PDA

View Full Version : Aluminum body panels for 2nd gen Firebirds?



Ripper
06-11-2013, 02:11 AM
I guess this is a long shot, but I'm asking anyway.
Does anyone know if there are any aluminum body panels available for 70-73 Firebirds? I have a vague memory that I've seen some panels for 67-69 Camaros but I'm not sure...

I'm interested in aluminum doors to save some weight. Of course, they can be made out of carbon fibre or something like that, but since they also work as crash protection on the street would make them quite complex to design in carbon fibre. (you would need some type of crash beam in the door and attaching it to the door would probably be the hard part).

Aluminum doors has been used on many factory cars. They would be much cheaper to manufacture than glass/carbon fiber parts and they behaves more like steel than fiber-based materials in case of an accident, so that's why I was wondering if they are available.

Ripper
06-16-2013, 11:03 PM
I guess there are no aluminum doors available due to the lack of replies...

Too bad, I would have bought a set.

elcamino80
06-17-2013, 12:04 AM
Maybe you could design a set and have them made? I know I would be very interested in seeing that as part of your project! :)

Ron.in.SoCal
06-17-2013, 11:32 AM
Anders I remember that Albert at Carbon Customs (big 2nd Gen Bird fan) was building carbon fiber doors. They may have been for a Camaro though, I'm not sure.

Ripper
06-18-2013, 11:24 PM
Maybe you could design a set and have them made? I know I would be very interested in seeing that as part of your project! :)

That would be nice, but it requires tooling which will be waaay too expensive for just producing one set... I imagine it would be possible to make an aluminum set from tooling designed to press steel doors with decent result. Decent result would probably for me and then I would be able to do the last finish myself.

Does anyone know if i.e. Year One or someone else is sitting on tooling for the doors they are selling? Or are the doors manufactured by another company?

Ripper
06-18-2013, 11:27 PM
Anders I remember that Albert at Carbon Customs (big 2nd Gen Bird fan) was building carbon fiber doors. They may have been for a Camaro though, I'm not sure.

I'm leaning towards making a outer shell in aramid and carbon fiber and keeping the inner part of the door together with some kind of crash structure. Carbon fiber doors would probably be very light, but I don't think they belong on a street driven car though.