73-to-74 door conversion

Originally, I was going to just cut a big chunk of the inner door panel off and weld it in place, but decided not to ruin a good door by cutting it up (and give it to Rolandag2 for loaning me the welder?). So I cut down and welded some flat stock into the space where the later door arm-rest handle mounts. I haven't cut the screwhole in yet, but that is the easy part.

I put a 1" overlap behind the panel so the pressures will be distributed evenly when the door is pulled closed (and doesn't just tear out the welds!). Then I put a second piece in (didn't even cut it down, just rounded it off to fit in there) and welded it with a bead all around for strength when pushing the door open.

I will start working on the hole for the door-opening handle sometime this week, maybe today if my caffeine keeps kicked in :bananaman

 

Apparently nobody is interested in this thread.

Well, I am, and i finally finished it up, and reassembled it. It has taken me about 4-5 months to do this. Mostly it has been too hot. But also, I have just been looking at it and thinking about how I was going to do it.

 

Looks like you did a good job.

 

i thought the 73 doors already had that there. i had to add one on the 72 door.anyway looks good scott.

 

I am pretty sure this was a 73 car...I could be wrong. Does the 73 have the notched front fenders? It was a comet, with all the chrome trim. And it had the arm rest with the big square door latch attached, and no handle that goes up like an O-S Bar.

Either way, lots of work, but got it looking right.

 

i went the other way in my '73...

 

I think it's a 72, my 73 doesn't have notched fenders.

 

73 does not have notches in the fenders.

 

So you guys think this was a 72 or less? I wasn't sure, I bought them 2nd hand from a junk yard. I assumed 73.

 

'Had to be '72 or older. '73-'77 doors are all the same...

 

I'm with Frank, I would have just went with early arm rests.

 

I like the later armrests. The handles are much easier to grab when pulling the door closed...

 

All them pics look better than mine . Scott, you did a good job! Where you guys gettin them panels done? They look really good

 

I agree. I just like the early style armrests from a "looks" point of view. I definately like the later style ones better from a functionality point of view.

 

Some 72 doors had provisions for either arm rest. Might have been another one of those mid year change.