I am currently in the planning stages of a complete rebuild / modify of a 1978 f-100. I would like to do something different with the doors. I don't want to suicide them, and I sure as hell am not going to Lambo them like the import crowd. I was thinking of gull wing doors.

In case anyone here doesn't know what gull wing doors are, The car in "Back to the Future" is a Delorian and they have gull wing doors. They are basicly doors that are attached to a small part of the roof, and the roof section henges near the middle of the roof so that when they are both open the vehicle appears to have spread wings.

Anyway, I am thinking of doing this to my truck. I know I will need to build and mount a frame and henge system on the inside of the cab roof. I will also have to reinforce the roof sections I use, and maybe make custom fiberglass sections with steel frame. Attach the doors, and redo the latches. Not to mention Some type of henge on the doors themselves, and a way to mount a stong gas strut to hold the doors open. After all that I can't forget to figure in weather stripping to seal the door when closed.

It won't be easy. It will be expensive. I just wonder if it is possible? Has anyone done it, or seen in done?

 

Anything is possible- Do you have the money and time to do it? I've said it before, I'll say it again- Monster Garage. They did all kinds of stuff, and I'm quite sure they gull winged a few cars. The biggest problem you're going to have is fitting large enough rams to lift the door, without them being exposed. You'll probably need to run them near horizontal, so there'll be a greater load. You'll also need to power the rams. One way you could reinforce the frame around the door is to weld some 1 1/2" - 1 3/4" tubing behind the door sill. You'll only need a piece of solid round steel tubing sticking out to hold the door, prob 3/4" or 1" for strength. Do you want the doors to move out a bit as you lift them? Or just gull? if so, you'll need to make a hinge thats angled. Also, how do you plan to latch it? If you want the ultimate, you'll need secondary rams to unlatch the doors before it lifts. Thats what I know and I think, you might have a diff idea.
Craig

 

the gull wing doors are gonna put a lot of strain on your roof. if you want to be creative and different go with minivan style sliding doors (i wish i was kidding) but you should see the looks on their faces when your doors slide open. just a thought.

 

Now how the heck are you gonna get Mini van door, or just the sliders on there?

 

Millenium-Falcon doors!

 

Oh ya, I know the stock roof wouldn't handle the weight. That is what the steel frame is for. I will have to build it like a roll cage, and run braces down to the floor. One of my biggest concerns is that I will lose 2 or 3 inches of head room.


I had though of liniar actuators. Press a button on a keyless remote and not only would the doors un-lock they would power open. I would also put switches inside to activate the doors. You gotta admit, I would be pretty trick to hit a button and the passanger door swing open for a date.

The van sider type is a interesting idea, but don't most of them run in a channel on the outside of the vehicle? Most vans have a groove on the outside for the door to run in.

This truck belonged to my grandfather. I got it after he passed on. So, to be honest I don't are how long it takes to build. It is more of a way to send time with him, than winning shows or impressing people anyway. So, if it takes me 6 months just to figure out and make the doors, so be it.

 

Well, if the A pillar is already holding the door, why not build onto that, instead of a rollcage?

 

That might work. If I hook the door frame into the pilliars. But the front pilliaris very small and would be hard to hook into.


With the hinge point being around 1 foot in from the outside edges of the truck I'll have to make something.

 

Just use a setup from a van that has a left gate. The rear door is twice as heavy as any side door, So you know it will hold it. I looked at mine and the reinforcement does not look all that much bigger then door jams. They only added a 1/4" thick plate at the top and side to hold the thing open.

If you got a plazma cutter then box in the side and front they are the ones that carry the load, Not the top.

Remember the A pillars on the side of cars have to pass a side impact test anyways.

 

That may work, but the hardest thing is going to be weather stripping, so the door actually seals. I can use part of the existing seal for most of the door, but I will have to figure some type of lip or flange that the roof section parts of the door can sit on and seal. Then I still have to figure some type of support strut either gas or spring loaded. That is if I don't go all out and put in a liniar actuator to lift the doors. I imagine the power doors is the way I will go.

Sounds like it is time to fire up the auto-cad and do some drawing and calculating.

 

Take a door strut from the junkyard and see were you would need to make the pivot points just for referance.

Remember they use ball joints on the struts so power would be the same has Gas shocks. Just thread one on the unit.

You can use a Zee hinge for the top. Just weld it too the door and bolt the other end to the top door jam support you reinforced. These hinges would go in a slot cut out so it can slid into the cab roof area.

Then you would not need to change anything. Just remove your old door hinge and now it opens up

 

You can't just put a henge at the top of the existing door. True gullwing doors take part of the roof wirh rhem when the open up. They don't just have a hinge mounted at the top of the door. While I am thinking of it the frame around the door glass was never designed to support weight. I was just designed to hold the glass, so I will need to figure some type of reinforcement for that part of the door.

 

Why not find an old Delorean and gut the thing?

 

I think the upper is just to hold the door in plane, The load is on the struts.

I looked at the Van rear door and it is twice as heavy since it's fiberglass. The top hinge point does not have much support. The load is carried on the sides. I know, One strut bolt broke and it was heavy to hold-up till I got by a dealer to get a new one.

 

In order to see the "right" way to do it I am going to try and hit some big car shows in the spring and look for a Delorian or one of the old Mercades with factory gull wing doors. That way I can see how they supported the doors.