# 1964 Tempest -Conversion of a 4 door to 2 door



## Dual Tempests (Mar 4, 2010)

Hey, has anyone converted a foor door 1964 tempest sedan to a two door? I know the roof line is a bit different, but the car is the same length, wheel base, passenger compartment, etc. Doesn't seem like it would be too hard.

Since the roof line is a bit different, I would probably need to use the post doors from a 2 door and fab up the back pieces put of the 4 door parts as opposed to welding the two door pieces in.

Thoughts?

Good idea, bad idea?


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## Dual Tempests (Mar 4, 2010)

*Another thought!*

An easier idea would be to keep the car a 4 door, but install the 2 door post doors and cut the back ones down to be shorties. Maybe even put a Suicide kit on them and fill the handle holes. Even if just left standard, they could alway be welded up later and all the window mechanics would work. Anyone seen this done before?


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

:willy::willy::willy:


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## danthepontiacman (Jul 5, 2008)

heres an idea, find a cheap tempest or lemans with no running gear and mount that body on your 4 door frame, you may have to move a few body mounts but it will be much easyer then trying to make a 4 door look right. however for my pat i like 4 doors, there normaly a tad longer by a few inches and being 6'4 i like more room, if its a 4 doo post id convert it to a 4 door hadtop, knowbodys sees many of theme nowdays and it would make a ride that looked stock but yet somehow not. be very intresting but thats just me, i like haveing something diffrent that dont go along with the norm.


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

If I wanted a 2 door and had a 4 door, I would get out the sawzall. Find some doors from a 2 door and move the jambs back. You can section the door skins and rear jambs out rather than welding the skins in place. It would take a bit more work and the rear quarter window would be a bit longer, but it would definitely be different.

It would be fun to do as a project, but thankfully I dont have a 4 door laying around.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Thumpin455 said:


> If I wanted a 2 door and had a 4 door, I would get out the sawzall. Find some doors from a 2 door and move the jambs back. You can section the door skins and rear jambs out rather than welding the skins in place. It would take a bit more work and the rear quarter window would be a bit longer, but it would definitely be different.
> 
> It would be fun to do as a project, but thankfully I don't have a 4 door laying around.


I can see you hacking it to bits and welding it all back together to see if you could make it look like something...:rofl:

I can't imagine why you would want to do this. I would search for a 2 door body to drop on the frame unless you have a lot of extra time and just want to see if you can do it.


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Too Many Projects said:


> I can see you hacking it to bits and welding it all back together to see if you could make it look like something...:rofl:
> 
> I can't imagine why you would want to do this. I would search for a 2 door body to drop on the frame unless you have a lot of extra time and just want to see if you can do it.


I'm with TMP..... Why?


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

Well certain 4 door versions are cheap as dirt, often in decent shape too, where the 2 door demands a much higher purchase price. Some of them are relatively easy, like shoeboxes. Other cars were never made in 2 door versions like the new Charger. It depends on what you have, what you can do, what you can find, and what you want. 

Yeah it would be a ton of work, but it would be a great learning project.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Cut the top off, make it a 4dr convertible!


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Now, apparently, we need to also verify a car is a true 2 door..


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Take a 4 door Leman's, shorten the frame(if needed), convert to a 2 door, clone it into a GTO, let's make it a Judge while we're at it and sell it to some poor sap who doesn't have a clue ......


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Actually the 4 dr sedan and wagon frames are the same as a hardtop. I almost got a wagon frame for mine but they discovered it was bent after they removed it from the body. The 4 dr hardtop has a heavier gauge metal than the 2 dr hardtop, like the convert but without the bracing.
The converts have the strongest frame and the 4 dr hardtops are the second strongest. The rest are all the same. This is right out of the Factory service manual and Hollander Interchange... I'm just the messenger......don't' :shutme

I'm sure there are 4 dr frames under 2 dr cars ...


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## 68greengoat (Sep 15, 2005)

Too Many Projects said:


> I'm sure there are 4 dr frames under 2 dr cars ...


No problem with that........


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

Rukee said:


> Cut the top off, make it a 4dr convertible!


exact same thing i was thinking :cheers


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## gn300 (Mar 31, 2009)

If your thinking of that much work....

Take a wagon add a 2-door door, move the piller back weld on the doorskin to cover the body and add a gto front clip and have a 2 door wagon.


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

as sick as this sounds if i have considered a gto el camino myself. if i could find a cheap 64-67 pontiac donor it would be on!


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

*STOP GIVING ME IDEAS!* I have enough projects that I will never get them all done before I die and you guys keep coming up with seriously cool ideas. Are you trying to kill me?


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

I wanna do a dual engine truck with a pair of matched V-8s with auto trannys both driving through a transfer case backwards into the output shafts then run the driveshaft to the rear end with the transfer case's input shaft. 1 motor under the hood like normal, the second in the box facing backwards. 
Who's with me on this one?? May we could do it to that GTO el camino!


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

just get two buick riviara engine transaxle setups and put one in each end.


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## Thumpin455 (Feb 17, 2010)

66tempestGT said:


> just get two buick riviara engine transaxle setups and put one in each end.


I have been wanting to stuff a 455 under the rear of a Fiero for a few years now with a Riv/Toro/Eldo transaxle. Also thought of doing the same thing to a Honda CRX, leave the 4 popper up front but have a nasty 455 in the back seat area, start the 455 when you want to race or educate some ricer kid.

If I wanted to do an AWD car I would snag the running gear form an AWD Astro van that had a 4.3 in it. A trans adapter would let me run my Pontiac or Olds engines and I could make everything else work with a custom frame and have an AWD car. Think of how much fun you could have with that setup in some innocuous vehicle.


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## Too Many Projects (Nov 15, 2008)

Thumpin455 said:


> I have been wanting to stuff a 455 under the rear of a Fiero for a few years now with a Riv/Toro/Eldo transaxle. Also thought of doing the same thing to a Honda CRX, leave the 4 popper up front but have a nasty 455 in the back seat area, start the 455 when you want to race or educate some ricer kid.
> 
> If I wanted to do an AWD car I would snag the running gear form an AWD Astro van that had a 4.3 in it. A trans adapter would let me run my Pontiac or Olds engines and I could make everything else work with a custom frame and have an AWD car. Think of how much fun you could have with that setup in some innocuous vehicle.


You spend WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too much time thinking and dreaming...........get back to work on that 65.....:rofl:


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

..........and I thought I was nuts for wanting to make a 3/4 scale '65 GTO out of a 1969-70 Toyota Corolla!


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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

Dual Tempests said:


> Hey, has anyone converted a foor door 1964 tempest sedan to a two door? I know the roof line is a bit different, but the car is the same length, wheel base, passenger compartment, etc. Doesn't seem like it would be too hard.
> 
> Since the roof line is a bit different, I would probably need to use the post doors from a 2 door and fab up the back pieces put of the 4 door parts as opposed to welding the two door pieces in.
> 
> ...


2 questions 1 why waste your time and money
2 why waste your time any money
if you have unlimited resources this may be a fun thing to do just for the hell of it but I mean really- when you are done you have a car that you invested 20-30k in labor and material that is going to look odd and be worth about 8 grand. but if your gonna do it buy 2 cars and make it a strech limo instead keep the four doors just add about 6-8 feet in the middle- might as well build something NO ONE else has


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## 66tempestGT (Nov 28, 2009)

crustysack said:


> 2 questions 1 why waste your time and money
> 2 why waste your time any money
> if you have unlimited resources this may be a fun thing to do just for the hell of it but I mean really- when you are done you have a car that you invested 20-30k in labor and material that is going to look odd and be worth about 8 grand. but if your gonna do it buy 2 cars and make it a strech limo instead keep the four doors just add about 6-8 feet in the middle- might as well build something NO ONE else has


:agree:agree i like the way you guys think.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)




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## crustysack (Oct 5, 2008)

this guy could help, looks pretty handy with the cutting torch


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