Home-Made Tube Doors

**Preacher** · 04-27-2009, 08:50

I started this project with the goal of making my wife feel better about riding around without the full doors. I thought some light tube doors would give her the illusion of extra safety.

That plan didn't last very long! I met an engineering student who had a welder and some 1.5" .120wall DOM tubing!

Here is the layout

Hanging the tacked doors from the cage to check fit and figure out the hinge placement. Usd grade 8 bolts for the hinge pins.

Found these latches at a local hotrod shop for $85 a set,. Too expensive!

Then I found them for $32 a set at a hotrod website... SCORE!

Finished the build phase on both doors

These should be plenty strong enough to provide some REAL protection... I would be they hold up better than the sheet metal.

Just need to clean up the welds and paint them. Will update with pics when I get them complete.

**Allium** · 04-27-2009, 09:24

Sharp looking. Step 2 is to work up a price to sell!

**USMCHarleyJeepGuy** · 04-27-2009, 09:53

They look GREAT!

**osiris** · 04-27-2009, 11:35

Lookin good man! My girl wants me to make some too

**Preacher** · 04-28-2009, 12:52

Door completed. Cleaned them up, used a self-etching primer, 2 coats of bedliner and I am a happy camper.

**crazy4ink** · 04-28-2009, 12:58

Very nice looking man! They look similar to ones we make/sell but we fab our own latches. I actually like the Bear Claws that you used better!

**Ricky Booby** · 04-28-2009, 19:46

They turned out nice. I would like to make a suggestion if I may. You might want to put a piece of flat stoc to cover up the latch on the outside. Reason is, if you get tangled up with some branches or whatever, you don't need the latch to disengage. It may sound silly, but just a thought.

Like I said before, they look nice.

**Preacher** · 04-28-2009, 20:20

Originally Posted by mp101v

They turned out nice. I would like to make a suggestion if I may. You might want to put a piece of flat stoc to cover up the latch on the outside. Reason is, if you get tangled up with some branches or whatever, you don't need the latch to disengage. It may sound silly, but just a thought.

Like I said before, they look nice.

But that would cover up the little '8-ball' knobs I want to put on there!

I think I'll chance it for now, see how it goes. Easier to pretend it isn't a issue (until something happens) than it is to strip the paint back off and fix it for a maybe...

Captain Lazy to the rescue!