[powerrodsmike]

Ok I know they are lame, but has anyone here done a set of Lambo doors on anything?


A guy came in with a Porsche Targa (older one) wanting me to do a set.

He has a universal set from tt diablo, and they are sturdy looking and come with some instructions.

I'm not scared of the mechanics or the installation, but some clue as to some of the pitfalls of that kind of install would be nice. I don't usually work on newer "forn" cars , but it might be fun to try one out. (yes, imahoe)


I am imagining that a cheesy car like a Porsche would need reinforcing in the front door edge, as it's going to change the direction of the loads on the inner panels and a pillars.


Thanks for reading this, mikey

[MARTINSR]

Mikey, I have never done one, but looked close at a number of them in person. Yes, they are lame, yes L-A-M-E but engineering marvels. I opened and closed one a number of times at SEMA just watching it work, I'm easily entertained.

They look straight up bolt on, as far as the ones I saw. They bolt right were the hinges mount and seemed to "work" as best as you could imagine for something that is TRYING to change the design from the factory so much.

The "hole" the door closes into is just not designed to work with the door moving in this direction, so of course the "lambo" doors really aren't "Lamro" style, but a sorta close counterfet. The door opens OUT, then up, and closes down, THEN in. If you don't do this just perfect things hit, that are not supposed to hit! In other words, if the owner doesn't pull the door down correct and it comes in a little as it comes down, WHAM it hits the quarter. If you blow up photos of cars with these doors you may be able to see the chipped paint around the doors and jambs from them hitting. Almost every car I have looked at in person had these chips.

That all being said, make sure the customers expectations are low, that he doesn't expect YOU to make these things work perfect. And give a super ball park with a time and materials bid.

Brian

[Notorious]

Lambo doors

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by Notorious

Lambo doors

LOL

Brian

[powerrodsmike]

That poster is too funny

That's what I was wondering Brian, if the mechanism had some provision for maintaining clearances during operation, or if they were as awkward as they look.
The targa door pocket is just like any other car with a big hollow in the A pillar that the door's leading edge swings into.

To be honest, I never did a set before, I never even looked at a set ...(I put vertical doors in the same useless class as "spinners")

The set the guy has are universal fit, that's why he wants me to do them...

What about adjustment? Do those things stay adjusted , or does the door inner panel and A pillar constantly move around if you yank the door in the wrong direction?
Do the people who have them expect crappy operation? Or am I going to have gangsters coming back for years expecting me to readjust the doors every time the thing binds up and pushes the bulkhead out of whack?

I know I should just say no...but.....never mind.


Thanks, mikey

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by powerrodsmike

The set the guy has are universal fit,
Thanks, mikey

That is all I would have to hear to run as fast as I could to the nearest exit.


Brian

[powerrodsmike]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

That is all I would have to hear to run as fast as I could to the nearest exit.


Brian

Gawd Brian...why do you always have to challenge me like that....Now I have to do them.. :smash

The website said it would only take 8 hours..so it should only take me about 60. I mean.... they are universal....they will fit anything....that's what it says on the website..

All you need is a drill and 2 wrenches.

Lay them next to the car....tomorrow morning they will have installled themselves.

And there will be 10 fine chicks rubbing all over the car when I get there.

With tacos.

I guess I should read the instructions...

Later, mikey

[79C10]

Mikey -
ALL fine chicks have Tacos.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....
Tacos.......




BTW - those doors are a royal PITA to own and operate ,I can only IMAGINE to pitfalls involved with making hollow pillars STRUCTURAL .....
It's not like it's never been done before , but I aint gonna try Mt. Everest either !
My friend has them on a 1996 Geo Prism ( eeewwwww ) Total joke of a car , but it's his chariot so I ain't judgin.( yes I am )

Best of luck , and if - in your adventure - you make up any new swear words - let us know !
p.s. -
be on the lookout for a sssssnakey 'lissa parody thread.
(shhhhhhhh)

[malc]

I´ve never seen them operate, we have plenty of cars here with them but they never seem to park.
Maybe the drivers are locked in.
I could imagine getting smacked under the chin as they come up.

[F&J]

universal fit

I have used this phrase thousands of times in my life:

"Fits all, but fits nothing"

[cboy]

Originally Posted by 79C10

BTW - those doors are a royal PITA to own and operate ...

Sounds to me like you'll end up with a dis-satisfied custom through no fault of your own. No matter WHAT you say up front, the customer will expect these doors to work perfectly for the life of the car, particularly since they were installed by a pro. So when he jerks one down and chips his paint...he's going to be blaming you - not the door - not himself - You.

I think what I'd tell that customer is, "I've read over these instructions and I think I can save you a ton of money. You can install these YOURSELF...no problem."

[MARTINSR]

This is my concern, I know you can install them Mikey. And they will work better most of the others we see, you will likely "fine tune" them a little better. But as my dad aways said "You can't polish a turd". after you install them, your customer doesn't own them, YOU do.

They REALLY are funky Mikey. You know how when you bolt on some hood latch kit from a rod company and you look at it and think "man they should have done this or that". It "works" but man you could have built it yourself and it would have been a little better.....multiply that feeling times a hundred. Only problem is, you likely couldn't have made them better. These hinges are designed to TRY to make a door operate in a completely different manner than the car was designed from the very start. Every single thing associated with that door, the rubber, latches, windows, structure, sheetmetal, EVERY SINGLE thing was designed for the door to work in a totally different fashion. Then, after all that, some guy makes up this hinge to change ALL that.
I know you love challenges, and this is just that. But unless you have a LOT of time to eat and not get paid for. And the car is not that nice, so if you chip a thing or two it won't matter. And you don't make any modifications that you can't quickly undo, I say let it pass.

Now, if you want to "give it a try" and bolt the thing on and give it a whirl, go for it. Like I say, they are an engineering marvel.

Brian

[powerrodsmike]

You are right Brian, I have no doubt that I could make them work. I have no doubt that I could reinforce the a pillar and door so you could pick the car up with the door handle.

But I'll build extra stuff, and tweak on it until it's right, not get paid for my time, and when I'm done, it'll still be a VW with a lame door hinge...(I mean Porsche.)


I didn't know that keeping the door off of the adjoining panels is the responsibility of the operator. Does Lamborghini have the door pocket cut to allow movement without the chance of paint chips? I'll bet the real lambo hinge is designed better with some limiting devices that keep door parts from occupying the same space at the same time.
I can't imagine that an expensive car like that would have a design that allowed self mutilation.



Everything tells me this isn't the time to take this job on.
I've got a guy with a 48 Studebaker that's been bugging me to straighten out his front suspension /airbag woes, for several months now....at straight T&M...

I never worked on a stude before either, but it looks more fun than having a vdub in the house...

I can always find my tacos somewhere else...


Thanks, mikey

[ckucia]

Originally Posted by powerrodsmike

I didn't know that keeping the door off of the adjoining panels is the responsibility of the operator. Does Lamborghini have the door pocket cut to allow movement without the chance of paint chips? I'll bet the real lambo hinge is designed better with some limiting devices that keep door parts from occupying the same space at the same time.
I can't imagine that an expensive car like that would have a design that allowed self mutilation.

Mike,

Real Lambos have doors that are designed to open up.



Note on the real thing, the door has a single hinge point at the very top, and the front and back of the door both angle so that the door "falls" into the receiving hole of the body.

As Brian said, the "lambo door" kits have amazing engineering, but they only can work by swinging the door outwards first, then allowing it to hinge upwards



Note that the doors sort of "butterfly" out (tuner kids with Lambo doors hate that description). They don't go straight up like the real thing.

You can't (easily) get around the fact that the door is made to hinge from a vertical point at the front of the door - it just isn't going to work like a real Lamborghini without reshaping the door and opening.


One thing that might be good is if you could somehow modify the mechanism to prevent the door from closing onto the body when it is hinged upwards. I don't know if its possible, but it would be a logical change to make to prevent damage down the road.

[powerrodsmike]

Thanks ckucia, that makes my mind up...

That type of modification is not a worthwhile one for me to do.

Challenge or not,

It will not enhance the operation of the door at all, and it sacrifices functionality for appearance and is strictly done for an illusion of grandeur.

Later, mikey