Door crash bars

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by MAURICE BLENDHEIM

I've done it several times over the years (before plasma cutters). It takes 2 people, one that is good with a torch and a good helper. Fill a large cooler with ice and water, soak a large heavy bath towel in the cooler, wet the inside of the door. Fold and place the cold soaked towel on the outside of the door skin in the area of the cut, quickly cut from the top down with a torch. If it doesn't completely cut on the first attempt, move to the other door. DO NOT COOL THE WARM PANEL IF FIRST ATTEMPT FAILS, the door may shrink and distort panel. Be patient and restart procedure once the door cools naturally. Try this on a junk door first to see how things work, if you can. The object is to keep the door skin COLD while cutting. I have done this on several finished cars to help trim some weight, to compensate for the owners "Second Cheeseburger Syndrome". Hope this Successful Method helps...MB.

I wouldn't do it that way.Too much chance of damaging the door skin /paint.
I would say I'm qualified to use a torch, after 50 years. You're talking to a guy that cuts pressed on bearings with a torch, without damaging the under surface.

[Gmirza]

I’ve heard of guys removing the door skin, cutting the bars out and putting on a new skin. They didn’t start putting them in the doors until around 1973, mopars anyway. I doubt you can get the old door skins anymore.

[Rory McNeil]

I have to wonder if tech has ever requested a door panel be removed to check to ensure any crash bars are still intact? IF one was to attempt to remove said bars, without damaging the paint on the doors ,( of a bracket car, of course!), a cutoff wheel on a die grinder would be a good way to do it.

[killintime6968]

I believe some of door/crash bars were also glued or epoxied to the door skins.

[Dave Gantz]

Might be easier to get an earlier model door. That's what I did on my Duster. Just make sure your 73 door panel, etc., will still work.

[Myron Piatek]

I believe around '72 or '73 was when they started Mopar A-body crash bars. They did change the inside door handle configuration in '73 so panels from '72 & earlier won't interchange with '73+.

[tpoh815]

Pull doors off the car and remove glass. Plug holes if needed, put door on its side, fill door with water and use a plasma cutter. Time consuming but worth it!