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57 Buick Door Interchangeability


gearhead

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I should know this, but I'm not sure that I am right here.

I am working on a 57 Roadmaster convertible that was pretty far gone. It sat outside unprotected for many years before I bought it, so replacing rusted out metal has been my biggest challenge on the car.

There is a bunch of bondo on the passenger side door and from there back to the wheel well. It looks like the car was sideswiped at some time, which was pretty common when parallel parking was the norm. I was wondering if I could just replace the door, rather than try to get it straightened out. It was pulled out partway with a slide hammer, but there is quite a bit of wrinkled sheet metal there.

I am pretty sure that the convertibles and the 2 door hardtops used the same doors. I think it only the trunk lid that is unique to the convertible since it is shorter to allow room for the top mechanism to retract.

My question is the interchangeability of the doors between the long and the short wheelbase cars. I think the body is stretched from the back of the door to the wheel well to make up the wheelbase difference. I think doors are interchangeable, but I am not sure.

Can someone enlighten me here?

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The 57 Caddy model 62 is the same body as the senior bucks as well. I would venture to say that the 2 door seniors are longer than even the 4 door seniors not to mention larger than either of the 2 buick junior models in the 2 door models.

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I think I just answered my own question. It appears that the big cars have a lip on the top of the door to fit the chrome strip that goes along there. The small cars do not have this chrome strip and the top is rolled over.

So there you have it, the answer to my own question agrees with Old Tank's information that the big cars are unique.

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Guest Rob McDonald

Just curious: since you have both junior and senior series 2-doors, how do the doors measure up? Are the same length and height? I'd be surprised if just the trim attachment moulding is the only difference but then I was also recently surprised to learn than front fenders are the same for all '57 Buicks. I thought the Supers and Roadmasters were taller through the body - not so.

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