HOW TO - 'Vert door pillar removal

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wirelessalpha
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<gulp> does that mean the black doors aren't for sale anymore?

I emailed you a reply - let me know. Thanks.


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wirelessalpha
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I took some pics of my progress to add to this thread...some of you may find it helpful...or not.












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JRd916
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hey AZ, what did you use to cut the holes for the grommets, and did you measure them so they'd fit the grommets? good job on fitting them by the way!

-jarrad

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AZhitman
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J -

I used a cutting bit on the end of a dremel, and I kinda "eyeballed" it.

Wear a mask, the dust from the material they used is wicked.

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JRd916
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AZhitman wrote:J -

I used a cutting bit on the end of a dremel, and I kinda "eyeballed" it.

Wear a mask, the dust from the material they used is wicked.
Thanks for the info! Im still undecided on the whole piller removal project actually because of my dad. having a dad thats a mechanic can have its downsides, like ALWAYS being discouraged to put after market parts or projects like these

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onosqv
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JRd916 wrote:Thanks for the info! Im still undecided on the whole piller removal project actually because of my dad. having a dad thats a mechanic can have its downsides, like ALWAYS being discouraged to put after market parts or projects like these
What are you talking about, it's all nissan stuff here... increasing the efficiency of the car w/ more oem stuff... 79lbs lighter = better mpg's also :p

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JRd916
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brokeAs240sx wrote:What are you talking about, it's all nissan stuff here... increasing the efficiency of the car w/ more oem stuff... 79lbs lighter = better mpg's also :p
i dunno hes weird when it comes to my car. doenst want me to mess around w/ the metal part of the door and we dont have any metal cutting supplies

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ishkabibble
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First, props to the pioneers of this mod. I've just got the finishing touches left to do, and my car is now 100lbs lighter after the mod and ditching my leather interior. I have a few things to add regarding the seat belts.

I tried out both '94 Maxima rear belts and rear vert belts, and the rear vert belts work better for the mod. The Maxima belts do not plug in to the vert receptacles, have to be at an odd angle in order to retract, and do not fit in the holes in the vert quarter panels.

Here is a "finished" pic of the driver's seat belt its new location:



The bottom bolt is just screwed into the sheet metal since the back side of that area is inaccessible. The metal brace is a made from an 8" mending bar from Lowes, cut to size. The holes in the bar are already there, and just happen to be in the proper location fo the seat belt mod . You will need to bend the mending bar to be the correct shape. You should use a bolt with a round head for the middle hole so the seat belt doesn't rub against anything rough. Here's a crappy pic of the bolt:



Rather than drill a hole for the "upper loop", I just used the existing hole and a 13mm bolt, nut, and locking washers. I mounted it like this for two reasons. First, I'm fairly tall and wanted the loop as high as possible. Second, I wanted it at an angle because the belt runs back and forth through the loop more smoothly that way. Pic:



I'm also planning on cutting a bigger hole in the quarter panel cover than Greg did and using a larger grommet (maybe an oval trailer light grommet?). This is so I can reach in and fix any seat belt binding/folding issues.

The driver's side belt fits in the hole in the quarter panel without any issues. The left side of the passenger side quarter panel hole had to be bent with a pliers to enlarge the hole. Pic:



Hope this helps anyone else doing the seat belt mod.

Oh, and Harbor Freight Tools should be the official sponsor of the door mod. $17 angle grinders FTW.
Modified by ishkabibble at 9:00 PM 4/9/2007

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Loki
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Nice...how much you want to do that to my vert?

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ishkabibble
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Loki wrote:Nice...how much you want to do that to my vert?
$100 for parts and $900 for labor.

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twoeightythreez
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Nice sportwagon. I had a 1969 and put a 430 in it. You're right you simply can't find parts for 'em. Mine was a rusty pennsylvania car, yours is about 500% better than mine was. (at least the front end and front doors were identical )I ended up selling it to a guy in Canada since I could no longer afford to fix the body.....body parts are expensive when you can find them

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twoeightythreez
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I am all for that pillar removal mod...but man that mounting for the retractor simply isn't safe. (you might as well not have a belt!)In a bad crash those little sheetmetal screws will pull right out and you no longer have a belt. (in fact if it's a multiple crash, that retractor is now a missile on a tether, coming for your head)(of course I guess since it's a 'vert it's a moot point)I would at least cut an access hole into the bottom sheetmetal next to where the bottom bolt goes) so you can get a nut on the bottom bolt. It would add perhaps 2 min. to your project and cost a few bucks for a hole saw, and some finger dexterity to get a nut and washer on the backside.Personally I would get a buddy with a welder to tack a nut on the backside (use the retractor as a guide, drill your hole, mock it up, remove and have a nut welded on..allowing you to securely mount this item.) I mean the way to do it properly would be to weld a doubler plate on to that to make it stonger, but even rigging it you should have a stronger mounting than sheetmetal. Just my .02

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AZhitman
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I used a Grade 8 with large washers and a nut on the backside.

However, I look at it this way: If you get in an accident THAT severe in this car, you're hosed anyway... The convertible is FAR from crashworthy.

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twoeightythreez
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agreed...though somebody has to post the disclaimer, so it might as well be me...If you ever sell the car and the new owner gets into an accident...you could be liable due to tampering with federal safety equipment....So anyone doing this it might be best bet to get some coupe doors and squirrel away the vert ones unless you never plan to sell the car

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Loki
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Write up a contract saying they understand that the car isn't street legal, is only for show purposes, and they know the risk of driving it?

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ishkabibble
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I'm not sure if messing with the belts is illegal... regardless, I'll take your and Greg's comments to heart and switch/upgrade the mounting hardware.

One thing to note, though. Look where the seat belt goes for the mod. If the mounts give way, the worst that's going to happen is the belt retractor is going to get caught up in the hole in the body panel and put about 6" of slack into the belt until it has a chance to retract.

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twoeightythreez
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It sure is illegal to tamper with any federal safety equipment. (the same way that it's illegal to tamper with emissions equipment...doesn't mean nobody does) The very reason the belts are so hard to remove, with tamper seals and ****, is exactly why. This means in no way that I'm not impressed with you guys' ingenuity. But yes, if you happened to get some d!ck cop to look through your car and he saw that and knew it wasn't factory, you could get fined/jailed for messing with it. (by no means do I imply not to do it, those pillars are HIDEOUS!) It's the same reason you could get fined for not having DOT legal harnesses..even if they're safer than the stock belts....any modification from what the factory/coachbuilder tested thier design with is illegal unless you test it in the same conditions. (meaning you would have to crash test it...OUCH...) The 'vert may not be crashworthy, but those belts were designed that way to make it as safe as possible. So, if you do the mod, I recommend that you never sell the car, unless you put that disclaimer on saying it's no longer road legal. In fact, in any state with a state safety inspection, technically that mod would be grounds for not passing the vehicle. (though I'm sure nobody would even notice, but if they did) It's all BS to me, I mean especially in Pennsylvania where you can be ticketed for not wearing a seat belt (you don't even have to be pulled over for something else...if the cop sees you not wearing one he can pull you over)...but if you decide to ride your motorcycle w/o a helmet it's perfectly legal. Tell me that's not some F.U. bull.


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AZhitman
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Good points - I agree with you on all of them.

Man, if they cited me for everything illegal on my vert... it'd be a long list.

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ishkabibble
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I don't disagree with twoeightythreez, just saying I'm not sure. The belts themselves are not being tampered with, we are just relocating mounting points. If the mounting and hardware conforms to NHTSA standards (meaning the system and hardware is mounted at certain angles and can withstand certain forces), then it shouldn't really be an issue, should it?

Would these guys be able to sell belts if this was an issue?

http://www.wescoperformance.co...l.htm

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ishkabibble
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For those of you doing the door pillar removal who want to use the coupe/hatch passenger side grab handle, you need to get two little metal mounting tabs and 5 screws off of a coupe/hatch.

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AZhitman
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Like I've said before, it's not NHTSA legal.

It's certainly no less safe than the factory configuration, as ASC was NO expert on collision protection.

Bottom line - Crash a vert, you're hosed anyway.

masterteque
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Greg,I am doing the door pillar mod and it looks like you got the belt out of the loop. What did you do to reroute the belt out and back through the loop?

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Danrc30
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wirelessalpha wrote:<gulp> does that mean the black doors aren't for sale anymore?

I emailed you a reply - let me know. Thanks.
I just saw your reply. I still have the black coupe doors if anyone is interested...

Over a year later, I'm finally getting back to doing my seat belt conversion. It's going slowly... have too many projects going on at once. I'm doing things just a lil different. There will be some welding involved to strengthen things up...

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ishkabibble
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masterteque wrote:Greg,I am doing the door pillar mod and it looks like you got the belt out of the loop. What did you do to reroute the belt out and back through the loop?
I was wondering that, too. I ended up mounting it differently.

masterteque
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Thanks for the e-mail Greg. I'll finish this mod as soon as I get back from vacation....

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AZhitman
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masterteque wrote:Greg,I am doing the door pillar mod and it looks like you got the belt out of the loop. What did you do to reroute the belt out and back through the loop?
Sorry, I hadn't checked in this thread in a while...

I cut the loop (on the side), slid the belt out, reversed it, and re-welded the slit.

masterteque
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AZhitman wrote:
Sorry, I hadn't checked in this thread in a while...

I cut the loop (on the side), slid the belt out, reversed it, and re-welded the slit.
Done last night. Cut, flip, tig, paint........

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AZhitman
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Well-done, my friend.

le_ryan
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well, im encouraged, ill be starting the restoration on the interior next month, (along with 5 spd)

YyeeAAAARR

vertbish
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I think im going to give this a shot tonight or tomorrow night. about how long does this take? those pillars are a PITA to me, along with my door panels. they are falling apart. I just want everything to look clean!


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