fastened to the outer panel with adhesive. The way I removed mine was to make a hot wire cutter; I fashioned two insulated T handles from wood stock, I strung a three foot piece of stainless welding wire (from wire feed welder) betwixed the two wood handles; and fashioned a couple of power leads from the wire ends screwed to the handles and connected them to my biggest battery charger for power.
    With the window regulator removed I positioned the stainless wire between the crash panel and the outside of the door skin, applied current to the wire till it was red hot and simply melted and cut the adhesive.
    Pulled the crash plate out the access hole. took about 30 min. per door.
    If you give a hard job to a lazy man, he will find an easier way every time.
    best 1/8 ET-6.16 sec. best 1/8 speed-119.70 Best 1/4 MPH 145.5, Best 1/4 ET 9.65 sec. 8 valve NO NITROUS!!

  4. #4
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    Thanks Johny.

    I was figuring on having to cut the inner structure out to get to the bracing.

    I have a '91 that was previously gutted and converted to RWD to become a bracket car. I'm backdating the interior to '88 stuff since I have plenty of those bits, and one of the classes I would like to race in requires a finished interior.

    I just weighed some '88 manual window doors. No interior panels or mirror, passenger door weighed 77lbs. Driver's door weighed 78.5lbs.

  5. #5
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Stramer View Post
    You don't have to cut the door apart to remove the impact bars. They are fastened to the outer panel with adhesive. The way I removed mine was to make a hot wire cutter; I fashioned two insulated T handles from wood stock, I strung a three foot piece of stainless welding wire (from wire feed welder) betwixed the two wood handles; and fashioned a couple of power leads from the wire ends screwed to the handles and connected them to my biggest battery charger for power.
    With the window regulator removed I positioned the stainless wire between the crash panel and the outside of the door skin, applied current to the wire till it was red hot and simply melted and cut the adhesive.
    Pulled the crash plate out the access hole. took about 30 min. per door.
    If you give a hard job to a lazy man, he will find an easier way every time.
    Warren,

    That's awesome, thanks! The bars aren't spot welded to the inner door shell? I'll probably experiment with your method on the rough '88 doors I have here before attacking the '91's doors.

    -Rob

  6. #6

    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    My 84 Laser had the crash panels Glued with some kind of structural adhesive. Don't know about other years.

    It just dawned on me...…...Maybe we are talking about something different? I'm referring to the convolute crash plate attached to the inside of the door skin. Used for crash protection. I would not think of them as "bars". Also, they are heavy.
    best 1/8 ET-6.16 sec. best 1/8 speed-119.70 Best 1/4 MPH 145.5, Best 1/4 ET 9.65 sec. 8 valve NO NITROUS!!

  7. #7

    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    OK, I just looked at my 91 Daytona, I has the same crash plate as my 84 Laser. Same door. and it is also "glued" in place. Hope this helps.
    best 1/8 ET-6.16 sec. best 1/8 speed-119.70 Best 1/4 MPH 145.5, Best 1/4 ET 9.65 sec. 8 valve NO NITROUS!!

  8. #8
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    Quote Originally Posted by Warren Stramer View Post
    My 84 Laser had the crash panels Glued with some kind of structural adhesive. Don't know about other years.

    It just dawned on me...…...Maybe we are talking about something different? I'm referring to the convolute crash plate attached to the inside of the door skin. Used for crash protection. I would not think of them as "bars". Also, they are heavy.
    That's what I'm talking about too. I called them bars for lack of a better term.

  9. #9
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    you might end up with a trim to interior panel mismatch using early inner panels on the late model doors

    I believe the window appears "shorter on the 92-3 , IN THAT the lower trim outside is taller and the top of the inner panel comes up higher to match it

    relief stamped in the door for the trim was changed on the later doors so swapping the window trim isn't happening
    (note rounded corners vs square)

    so with an 88 panel inside a 92/3 door you might be looking at part of the underside of the outer window trim along the bottom of the window not a big deal but better to expect it than have the ..."arugh ....moment"..when you see it

    and before you choose one or the other , the early / late fenders differ slightly .. in a MAJOR way

    first the distance between wheel well opening to front corner (edge) of the fender gets SHORTER on the 92/3 fender

    if you look at an 86 fender beside a 92/3 fender you can see a "wandering out of radius"in the stamping of the front wheel wells at the upper front radius'
    this stretches the opening forwards
    this means the sheetmetal between the edge of the opening and the corner of the fender is shorter
    this means
    an 84 - 91 front end won't fit the 92/3 fender as the edge where the front end attaches inside the wheel well opening with screws and christmas tree fasteners will be 1/2, 3/4 to 1 inch to far back of the opening edge to be attached

    and lastly the 92/3 fender stampings are notably different at the pointy top back most corners with much more poorly defined points and edges

    overall the stampings look a little vague compared to the early fenders and feature lines seem not as sharp overall

    guessing cryco modded their old fender dies and polished em up for a go at another two years losing some crispness along the way
    Last edited by Dr. Johny Dodge; 10-26-2019 at 04:36 PM.

  10. #10
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    oh and the black painted edges on the inside of the windshield glass change with the new 90 dash top height too..

  11. #11
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    The car going together (eventually) is a '91. It started life as a TBI auto base model. It was previously gutted, and converted to RWD using a NOS Mopar Performance K-member/engine cradle kit. It also has a ladder bar 8 3/4 rear in it. A buddy had it and had decided to sell it to me so he could build the car he always wanted. The body on the '91 is in great shape.

    I've parted a few '88's and am partial to the '87-88 Pacifica. So my parts stash is mostly for that era. Having just finished parting a very rusty '88 TBI car (PA road salt took it's toll on this former pizza delivery car) I kept the doors to experiment puling the crash bracing out before attempting anything with the '91.

    Plan is to make the '91 a track only 1/4 mile car with a 3G Hemi and a 727. One of the series I'd like to run here requires a finished interior, so the plan is to use as much of the leftover '88 interior pieces I have in my collection in it.

    In my fleet I do have a couple that are still FWD. An '87 Pacifica with a TII swap and an '86 Laser XE with the original TI in it.

  12. #12
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    Re: Questions on Daytona Doors

    why the 3G hemi?

    a 400 would be cheaper and probably more effective for the same build money unless you're comparing as pulled still runnable engines (maybe)

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