bdub217

Just curious as to why nobody drag races a 4 door car on the track? It's not that much diff in weight =0 plus you just put a lil more horsy on it and maybe nos if you crazy. =P If i can find another led sled I will get a 455 and drop it in and see how fast i can get it =)

J-(Chicago)

Jeff Smith runs a 4 door buick, and wins a lot with it. I ran my 4 door buick last year as well and took 2nd place at the Byron Olds race.

2 door cars are cooler looking though in my opinion.

Other than them being old man/family cars, the 4 door cars can be a real pain in the *** once you get into installing your roll cage and still maintaining full functionality.

Intragration

It's a relatively recent development for people to appreciate 4-doors as anything more than basic transportation. A lot of guys who have been in the hobby since the old days frown on 4-doors and seek out only 2-doors. This is definitely how it was in the past, and there were almost no 4-door performance cars, so the cars that survived were mostly 2-doors. I speak from my personal experience, and from having talked to a lot of guys about it. Nothing I'm saying is intended to bash 4-doors, I just don't personally like them, and a lot of guys feel the same way. It's hard to argue with a fast car though. If you build a fast 4-door, I'm sure it will be cool in it's own way, but for the guys who don't like 4-doors, they will still probably look at it as just a 4-door. JMO.

Allan R

Just my opinion but maybe the trend of 2 door racers is because in the early days that's what they raced? Almost no one took a 4 door to the track. Could be the 2 door 'looks' faster or has more crowd appeal? Dunno - just fishing too. As noted ^^ the 4 door racers are out there. I happen to like 4 doors, but that's just me.

Intragration

I think you're right Allan. A lot of the older cars appear to have been designed as 2-doors, and the second set of doors seems to have been an afterthought. But even in the days before "performance styling", when there wasn't too much of a difference in the look of a 2-door and a 4-door, a lot of the "car guys" of the day gravitated to the 2-doors. These days I guess it's different, now there are some performance cars that only come with 4-doors, but I still can't personally get past that. I don't think 4-doors are awful, I've owned them, one of my favorite cars was my '84 Delta 88. But if I was going to seek out another one, it would have to be a coupe.

rcrac3r

My 72 4-door will see some track time after this winters engine/trans rebuild.

oldcutlass

Well most racers preferred 2 door post cars for strength and rigidity, there were plenty of hardtops, and a few convertables.

When I was younger, way back in... hmmm... not going there, younger anyway, it was bred into us by all that is Right and Holy in hotrodding, that 4 door cars were for grandma grocery getters, and 2 doors were way cool! It's just the way it was.

rcrac3r

I am usually a 2-door man but the price was right for this one. Just wish parts suppliers had body panels for 4 doors instead of just 2 doors.

Intragration

Yep, that's what I'm saying. I'm guessing I'm a few years younger than Oldcutlass, but my dad was born before WWII, and this same thing has been deeply engrained over the years.

72 cutlass455

In many places the 4 doors didn't survive well. In the upstate NY region I grew up in the resale value of 4 doors and wagons was horrible that along with the wonderful rock salt used on our roads led to many being crushed. Most of the used cars being sold were bought up from the south. Thanks for the cars guys.

oldcutlass

Heyyyyyy, I'm not old, just older!

J-(Chicago)

The only reason I'm driving a 4 door, is because the chassis only has 80k miles, and was under 1000 dollars. I'd trade it for a coupe in a heartbeat.

1970cs

Abel Anzuldua out of Potterville,Mi Races his 4 door wagon. Attached pic looks very close to what he is running.

Pat

Intragration

That's not what your name says ha ha

And J, I would drive that too for the price. I love those. Just about the same color as my '84 Delta 88 was. I got that for $750. That's one nice thing about 4-doors, the price.

oldcutlass

[QUOTE=Intragration;430659]That's not what your name says ha ha

QUOTE]

Sigh... I am older than my car!

Lady72nRob71

This brings up a question I have had in my mind a while...
If 2 doors are so cool and sporty looking (and they are in my eyes), why are so few new cars (sans the Mustang, Camaro, and vette) offered in the same good looking 2 door styles that were pre-80's? What few new 2 doors out there look like they were afterthoughts, having short doors and a big quarter giving an ugly look.
I guess family-friendly is more important? I also know the long doors were too heavy back then for most.... My GFs used to always complain about the doors on my '86.

I always thought the idea of big motors in 4 doors is way cool. The sleeper they called them. I wish more people would restore them and enter them in shows. More points for wagons!

hookem horns

Rob, IMO you can thank BMW. They changed the game with the 3 series in a rather dark period for car design. Other car makers have been playing catch up ever since. I know there are some exceptions but Mustang was the only 2-door to survive in big volumes, thanks to their 5.0.

Also explains why pre-73 cars remain so prized (esp Olds for us), before the entire industry got fat, lazy and then generic. And back to the original topic, fast is cool no matter how many doors.

oldcutlass

Cadillac CTS and that really high dollar one, Eldorado, Toronado, Challenger, BMW just came out with a 2 door, Porche,.... Plenty of 2 doors around. But I do agree the Sport Sedan had become popular!

BILL DEMMER

YAYY 4 doors!

i couldn't beat the price of mine... FREE! let everybody pay more for 2 fewer doors, i'll be laughing all the way to the bank. keep your "cool".


bill

oldcutlass

What you got it the old fashioned way..... stole it! hahahahaha

Intragration

It seems the whole 4-door trend lately has a lot to do with the convenience of the passengers. 2-doors are convenient for me, it means fewer people ask for rides ha ha.

w-30dreamin

My guess would be 2 reasons not many race 4 door cars.

1) Alot of people think 4 door cars are not as "cool" looking as 2 door cars.

2) Weight,I've always read for every 100lbs your car can shed,it's worth a tenth of a second at the dragstrip.If you can get your car to shed 500lbs,that's a half second off your E.T.

bdub217

Wow popular thread =D Great thoughts, love seeing everyone's opinion!

You know, I was thinking.......aren't some of the coupes from the 60-70's the same length as some of the sedans? maybe not sedans from the 60-70s but maybe later 70's early 80's ....

Lady72nRob71

Yes, but the extra weight comes from extra metal in the side pillars and extra doors. The 80s Cutlass sedan and coupe were within an inch from each other. The coupe had a much bigger trunk and a slightly longer engine bay. The 4 door had lots more passenger room.

bdub217

*takes off back doors and extends trunk into backseat* Is this a coupe now or what? =)

Lady72nRob71

Couped up for sure...

Intragration

You are correct. In 1970 for example, many if not all of the B- and C-body coupes and sedans had the same length and wheelbase, meaning a B-body 2-door had the same length and wheelbase as the equivalent B-body 4-door. A-bodies had different length and wheelbase depending on number of doors. In most cases, A-, B- or C-body coupes weighed about 100 pounds less then the equivalent sedan.

Redog

I've seen wagons, SUVs, crew cab pick ups, etcetc etc on the track.

If my delta was a 4 door, it would still see the track