Door Removal? Possible?

[Bearded_Runner]

Im sure some of us out there want to take the doors off has anyone done this on a 5th gen was thinking of trying it with a few mods of the hinges but wanted to get some others opinions first

 

[03_4x4Runner]

Sure it is possible but not practical. When the doors are off there is no lip at the edge of the opening to keep things from falling out of the 4runner. The electrical wires would need to have some kind off quick disconnect made. you would most likely scratch up the paint trying to get the heavy doors on and off constantly. A Jeep Wrangler is made to have the doors easily removed in minutes but not a 4runner. On the Jeep Wrangler I had it was fun to remove the doors now and then but I quickly got tired of it in hot, cold or rainy weather and the wife always complained about the wind in her hair. If it would have taken me more than 5 minutes to remove the doors I probably would not have done it very often. Also with the doors off it is impossible to lock the doors to prevent thieves from stealing everything inside. I could see doing this on an old 4runner used mostly for off road but not a new 4runner.

 

[Bearded_Runner]

Sure it is possible but not practical. When the doors are off there is no lip at the edge of the opening to keep things from falling out of the 4runner. The electrical wires would need to have some kind off quick disconnect made. you would most likely scratch up the paint trying to get the heavy doors on and off constantly. A Jeep Wrangler is made to have the doors easily removed in minutes but not a 4runner. On the Jeep Wrangler I had it was fun to remove the doors now and then but I quickly got tired of it in hot, cold or rainy weather and the wife always complained about the wind in her hair. If it would have taken me more than 5 minutes to remove the doors I probably would not have done it very often. Also with the doors off it is impossible to lock the doors to prevent thieves from stealing everything inside. I could see doing this on an old 4runner used mostly for off road but not a new 4runner.

Only reason i wanted to was for the beach trips we take every weekend. We have passes to drive on the beach out where I live and figured would be cool to take the doors down on a nice day

 

[st8rocks]

Must be a Jersey thing :shrug:

 

[Bearded_Runner]

Yea maybe

 

[jrandom]

Don't really think its a "Jersey thing" or some other douchey comment.:caked: I see bunches of modded doors, albeit on older trucks, so what?

There are a bunch of 2nd and 3rd gens on t4r with cut and modded doors or molded inserts. I don't see why this would be any kind of an issue, other than the expense of it. There has to be someone master of fiberglass where your at to mold you a filler.

 

[KidVermicious]

Only reason i wanted to was for the beach trips we take every weekend. We have passes to drive on the beach out where I live and figured would be cool to take the doors down on a nice day

Do it!

 

[Hellamatic]

When I read "hinge mods" I was instantly terrified that you may be attempting a Lambo door kit, haha.

 

[Stifler]

have you ever owned a Jeep? lol

 

[BlackWorksInc]

As was stated above, the vehicle body was not designed to have the doors removed like a Jeep. Much of the electrical wiring would need to be modified and there probably is not enough room on the body side to make a quick disconnect effective unless you somehow recessed the plug INTO the body and made it easy to unplug (push/twist lock perhaps?) Also if you have BSM (Blind Side Monitoring) or any features like that, the loss of communication with the sensors/components could trigger DTCs/Warning Lamps that may or may not need a factory scantool to clear... every time you took the doors off.

There's of course the issue that the floor pan does not have a significant lip for the foot well area, not to mention the issue that there's quite a bit of wiring along the floor that would no be subject to the elements. You'd also have to take into account that the 5th gen doors are far heavier than say an older FJ40 or Jeep Wrangler. The hinges were never designed to be removable and you may find getting the doors to fit evenly each and every time will be difficult even if you created modified hinges that had some sort of quick disconnect built into them. Not to mention should the frame become tweaked/nudged the door openings may not be square anymore, as I understand most vehicles are designed with the doors being structural items when closed to assist in body/frame rigidity in the event of an accident, where as vehicles like the Jeeps are designed to be rigid without the doors in place.

All in all its far more effort and introduces a lot of potential issues to your vehicle if you were to tackle it.

 

[KidVermicious]

As was stated above, the vehicle body was not designed to have the doors removed like a Jeep. Much of the electrical wiring would need to be modified and there probably is not enough room on the body side to make a quick disconnect effective unless you somehow recessed the plug INTO the body and made it easy to unplug (push/twist lock perhaps?) Also if you have BSM (Blind Side Monitoring) or any features like that, the loss of communication with the sensors/components could trigger DTCs/Warning Lamps that may or may not need a factory scantool to clear... every time you took the doors off.

There's of course the issue that the floor pan does not have a significant lip for the foot well area, not to mention the issue that there's quite a bit of wiring along the floor that would no be subject to the elements. You'd also have to take into account that the 5th gen doors are far heavier than say an older FJ40 or Jeep Wrangler. The hinges were never designed to be removable and you may find getting the doors to fit evenly each and every time will be difficult even if you created modified hinges that had some sort of quick disconnect built into them. Not to mention should the frame become tweaked/nudged the door openings may not be square anymore, as I understand most vehicles are designed with the doors being structural items when closed to assist in body/frame rigidity in the event of an accident, where as vehicles like the Jeeps are designed to be rigid without the doors in place.

All in all its far more effort and introduces a lot of potential issues to your vehicle if you were to tackle it.

party pooper

 

[Bearded_Runner]

When I read "hinge mods" I was instantly terrified that you may be attempting a Lambo door kit, haha.

HAHA no sir installed a set of them on my buddys car a few years ago no thanks

 

[Bearded_Runner]

As was stated above, the vehicle body was not designed to have the doors removed like a Jeep. Much of the electrical wiring would need to be modified and there probably is not enough room on the body side to make a quick disconnect effective unless you somehow recessed the plug INTO the body and made it easy to unplug (push/twist lock perhaps?) Also if you have BSM (Blind Side Monitoring) or any features like that, the loss of communication with the sensors/components could trigger DTCs/Warning Lamps that may or may not need a factory scantool to clear... every time you took the doors off.

There's of course the issue that the floor pan does not have a significant lip for the foot well area, not to mention the issue that there's quite a bit of wiring along the floor that would no be subject to the elements. You'd also have to take into account that the 5th gen doors are far heavier than say an older FJ40 or Jeep Wrangler. The hinges were never designed to be removable and you may find getting the doors to fit evenly each and every time will be difficult even if you created modified hinges that had some sort of quick disconnect built into them. Not to mention should the frame become tweaked/nudged the door openings may not be square anymore, as I understand most vehicles are designed with the doors being structural items when closed to assist in body/frame rigidity in the event of an accident, where as vehicles like the Jeeps are designed to be rigid without the doors in place.

All in all its far more effort and introduces a lot of potential issues to your vehicle if you were to tackle it.

Well said Sir. At this point its safer to buy a Jeep and alot cheaper haha. Time to get a second vehicle

 

[KEWW Pro]

Any takers?

I have been rolling this thought through my mind for months now so I am reviving a 4 year old post to see if anyone tried this, despite the very well articulated and reasonably sane logic behind NOT doing it...

[Would love to see photos too]