Door Bar Removal Thread With Pictures!

**Black94z28** · 09-23-2010, 06:54 PM

Wrote this up for you guys thinking of removing the door bars, its a little easier in the Pontiacs, but for the Camaros, here is a write up...

Door Bar Removal
The things I do for you guys...Opened up a door off an LS1 car so you guys can see what you are dealing with that you cant see. LT1 doors have 2 bolts on each end instead of the 1-2 bolt of the LS1 doors. Here is the door bar exposed.

The end facing the 1/4 panel...

And the end facing the fender...

Before anyone tries this, unless you plan on cutting the bars out, you will need to make one or both of these two tools. (I had to replace the drivers door with a door off an LS1 camaro awhile back, so Im guessing for the LS1's there is two 10 mm bolts holding the door bars in the front and one 15 mm bolt holding the bar in the back. Im guessing that the LT1 drivers door had 2 10 mm bolts in front and back like the passenger door too) Because of the tight space, you can get one or two of the bolts out with just a wrench or a socket, but the bolts that killed me where the 2nd bolt back on the door bars. You cant get a wrench on it because you need something to bend inwards and a wrench wont fit in there. So here is what I came up with to fix the problem and get these bars out...

I had to take a 15 mm socket and a 10 mm socket, grind them down on the bottom, and then weld them to a thick piece of metal.
Next, you will want to break the rest of the bolts loose with this tool. It still is really time consuming as I probably spent a total of 2 hours per door. Also if you have a beer or two, it will help you relax and not throw any wrenches. After you get the bolts all out, you will want to try and turn the bar in its holder to break the glue that GM put on there. (The drivers door was the worse for this, had to also take a thin screwdriver and slide it between the bar and the bracket)
Once the bar is loose you will want to slide the back of the bar up as far as you can and that will cause the front of the bar to drop free and the bar will then be loose in the door. To get the door bar out with the front clip still on the car, you will need to jack the front of the car up and pull off your front tires and if you have the wheelwell plastic, pop that off too (mine was already off at the time) What I did next was I pulled the wiring harness grommet out (left the wires still there since there is room to get both through the hole) then close the door and slide the bar out of using the wiring harness hole. (If you have a friend handy, they can be in the car feeding you the bar, but it can be done with one person, just have to go back and forth and enter the car from the opposite side) The bar will come out as shown...

Then just continue to pull the bar out and be careful not to hit any painted panels pulling it out. You can at the same time pull the door panel insulation out along with any speaker stuff at this time. The insulation is probably good for a whole pound, but that probably adds up to about 10 pounds removed from each door. Then pop the wiring harness grommet back on and re-install your door panel. This is what I removed from the passenger door...

Then all you need to do is repeat the process for the other door. Like I mentioned above, I had a new door put on awhile back from a donor LS1 Camaro because the door skin had seperated from the door frame. This caused me to make the 15 mm door bar tool. Goes alot easier once you done the first door though. So I guess I did an LS1 Camaro door and a LT1 Camaro door all together. Here is the final results, they do seem pretty heavy, and overall Im happy with the results...

Enjoy the weight savings and easier to close doors!!

**Paulster2** · 09-24-2010, 06:32 AM

Is that a '70 GTO ... shaweet! Good write up.

**grn95t/a** · 09-24-2010, 01:14 PM

nice write up, gonna pull mine out this sat night, also got me a couple of spot weld cutters, so i can remove all the brackets insie the car. and the plasma will be used on a few other areas as well as a 3" hole saw, lol!

**Black94z28** · 09-24-2010, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by Paulster2

Is that a '70 GTO ... shaweet! Good write up.

Its a 72 actually. My other project for when I get rich! It was my first car. Learned to drive on it. 28 now and still have it. Saving up to do a frame off on it.

**Paulster2** · 09-24-2010, 08:28 PM

Very kewl. I actually thought it looked like a '72 (because of the shape of the hood), but was thinking the '72 only had dual and not quad headlights (like a Chevelle). Anyway, great stuff!

**LT1** · 10-03-2010, 02:34 PM

I just wanta say awesome write up, but also would like to add the door bar saved my neck few years ago when i crashed my red Z28.

I went side ways in the rain and slammed into guard rail.

**grn95t/a** · 10-03-2010, 07:33 PM

pulled mine today ( have a 6point roll bar ) have to say it was much easier knowing what i was feeling for, thanks! on a side note, my 95 had two 10mm bolts in front and one 15mm nut in the back.

**faust** · 10-03-2010, 07:52 PM

were you able to get the bolts out with out the homemade tool

**grn95t/a** · 10-03-2010, 07:58 PM

Originally Posted by faust

were you able to get the bolts out with out the homemade tool

yes, just used a snap on 1/4 drive rachet and short socket. the bolt closets to you in the front will spin all the way out and then just pull the rachet towards ya and it comes out with the bolt, the one closest to the doorjamb i had to back out till i could just get the ratchet out and them used a rachet wrench to finish it off. these two bolts are in pinch nuts, so there tight all the way out to the last thread. the back nut would just spin off once i broke it loose. i did have to take a wrench and put the boxed end on the ratchet to break them loose, there f'n tight.

**grn95t/a** · 10-03-2010, 08:07 PM

one other thing, i didn't feel like removing the fender, so i took out the shipyard air grinder ( shhhh! ) with a .040" cutting wheel on her and zipped her in two spots...