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Old 02-22-2014, 09:20 AM   #1
oldfarmboy64
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Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I am thinking about picking up a set of repo doors for my 59 Apache project and have looked around for a while. I see pricing all over the place and it makes me wonder how much difference there is between them. Can anyone give me an idea based on personal experience which company is selling the best product for the money? I find them priced from 460.00 up to 599.00 and lets not even talk about shipping cost. I realize a 600.00 door might be a bargain over a 460.00 door if the quality is far better but they might all come from the same factory in Taiwan for all I know. What the feelings out there ?
Feel free to PM me if you don't want to publicly voice an opinion.
Thanks Steve
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Old 02-22-2014, 09:42 AM   #2
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

If you can patch the bad spots, that is your best bet. I just had to buy a new hood and left fender and a bunch of smaller parts, including lower door patch panels.
Inner and outer for both doors, installed correctly, is much better than new door shells, imo.
LMC in the Kansas City area was my source. They even have a freight-free program. My parts came by UPS freight in a semi, in a very short time after ordering and in great condition. I am mentioning that, since you live in WI.
That is my suggestion. Good luck and keep us posted on what you end up doing.
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Old 02-22-2014, 10:08 AM   #3
oldfarmboy64
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I issue I have is I will be hiring the body work done. The body shops I have taken my old doors to both said it was way more economical to find a good quality repo door than to try to fix what I have. That is why I am looking at repo doors. I will check into LMC they were on the high end of the pricing but free shipping would make a big difference.
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Old 02-22-2014, 11:36 AM   #4
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I am in the same boat and I will most likely weld in repair patches on the bottom of my doors. Reports I've read say that the repop doors don't always fit correctly and need work. Might as well do the work to the doors I have and save myself $1000. It all depends on your skill level and how deep your pockets are though. In my case I'm retired so my time is free. I always wanted to learn to weld so I bought a used MIG off craigslist and a rusty 56 truck. It's going to be a low budget "shop truck" style build and I've actually challenged myself to see how cheap I can do it while making it safe and updating it with modern smallblock/TH400 running gear. Besides I get a real feeling of accomplishment when I save something from the crusher that most guys would scrap.
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Old 02-22-2014, 01:39 PM   #5
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

Quote:
Originally Posted by oldfarmboy64 View Post
I issue I have is I will be hiring the body work done. The body shops I have taken my old doors to both said it was way more economical to find a good quality repo door than to try to fix what I have. That is why I am looking at repo doors. I will check into LMC they were on the high end of the pricing but free shipping would make a big difference.

They have never used repro doors! Or they aren't good bodymen knowing how to repair the doors you have. The guy who will repair these old doors are getting harder and harder to find, most are frightened to even think of repairing those old doors.

Dollar wise, IF the repro door fit like an original and you bolted all the latch and windows in like an original of course it would be cheaper than repairing old doors. But the repro doors AREN'T like the original. They are "similar", and they can be used if nothing else is available, but they are NOT like the original.

How about you doing the work? It's not far fetched, buying a MIG and grinder and die grinder with some cut off discs and so on is cheaper than a pair of repro doors!

How about better original doors?

Brian
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Old 02-22-2014, 01:41 PM   #6
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

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Originally Posted by TNBandit View Post
I am in the same boat and I will most likely weld in repair patches on the bottom of my doors. Reports I've read say that the repop doors don't always fit correctly and need work. Might as well do the work to the doors I have and save myself $1000. It all depends on your skill level and how deep your pockets are though. In my case I'm retired so my time is free. I always wanted to learn to weld so I bought a used MIG off craigslist and a rusty 56 truck. It's going to be a low budget "shop truck" style build and I've actually challenged myself to see how cheap I can do it while making it safe and updating it with modern smallblock/TH400 running gear. Besides I get a real feeling of accomplishment when I save something from the crusher that most guys would scrap.
RIGHT ON! With the net, oh my God, with the access to info you have at your finger tips, it's a no brainer!

Listen, if you break down these things into small enough steps you can do anything to these trucks, you don't need years of experience.

Brian
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Old 02-22-2014, 02:24 PM   #7
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I hear what you are saying the biggest problem I have is lack of time to work on it. My business is really taking up all my spare time. I go back to my original question.
Can anyone give me an idea based on personal experience which company is selling the best product for the money?
Thanks Steve
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Old 02-22-2014, 02:25 PM   #8
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

Nobody has mentioned that it really may not be the new, repro door's (skin's) fault it doesn't fit so well.
The variation in assemblies on these elderly vehicles was not always uniform.
Just tossing that out there. Another reason to use what originally came on the truck.
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Old 02-22-2014, 02:34 PM   #9
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

My truck is being chopped and sectioned. So you can imagine my mind when I saw (can't believe I hadn't before this) how the left door gap right above the belt line at the rear was about 1/8-3/16" larger than the right side. I thought I had screwed something up when I raked the windshield post on that side bending the B pillar back or something and it freaked me out! I had measured and measured and measured along the way, the cab was reinforced with temporary bracing, this was nuts, how could I have screwed this up?

I then took a measuring tape to the doors at that point and found that the drivers door is about 3/16" shorter there! LOL Yep, I now plan on modifying the drivers door to match the passenger as it should have been from the factory.

Brian
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Old 02-22-2014, 03:00 PM   #10
oldfarmboy64
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I have owned several first gen Firebirds over the years and your right the factory tolerances were way different back then. The last Firebird we did had original doors and fenders on it and we ended up welding extra metal o to the doors to get the gaps right.
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Old 03-30-2017, 03:47 AM   #11
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

No One here Mentioned - what the Reproduction Doors - would Weight , Felt Like ot what
Gauge the Material is ?_?_?

Seems that would be a Great Starting Point - Are the Reproduction Doors - made of the same GA. Material ?

As Original Chevy / GM - Plant Produced say in 1952-1956 - HELLO !
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Old 03-30-2017, 12:27 PM   #12
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

We sell a lot of doors mostly Dynacorn, They fit well provided your truck cab isn't tweaked which is more common that you think.

My advise is always if your doors are original to the truck, fit well and only need bottoms then fix them, rebuild the original hinges if possible and make sure you put them back in the same door. If you can't for what ever reason do the work find a shop that will. Doors are expensive at $1000 a pair to your door so fixing is usually a cheaper option.

After market doors do have some adjusting to do but for the most part they do fit very well for being made 60 years after the cab was made. Dynacorn and key parts doors I've had no fitment complaints on the ones we install or sell , that doesn't mean no one has but I haven't been told what we have sold doesn't fit. you need to ask the seller if the doors have the holes for the weather strip plastic pins. some do not have those and you end up drilling them. Dynacorn and Key Parts do have the holes
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Old 03-30-2017, 01:06 PM   #13
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I used the reproduction doors on my 57' They fit okay but the body shop still had to do some work to "clean up" the door gaps.

I thought the reproduction doors would be the better choice over using my original doors. In hind sight, it was not. I could have had the body shop fix my original doors.
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Old 03-30-2017, 01:34 PM   #14
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

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Originally Posted by 01spirit750 View Post
I used the reproduction doors on my 57' They fit okay but the body shop still had to do some work to "clean up" the door gaps.

I thought the reproduction doors would be the better choice over using my original doors. In hind sight, it was not. I could have had the body shop fix my original doors.

BING BING BING, and the winning post is ^^^^^^^^
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Old 03-31-2017, 09:26 AM   #15
my56chevytruck
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

I've bought repo doors and hoods and have nevr found any to match lines and gaps as well as original, but I found the best products come from CLASSIC PARTS. Plus they're good people to work with. what others are saying is you'll save a lot of frustration by fixing the originals, but if you have to, CLASSIC PARTS. Good luck.
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Old 03-31-2017, 03:39 PM   #16
paulspickupparts
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

Are the repo doors made in the same factory in Shina or Teawan with different stickers on the box?
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Old 04-03-2017, 01:49 PM   #17
55dude
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

i do know on a certain $125K AD build that all new parts including cab were used and it took 90 hours just to fit the hood!
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Old 04-03-2017, 02:47 PM   #18
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

Seems typical of repop quality,
Attached Images
 

Last edited by vintovka; 04-05-2017 at 10:20 AM.
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Old 04-04-2017, 10:40 AM   #19
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

One other thing I wanted to bring up about the repro doors I used. As I recall the threads for the door hinges was a course thread, where the factory threads were a fine thread. So I had to purchase course thread bolts. I was not too happy about this (not a big deal but I think the coarse threads have more holding power).
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Old 04-05-2017, 07:27 AM   #20
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Re: Reproduction doors 55-59 buying tips

Thin Materials - Sound Like Junk !
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