"suicide " doors

[Guest dr chip]

Were the rear hinged doors an option on some 30's cars? Seems like I have seen different models both ways.

[CarlLaFong]

They were never an option as far as I know. They were just what the manufacturer decided to build at the time. Most rear doors were rear hinged. Fronts were at the whim of the designers.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

You see true classics with doors going both ways. That is from different coach builders or different designs.

[lozrocks]

Some models for export were changed to suit the design requirements of the destination.

[nzcarnerd]

The use of suicide front doors seems to have varied with the length of women's skirts.

[Guest dr chip]

Am I correct that some models (ex. 35 pontiac coupe ) were made both ways? I'm new here but looks like you guys got a great forum.

[Shop Rat]

Our 1939 Dodge Deluxe 4-door has them.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Welcome to the forum dr chip!

While I cannot say design features were never a consideration, generally the location of door hinges were driven by manufacturing needs. For example, center opening is kind of the norm for most sedans through the introduction of postwar designs where changes in technique I believe, made it possible to place hinges to the front, which became more or less the standard with a few notable exceptions (lincolns and a few 4-door T-bird models come to mind.) Remember, early thirties sedans were still wood framed, and it made a lot more sense to locate the stress points where there was more "meat" to handle the stress.

On the earlier two door cars, specificallly Classics, though, the hinging was often due to complexities in the cowl design - a really sculpted or curvy design, say, that necessitated locating the hinges on the flatter plain, or rear of the door panel.

To your question though, I do belive GM went back and forth for a couple years, and maybe even during the same year with different models on Chevy and Pontiac, but someone more familiar with those cars will likely chime in.

[Guest dr chip]

Thanks for the replies. I like the looks of those doors especially in front, but I'm personally aware of their suicidal tendencies. When I was about 5 years old my dad had a forty something Buick 4 door with those doors in back. Doing dumb things like kids do I was cutting my fingernails in the back seat , rolling the window down and throwing the nail out then rolling it up until the next nail (it was winter). Well once I accidently grabbed the door handle instead of the window and next thing I knew I was bouncing down the road.

[Restorer32]

I question whether the location of door hinges was ever much a manufacturing consideration. The vast majority of sedans built even in the 1920s had front hinged front doors, even with wood body framing.

[ply33]

I question whether the location of door hinges was ever much a manufacturing consideration. The vast majority of sedans built even in the 1920s had front hinged front doors, even with wood body framing.

For the front doors, I think it was a matter of what was in style. At least during the short span of years that Chrysler built cars had front suicide doors, they had already switched to all steel bodies so structural issues would be minor. Using a rear hinge allows the front edge of the door to be angled to follow the line of the cowl or windshield.

With respect to the common practice to have doors swing out from the center on four door sedans (Chrysler terminology) might have been functional. If you are loading stuff into the car having both doors open allows easy access to both the front and rear seats.

Thanks for the replies. I like the looks of those doors especially in front, but I'm personally aware of their suicidal tendencies. When I was about 5 years old my dad had a forty something Buick 4 door with those doors in back. Doing dumb things like kids do I was cutting my fingernails in the back seat , rolling the window down and throwing the nail out then rolling it up until the next nail (it was winter). Well once I accidently grabbed the door handle instead of the window and next thing I knew I was bouncing down the road.

It is my understanding that two door sedans (Chrysler terminology, SAE would call them coaches) were popular with families with small children for just this reason: The kids couldn't be playing with the door handle in the back. Nowadays the rear doors on sedans are all equipped with a child lock mechanism. At least all the four door cars I've had of various makes in the last 20 years have been equipped with a mechanism to disable the inside door handle.

[Barry Wolk]

Suicide front doors allow for much easier ingress for taller people.

[CarlLaFong]

Were the rear hinged doors an option on some 30's cars? Seems like I have seen different models both ways.

A lot of info on doors, but it doesn't address his question. Could you walk into a dealership and order a new car with doors hinged either front or rear on any given model. I say no.

[Dave Henderson]

Funny, it seems that in 1935 GM incorporated front suicide doors in a Johnny-come-lately fashion, after the competition, Chrysler and Ford, had discontinued them. By 1936 suicide fronts were almost all gone from domestically produced automobiles, Cord being one exception. The GM change to front suicide took place regardless of whether the '35's bodies were like the '36's or like the '34's, as in the case of Buicks for instance. As the generally accepted style leader in the '30's, wasn't GM's '35 swing (no pun intended) a bit of a mis-calculation? '

[poci1957]

A lot of info on doors, but it doesn't address his question. Could you walk into a dealership and order a new car with doors hinged either front or rear on any given model. I say no.

I agree, the short answer to the question is that we do not think you got your choice of suicide or regular on a given model, you got what that model came with. If the question is did some makes offer both on different models than yes, maybe you got regular doors on a sedan and suicide on a coupe or vice versa. And there were lots of instances with regular on the front and suicide on the rear or vice versa. Lots of variation in style in those days, Todd C

[motoringicons]

After the stock market crash in November of 1929 and the Great Depression which followed it, cars with suicide doors became very popular amongst depressed people. These cars were especially popular in towns that did not have tall buildings.

(Just kidding, obviously!)

[Marty Roth]

It varied with the particular manufacturer and model.

Example - 1937 Buicks (US bodies):

All 2-door models were hinged from the front, or leading edge of the door, and were not "suicide" doors.

All 4-door models - front doors were hinged from ther front / leading edge as the 2-door models, but rear doors (with one exception) were hinged from the rear / trailing edge, making them "suicide" doors.

The exception in 1937 was "Unlike any other 4-door Buick, the new Roadmaster Convertible Phaeton, Model 80-C, used doors that all opened from the trailing edge." In other words, the rear doors, on this model only, were hinged at the front / leading edge, and therefore were not "suicide" doors - again only on one model of one series within the entire Buick line for 1937.

Source: Page 165, Seventy Years of BUICK, Revised edition by George H. Dammann, ISBN 0-912612-04-5, LCC # 72-94176,.

Compare our Black 1937 Buick Roadmaster with the last photo, our Blue 1934 Buick 50 Series 4-door sedan with rear "suicide" doors.

I hope this helps,

see photos below

Edited October 24, 2011 by Marty Roth
typo - clarification (see edit history)

[Steve Jelf- southern KS]

I figure those depressed people drove their cars with suicide doors on three lane highways with the suicide lane in the center.

[Guest dr chip]

Wow those are nice Buicks. I stand corrected - I'm quite sure the sedan I took the header out of was the same year as your 37.

So if I understand correctly, although you may not have been able to order one in a specific configuration, manufacturers did sometimes manufacture a particular car with both styles in the same model year Do I have that right? Interesting stuff.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

If you went into a Ford dealer in 1932 you could buy a 3 window coupe which came with suicide doors. All other body styles had regular (front) doors.

[Restorer32]

But you could not have ordered that 3 window coupe without the suicide doors.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

I think because Ford obtained those bodies elsewhere, at least that is what I have heard. Can't remember the company but they also supplied Chrysler at the time and I believe the MOPAR coupes of the same vintage also have the rear hinged doors.

[ply33]

I think because Ford obtained those bodies elsewhere, at least that is what I have heard. Can't remember the company but they also supplied Chrysler at the time and I believe the MOPAR coupes of the same vintage also have the rear hinged doors.

Budd was a large supplier of bodies to Chrysler. I think Briggs might have also supplied Chrysler too.

[Marty Roth]

Wow those are nice Buicks. I stand corrected - I'm quite sure the sedan I took the header out of was the same year as your 37.

So if I understand correctly, although you may not have been able to order one in a specific configuration, manufacturers did sometimes manufacture a particular car with both styles in the same model year Do I have that right? Interesting stuff.

OK dr chip,

Kind of right -- If your '37 Buick 80 Series was an 80C, then no suicide doors, but any OTHER 4-door 80 Series, (or any other 4-door Buick that year) has rear suicide doors.

They did not build identical cars with both styles.

[Guest Old48Truck]

I figure those depressed people drove their cars with suicide doors on three lane highways with the suicide lane in the center.

[Willys77]

Model 77 Willys from 1933 ~ 1936 had regularly or Front Hinged Front Doors while the rear doors on the Sedans (only) were of the suicide variety. The other body styles had Front Hinged Doors.

[Guest Oracle]

GM-Holden's used rear-hinged rear doors on their 1940-48 bodies that were used on Chevy, Pontiac, Buick and Cadillac. They also had split rear windows.

This is a Holden '46:

http://restored-classics.com/capricornia/rally1/img33.gif