Tis the season.. for half doors

[bawright]

finally got around to finishing my half doors. i used some swiss cheese doors that came with a cab i traded for some tires for a mini truck build. Anyways, I shopped around google and the forums to find a style I liked. I ended up using a combination of two styles I liked and added a viewing window to the passenger door because i wasnt sure how well it would work, and only one way to find out.

tape and marker combinations to get the look right, then the grinder


covering up the handle hole




passenger door the same.. if you can notice, i didnt notice until later on..


started my window thing

and here you can see a mistake, or a difference in initial plans.. the top cut doesnt match side to side

[bawright]

now i fixed the main cut shape


back to drivers door


passenger door getting better


NOW the more helpful tech part, the door handle/latch modification

new door handle


specific tech: notice the difference, i drilled a hole that the factory plastic tab and therefore linkage will be able to attach to.

i attached it to where the interior handle goes, so there is no risk of it locking and not opening(inside handle unlocks and opens in same motion)






measure stuff, weld a bolt of same thread as aftermarket lock tabs(didnt trust 30 year old plastic and screw threads)



metal work done i think

[bawright]

now on to the Electrolysis rust removal process

12$kiddie pool, 4$ of washing soda and my battery charger and jumper cables(two pieces at once connected) and a junk trailer wheel or any other waste metal.

sorry i didnt really take any pictures before of the rust, but based on the after shots im sure you will get the idea



during



cut out an easy section to replace with angle iron i had sitting around the garage, give it some strength and a backing for bondo(eh, their half doors not a restoration..lol)



some of the swiss cheese action


i sanded them down and converted any leftover or flash rust, and etched the healthy metal i exposed when sanding

[bawright]

test fit before bondo




(my toyota trailblazer with the fiberglass top off)

after bondo and first application of primer


had some pinholes and imperfections i hit again and then reprimed them


then Paint!

[yoder519]

i really like the lines of those doors. Ive never seen it before. Nice idea on the window

[mrboyle]

Those are some nice half doors. I really like the window idea.

[bawright]

im painting the truck flat black with gloss trim, so i did the doors black to motivate me to get the rest of the body fixed and painted.

i know i need armor ASAP, and some other stuff in the works.









i gotta get tube to connect the factory roll bars Soon!!





close up of new handles, pull up 1/4" or so, less leverage than a handle makes it sturdy and kid proof, but any older kid or adult hasn't had a problem

(the ugly stuff on the cab is what was under the factory fiberglass topper, the cap's that connect the bed and cab are screwed on and sealed with silicone or something. going to remove them and store with all the other original parts i can gather. and put the original truck vents back in and connect bed and cab with steel.)







I know my truck is naked, Ordering metal next week so i can get some armor made as soon as i get the body straight and a soft top made. pronto



That's all i have for the half doors for now. i will do interior panels and a plexiglass window with it on the passenger side, although no crazy whistle (makes an awesome breeze),i just dont wanna have crap fall out.



A cool thing with the lines i cut, the factory sr5 door handle/arm rest follow the cut out great and will look perfect when they install, 1st gen guys might be able to visualize what im talking about. otherwise just wait for me to get around to finishing and posting more pics.

[PHATIM]

Those are nice ! Good job...

[Guyechka]

I have to admit I was skeptical of the outcome until the final paint, but those doors look really fucking awesome! I'll be eagerly awaiting the finish for the entire body.

[HGlavin]

good work! probably some of the best half doors ive seen in a while. just missing cup holders lol

[PAToyota]

Very nicely done! I like the window idea - that's a new one. Also interested to see the electrolysis done on that big a scale. I've done it in a fair sized Tupperware container for tools and such, but a kiddie pool sized one gives me some new ideas. How long did you leave it in for?

[bawright]

Thanks guys. I left the doors in there for 2 days. but i think i needed to stir the solution again because it didn't seem to do much the second day and i could see the solution had settled quite a bit.

this was my first time messing with electrolysis. i was concerned i wouldn't have enough juice for the two doors connected with jumper cables. I read somewhere you could use an old stick welder or batteries too, so maybe next time i'll try adding some batteries to supplement the charger or borrow a welder for extra current/amp/whatever.

but all in all i was pleased, even if i could have done better with one door, stronger electricty source, or stirring/remixing the solution the second day. It still got a LOT of rust off of a LOT of hard to reach places.

in the pictures where you can see the swiss cheese it was AFTER i converted whatever flash and leftover rust with "ospho". it looked like some areas were either still a little rusty or just looked like it from being rusty with the texture/pitting and discoloration. I wasnt sure, so i "cover yer ass" with rust converter/etching stuff to be safe.

[bawright]

cup holders:
i have an idea for cup holders when i do door panels or just going to get some of those boat double axis tilt all over cup holders rather then the recessed/frenched in style.

[bdatud4x4]

I like the window Idea, would like to know how well it actually works? let us know.