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First day doorless - AWESOME!!

10K views 91 replies 49 participants last post by  HPS3 
#1 ·
Been dying to do this for ever!

I ripped the doors off and took the wife and kids on some errands. I asked my little girl (4 and a half) if she was scared. "No Papa, I like the doors off and the WIND!"

JK - Sahara - Doorless by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr

Seriously - If you've never done this - you've GOT to!!

As for the drivers side mirror - I snagged a simple mirror and straight bracket from the local auto parts store... and just attached it to the top hinge bolt - worked perfect and gave a great view... (sorry no pics of the mirror..)

JK-Doorless-2 by Christopher Purdy, on Flickr
 
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#3 ·
I like your Jeep. Your kid looks extremely happy. My wife was terrified at first when I did this. Not because the doors were off, but she thought I was going to void my warranty. After about a mile of riding doorless, she was totally relaxed.
 
#5 ·
The best part is when you're sitting at a stop light and the look of envy from the person in the (insert any other vehicle here) next to you....priceless!

And I highly recommend foot pegs. My favorite addition to each Jeep I've had!
 
#6 ·
I'll add an observation. I have a set of Bestop Elements tube doors. Bought them last year because getting caught in the rain with a long drive to get home was unpleasant. So I ran tubes most of the summer last year (I have a set of vinyl skins and uppers I can put on the doors in the case of rain.)

This year I took the doors off and didn't reinstall the tubes. Big difference. It's funny -- you assume it will feel the same since you can see pretty much the same view either way. But it's psychological. The fact that there's no restraint within your sight (you can't see your seatbelt) makes it feel much more "out there" with the doors off.

Similar to a bunk bed. Take the thin railing off of an upper bunk and it feels a lot different. Or imagine a 3rd floor balcony on your house. Sit in a chair 3 feet from the edge. Now imagine the thin railing being removed. Psychologically, it feels worlds different, more exhilerating even though the railing didn't really block any of your view.
 
#22 ·
This year I took the doors off and didn't reinstall the tubes. Big difference. It's funny -- you assume it will feel the same since you can see pretty much the same view either way. But it's psychological. The fact that there's no restraint within your sight (you can't see your seatbelt) makes it feel much more "out there" with the doors off.

This is kind of how I feel with the dirty dog shade I have in my garage. When I had it on, it felt nowhere near the same as the soft top down and nothing above my head.


I run naked every chance I get

That's great, but what about the Jeep?:lmao:
 
#7 ·
Yep, I agree completely. I love the open feeling... My wife, while she seemed to enjoy it, kept saying she felt very exposed... but thats the point isnt it?

I will say - for my 6YO son, I added a thick nylon strap (large dog leash actually) from the outside car seat anchor point around his chest, under arm, over the seat and to the anchor point behind the seat. It actually makes a second "belt" that cris-crosses the regular belt. It just encourages him to sit properly on his booster when the doors are off. It actually worked very well... I'll have to snap some pics of it.
 
#9 ·
Congrats on finding your new freedom! No idea how useful or helpful but for he back seat passenger (aka your little girl), do you think the tube doors would be a good addition? I included a pic as a reference.

Edit: don't realize it was so dark but the backseat of this jku has a child seat, too. No tube doors on the front, only the rear. I found another photo to help.
 

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#11 · (Edited)
I bought my first Jeep a few weeks ago, a 95 YJ. I decided to take the doors off yesterday and it wasn't too bad. Lithium grease and wiggling them back and forth for 20 minutes and they were free. A lot of rusty grease dripped off the bottom of the hinges as I was working them. I cleaned the hinges and the pins very well and may look into getting the sleeves too.

I didn't realize this was the JK section till I posted, I do have JK rims if that helps. Oh well, Jeeps without doors are cool no matter what generation. The downside is my wife says she won't want to wheel in it for fear of getting dirty or hit in the face with tree branches.

 
#13 ·
Finally had the doors off yesterday, some pb blaster and patience and the fronts came off. Greased them up before putting them back to save some trouble for the next time. Just need a day or two of no rain to leave the doors off .

Also managed to get a steal on the body armor trail door which came with the mirrors. It was a 470$ package, got them off craigslist for 180$ like new condition. They look amazing and fit great !
 
#17 ·
Seriously - If you've never done this - you've GOT to!!
We popped our Jeep's cherry just a few minutes ago. We've owned it for over 2 1/2 years and today I half jokingly mentioned to my wife about removing the top and doors. It's her DD - the top stays on if there's even the slightest chance of rain. The top has been off a few times but never the doors. To my surprise she eagerly wanted to give it a try. After reading a few threads about how to remove the doors and what to do if they do not want to come off I got some WD-40, a T50 Torx bit, a few other things and went at it.

The passenger side came off quite easily but I had to use a floor jack and some 2x4 blocks on the other side. Also used a rubber mallet and gently tapped on the 2x4 as I applied pressure with the floor jack. The door eventually came loose. I will apply grease on the hinge pins before reinstalling.

We were very careful about avoiding the dreaded badge of honor and I had my wife stand between the door and the cowl. Everything worked out just fine.

I don't think we will have them off for very long. The forecast calls for rain in 3 days so we shall see. I'm sure my wife would not like driving to work in a rainstorm with no doors or top.

Here's the setup I used to help get the stubborn driver's side off and where I tapped with the mallet. I know this is a pic of the passenger side but I did not know how easy it was going to come off until I started jacking it up.



 
#20 ·
We popped our Jeep's cherry just a few minutes ago. We've owned it for over 2 1/2 years and today I half jokingly mentioned to my wife about removing the top and doors. It's her DD - the top stays on if there's even the slightest chance of rain. The top has been off a few times but never the doors. To my surprise she eagerly wanted to give it a try. After reading a few threads about how to remove the doors and what to do if they do not want to come off I got some WD-40, a T50 Torx bit, a few other things and went at it. The passenger side came off quite easily but I had to use a floor jack and some 2x4 blocks on the other side. Also used a rubber mallet and gently tapped on the 2x4 as I applied pressure with the floor jack. The door eventually came loose. I will apply grease on the hinge pins before reinstalling. We were very careful about avoiding the dreaded badge of honor and I had my wife stand between the door and the cowl. Everything worked out just fine. I don't think we will have them off for very long. The forecast calls for rain in 3 days so we shall see. I'm sure my wife would not like driving to work in a rainstorm with no doors or top. Here's the setup I used to help get the stubborn driver's side off and where I tapped with the mallet. I know this is a pic of the passenger side but I did not know how easy it was going to come off until I started jacking it up.
Sweet!!!!! Glad to hear you got em off
 
#28 ·
Carseats, or is the 4 YO on a booster?

For kids on Boosters - there is a cheap solution for some peace of mind. Redneck 5 point harness... LOL!

Use a large Nylon Dog leash - between the outside carseat anchorpoint across the child's chest, over the right shoulder and around the back of the seat to the rear anchor-point. I tie a couple knots in the leash to reduce the length as needed.

The big thing with kids is just keeping them in teh right spot - and this does that perfectly... imagine a second shoulder belt on the opposite side that criss-crosses in the middle.
 
#29 ·
Been runing doorles since June. Kiddo loves it. Wife is not sold yet. She sees it too much of a safty concern. Yet she's ok on the motorcyle. Don't know what to say. lol

This whole week in Colorado the morning temps have dipped to mid/hi 40's. A bit cold when in shorts. Nothing says i cannot run the heater.
 
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