Can a 1961 356 Passenger's Side Door fit onto a 1955 Pre A

[mcl23aren]

Just wondering if a 1961 356 coupe doors fit onto a 1955 Pre A Coupe body? Is there any differences?

[mpribanic]

I believe it will not fit. Not completely sure..but pretty sure.

Mark
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[Rollo Tomasi]

[hugheseum]

they will fit if you change your strikers panel to a non high striker panel........no your 55 will NOT accept low striker drs unless you do some shameful hacks
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[mcl23aren]

I was asking since my passengers door is to damaged to repair. So I found a cheap 1961 356 passengers door that will do the job. I will not chop up anything on the 1955 but rather I am going chop up the door to make fit. Just making sure the door will not have to be totally modified to fit onto my car. If it doesn't work I will clean up the 1961 door and resell it.

[hugheseum]

61 will not fit,no drs are "too bad to fix" fix your 55s dr,also all the drs/decklid/hood are stamped with the last 3 #s of the vin,its nice to keep these together,also its a fairly well known fact that even the same era dr will not just "fit" these are individually handbuilt......61 will have a "low" striker assembly/stamping,your 55 has a "high" striker assembly/stamping,they are very different,the handles/stampings are in different places as well.

take your dr all apart and fix it and put it back together or take it to someone qualified to do it for you,by all means whatever you do keep the dr,do not throw it away,undoubtedly the fella who ends up with your car next will want the original dr. you will regret not fixing your dr later in life,pre "a" cars are already very sought after,in the future they will become even more valuable,best wishes-adam
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[mcl23aren]

I will not throw anything away that came on this car. I know what the car is worth, specially the parts on it. I plan on keeping this car for a long time and would like to take my corvette off the road and store it with the rest of my cars and use this 1955 356 as my new everyday driver. So I am just looking for something to put into the place of my original door while I get the original door fixed. Its too gone right now to do a quick fix job and I like to do things right. Someone did a poor patch panel job on just the door, then the car was hit, only on that door, then rust set in. So I would like just to put a door on it for the time being. I found a 1961 356 coupe passenger door for $50, thats in great shape. Also you said that "all the drs/decklid/hood are stamped with the last 3 #s of the vin". Maybe I am not looking too hard but where exactly do you find those numbers. My car is a Ruetter and I was told that Ruetter only marked the body with its vin numbers on the inside of the drivers door, ( which of coarse is there on my car). But I really haven't seen markings anywhere else on the car except for the original 16 inch rims which do have some kind of markings on them. Thank you,
Shawn

[hugheseum]

no offense meant,but once again,the 61 dr will NOT fit without either hacking up your car or ruining the dr. i think brett johnsons restoration guide is probably a good book for you to invest in. just buck up and fix the dr,the last 3 #s of the vin are stamped on all the drs,hood and decklid,keep looking,none left ruetter,karmann,glasier,huer,wendler,drauz,de'leteran or porsche without them,im not sure on abarths,but i would guess they did too.

ok the drs are stamped on the dr panel side of the dr,the hood is up by the hinge,and the decklid is i believe (shit i cant remember already!) under the grill on the rain tray,they can be hard to find,but its rewarding to find them and even more so when they match,have you been to the 356 registry? lots of info there
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[mcl23aren]

Ok thank you! I will start looking for those numbers. I do own books on the car and feel they don't really answer some of my questions, thats why I am asking you guys so I learn information on this car. So I do appreciate all the info. Thanks,
Shawn

[mpribanic]

How about pics of the car?

How about pics of the door?
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https://vimeo.com/67661950

[TC/TeamEvil]

As already mentioned, the Pre-A cars are pretty much hand built vehicles. When pieces were made to fit, they were stamped to keep the rest of the fellows from swiping them for the cars that THEY were assembling. I'll betcha anyway . . .

The partial vin is indeed on the deck lid drain tray, it's also on the aluminum spacers fitted between the dash board and the body and hand written on the back of the dash board itself. Of course on the doors and hood as well as the front bulkhead and beside the gas tank.

Anyone find any more spots other than those mentioned and the hinge panel location?

[Rollo Tomasi]

Found all those ,Which exact location on the doors? My 53 cabriolet has the engine number stamped on the low left windshield post?? the 52 does not ??

[hugheseum]

ALL 356s were handbuilt not just our precious "pre A" cars,karmann ghias got the same treatment (hood,drs,decklid) being handbuilt as well. in the past folks just grabbed a donor dr and fitted it as best they could,painted it and called it good.

i think now the cars are too valuable to just slap on whatevers layin around,restoration techniques and attitudes are now changing,the 356 is being taken more seriously as it should be.

53 cabs were ruetter right? what about 52? i know theres tons of little changes glasier did that ruetter didnt including the actual way things were welded together/married
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[Rollo Tomasi]

I belive all steel "mass" production 356 pre-a cars since Gmund were Reutter except for the Glasser cabriolet, I read that the top mechanisim was diferent and also the rear of the car was bigger.

[Rollo Tomasi]

looks like I forget 200 Drauz bodied pre-a speedsters