Tutorial for making an "open door"?

[racer93]

Originally Posted by Hawk312

Hi 360,
I think what racer is asking is for a very general "starter`s guide" to opening doors by someone who has plenty of experience and can give general pointers to at least get someone started and avoid the typical beginners pitfalls. After almost 30 years, I am at the point now where I have seen just about everything as far as getting a "show car" finish. I also know that there are a myriad of factors that could affect the outcome depending on each kit, what techniques are used, and what products are used. However, it is possible to at least give a starting point, giving examples from what I have learned, to beginners so that they can avoid the typical beginner`s pitfalls so that they can learn from my mistakes/experiences. It is also possible to answer questions preemptively, because, as someone with a lot of experience in a certain skill, we know that beginners may not even know the questions that need to be asked (ie, the thickness of styrene question).
Racer, please correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is where you were going with this question. I would love to see a very general tutorial on this as well.

Exactly, Hawk. I don't care if the tutorial is on a '30 Ford (something I couldn't care less about) or on a Jag XJR9-LM (love it). I just wanted to see people's thinking and their approaches. That's what the OP was about.

[racer93]

Originally Posted by 360spider

No they are not. That is the point. Thickness of styrene for what? I have never even used styrene when I was opening the doors. What to watch for? Depends on the kit and door construction. Its one of those things where you do it depending on the situation.

You don't use styrene when doing the reconstruction of the door surrounds? Do you just use putty?

Nevermind. I'll ask others for help. Thanks anyway.

[denle]

check this video even this is not in English. I think it still helps you a lot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbGH...eature=related

Originally Posted by racer93

You don't use styrene when doing the reconstruction of the door surrounds? Do you just use putty?

Nevermind. I'll ask others for help. Thanks anyway.

[racer93]

Originally Posted by denle

check this video even this is not in English. I think it still helps you a lot

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbGH...eature=related

Awesome! Thanks so much!

[Serioga]

Originally Posted by racer93

I just wanted to see people's thinking and their approaches. That's what the OP was about.

Try this: http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=979322
and this:
http://forum.autoinscale.com/viewtopic.php?id=2082

[JesusM]

Try with this:
http://translate.google.com/translat...2F&sl=es&tl=en

[gionc]

My 575 is a brick of resin and has closed doors , BUT, one of my 911 in the Poker thread has open(able.... also one other important issue... it is easy cut door panels and show open, but make them openable, with a good fitting with the body is a whole different thing), with styrene sills (not much to add: draw the required shapes on tape -scoth magic is a must- do a couple attempt and everithing would go well).

Take a look on the 36 cylinders thread, Alex and me also done openable doors on the 166s with different thech, have a look also to Alex 250 GT 64 for even more tips.

One last tip: lately I found a fantastic (and luxury...) technique to cut body panels and have a perfect fit: just do it with two kits , one for the body and one for the hoods/doors.... it is quick and.... superb fit.... I tried on a Rossi's '6 Focus, on the 911 and recently I'm doing it on a R89.

[racer93]

Originally Posted by JesusM

Try with this:
http://translate.google.com/translat...2F&sl=es&tl=en

Thanks! This helps greatly!

[racer93]

Originally Posted by gionc

My 575 is a brick of resin and has closed doors , BUT, one of my 911 in the Poker thread has open(able.... also one other important issue... it is easy cut door panels and show open, but make them openable, with a good fitting with the body is a whole different thing), with styrene sills (not much to add: draw the required shapes on tape -scoth magic is a must- do a couple attempt and everithing would go well).

Take a look on the 36 cylinders thread, Alex and me also done openable doors on the 166s with different thech, have a look also to Alex 250 GT 64 for even more tips.

One last tip: lately I found a fantastic (and luxury...) technique to cut body panels and have a perfect fit: just do it with two kits , one for the body and one for the hoods/doors.... it is quick and.... superb fit.... I tried on a Rossi's '6 Focus, on the 911 and recently I'm doing it on a R89.

Thanks for the tips. This will help! I really appreciate it!

[drunken monkey]

i'm with alex on this; i can't see how a general method woud help because of the dependence on the kit/car in question.
i also can't help but think of the very general method:

cut door out with p.e saw
fill in gap between body and chassis
cut out door inner panel
mate door skin with door inner panel, adding neccessary detail
make some sort of door jamb detail out of styrene and/or putty
make some sort of hinge

it isn't really rocket science in terms of what you have to do but it is about practice which no one can help you with.

besides, as pointed out, we have a fair number of builds here where opened doors are done well and documented well.
what more can a person tell you that isn't in those threads?
what more do you need to see that isn't shown in this recent thread?

[Entau]

trust me, once you make the first move by cutting out the doors, you will learn something new

[JesusM]

Originally Posted by gionc

My 575 is a brick of resin and has closed doors , BUT, one of my 911 in the Poker thread has open(able.... also one other important issue... it is easy cut door panels and show open, but make them openable, with a good fitting with the body is a whole different thing), with styrene sills (not much to add: draw the required shapes on tape -scoth magic is a must- do a couple attempt and everithing would go well).

Take a look on the 36 cylinders thread, Alex and me also done openable doors on the 166s with different thech, have a look also to Alex 250 GT 64 for even more tips.

One last tip: lately I found a fantastic (and luxury...) technique to cut body panels and have a perfect fit: just do it with two kits , one for the body and one for the hoods/doors.... it is quick and.... superb fit.... I tried on a Rossi's '6 Focus, on the 911 and recently I'm doing it on a R89.

In this way, I opened the dors of my Focus WRC 10 years ago when I have no idea of the photoetched cutting tuls that I use today:
http://translate.google.com/translat...2F&sl=es&tl=en

[racer93]

Originally Posted by drunken monkey

i'm with alex on this; i can't see how a general method woud help because of the dependence on the kit/car in question.
i also can't help but think of the very general method:

cut door out with p.e saw
fill in gap between body and chassis
cut out door inner panel
mate door skin with door inner panel, adding neccessary detail
make some sort of door jamb detail out of styrene and/or putty
make some sort of hinge

it isn't really rocket science in terms of what you have to do but it is about practice which no one can help you with.

besides, as pointed out, we have a fair number of builds here where opened doors are done well and documented well.
what more can a person tell you that isn't in those threads?
what more do you need to see that isn't shown in this recent thread?

DM--that's what I needed, silly as it sounds. It does help, just that little list you made. It would also be nice to have something like this in one place (ilke the FAQ section). It would be a great resource.

[MPWR]

There's really not going to be a tutorial or FAQ for opening doors. Not to be unduly flippant, but it is kinda one of those kinds of modifications that if you feel you have to ask how to do it, you're probably not ready to try it. Everyone who has done it pretty well agrees that there is no universal set of techniques to be applied to this sort of modification. It's like lowering a build. People who haven't done it expect/hope/want it to be easy and straightforward. Yet its deceptively difficult, and even more difficult to do well. And the techniques used on one build will be entirely different than those used on another.

A wise man once said:

Originally Posted by wise guy

Practice on scrap. Always try something new. Less is more.

Truer and more applicable words for this are hard to find. But I will attempt to amplify them a bit here.

-Don't do it for the first time on a kit you like and want to come out well. Do it on something cheap that you don't care about. And then do it again on something cheap that you don't care about.

-Be prepared for any build you do this on to never be finished. Also, be prepared for it not to come out well if you do someday finish.

-If you feel confident enough in your skills that you could cut up the body of a kit into several pieces, and then reassemble it, fix the damage, and make it look like it never happened, then you're probably ready to mess with doors. These are exactly the sort of skills that you will need. If not, keep building and keep learning....

-Do it on cars with the simplest designs of doors that you can. It's hard enough on a conventional design. Gullwing doors or the cockpit hatches on prototype cars get even nastier.

-Build a Tamiya Enzo. See for yourself how well a world class kit manufacturer handles this problem. And then ask yourself, "does this feature really make the build better?" Or are you a bit frustrated by the fact that the doors don't actually close perfectly? Do you see how you would improve Tamiya's design? Do you see how you would recreate it? Is this maybe just one of those concepts that sounds cooler in concept than in execution...?

-If you really want swinging doors, are you sure you wouldn't be happier with a diecast?

[racer93]

Originally Posted by MPWR

There's really not going to be a tutorial or FAQ for opening doors. Not to be unduly flippant, but it is kinda one of those kinds of modifications that if you feel you have to ask how to do it, you're probably not ready to try it.

I appreciate the advice. However, I really strongly disagree with your statement. I learn by watching and then doing. In the recent past, I've won several "Best (fill in the blank) of show" at contests with my latest works. (Shows of 300+ cars...not huge, but not tiny, either.) So, I'm not the best out there but I'm no novice. I've just never tried to open a door (I've cut off bodywork, just not a door with a sill.)

The short of it is please don't make glittering generalities like this. There are those of us that learn differently and learn by seeing what others do and then branching off from there rather than going out on our own from the get-go. Capiche?

Daniel