IKE goes under the knife (Vertical Doors)

[intocoasters]

A friend was kind enough to help me add wings to IKE. Install was actually easy and straigh-forward.... although I was very nervous going into this level of modification.

I altered the instructions a little bit reguarding the L bracket. there is a factory stud nearby that holds the factory L bracket. Its a bit too close to the vertical hinge but if you grind about 1/8inch off the top of the bracket, it fits with the factory stud/nut without interfering with the new hinge.

I had some reservations about buying this, as SmartMadness can confirm. LOL They were kind enough to answer many questions and even send detailed pis of their own car to help me understand what the install would involve and how it would look in the end.

Not much more to tell, so on to the pictures!


IKE without his face!


This is the hinge


IKE has no door!


Hinge installed, door closed


Higne installed, door up


Finished look from the rear


Finshed look form the side


Finished look from the front

[jwight]

Very nice! How long did it take?

[intocoasters]

Um... that is a good question. It was done over the span of about 5 hours, but we were all goofing off and took a break for lunch and I vacuumed and chemicalized the pool to open for the season.... so it probably too less than 4 hours if we worked straight thru.

[Wdhitch]

Nice job!! Love the two tone look also.

[intocoasters]

A couple of friends demo the doors for the camera.

[cubefx]

Does anyone tried to drive the smart without doors? Looks kinda cool, like a dune buggy.
May be not on the highway, but on A1A around the beach?


CUBE

[Woody14619]

Wow... I love these doors. I'm just not confident that I'd have the skills to pull off a mod like this.

My biggest reason for not getting them though it kind of personal. See, I'm about the same "build" as the guys in the video. The biggest worry I have about this mod is about how difficult it would be to get in and out of the car once the doors are setup like this. so, if I may ask... Is the fit a little "tighter"?

[gbryers]

My biggest concern is how much of the door opening you sacrifice - the doors don't swing all that far out - they try to compensate a bit by swinging up, but for some of us that are tall and gravitationally enhanced, it looks like an snug fit to slide in there...

[intocoasters]

It actually opens to within an inch of the first detent of the stock hinges. When I park in my garage, I could open the doors to the first detent without hitting the wall, now I just graze the wall when opening these outwards.

I, too, am a big guy - sizewise, I am inbetween my friends in the video. Both Cary and Scott are able to get in and out of my car just fine. Cary, who owns a Kia Soul, wants a set for his Soul now, LOL

I used to open my doors to the first detent about 90% of the time. The doors were actually too long to open fully in a normal parking spot.

Its quite easy to get in and out with the doors up or down..... but I have to say, itsfunny to get out and have the door panel at face level, LOL just something to get used to.


I have had great reactions to the doors. The Dealer here in VB thinks they are awesome!

[Padawan]

One of the primary things that concerns me when seeing this modification is what potential impact it has on the safety of the car in a crash.