The case for, or against, rear half doors / "barn doors" (1 Viewer)

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Joined
Oct 12, 2022
Threads
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78
Location
Alabama
I recently bought a 1980 FJ40, and was fortunate to have gotten one with very little wrong with it mechanically as well as with regards to the body. One of the previous owners decided to weld in a panel where the rear half doors go, and when it was sold to me he gave me the oem doors which I've had media blasted and they are in pristine condition now.

I had combed the mud forms for how to go about getting them back in place and deal with the lighted license plate holder and, since they still have the hinges as well as the "Bestop" rivets, it should be a relatively simple matter. However, I've seen an overwhelming amount of posts in here where people have engineered (either from scratch or by welding the doors together) a more traditional tail gate like on a pickup truck.

One of the main things that drew me to the FJ40 in the first place was every little detail about how it looks, half doors included. I know I'll likely never fully restore this truck to original appearance but I like the idea of the doors for a more "authentic" feel.

TL;DR - are the barn doors "that bad"? I assume they're noisy (my entire truck is noisy), so that's not too much of a putoff; I imagine some rattle can be mitigated. I don't know that I would get that much more utility of a traditional style fold down tail gate - if I'm carrying a ton of stuff I'll just use my pickup truck. I guess I'm just curious about the why and why not for the barn doors. Bonus points if anyone can tell me what in the world is up with the electrical wire being "mounted" under my welded in panel (bottom left). My best guess is it's something for the tail lights.

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It's whatever you prefer. There's nothing wrong with barn doors i ran them for yrs on my 72. They do want to close when parked on a sideways slope. My 75 has a hard top with amby doors, so when the top is off the back is open, I'll be installing a drop down tailgate. That's my preferences. If your 1980 40 is US spec it most likely had a hard top and amby doors. 1 hinge on the top and 1 in the tub on each side. There would have been holes for the spare tire too. Someone has filled in most of the holes in the back. I suspect there's been a lot of repairs and there could be a lot of bondo too.
 
It's whatever you prefer. There's nothing wrong with barn doors i ran them for yrs on my 72. They do want to close when parked on a sideways slope. My 75 has a hard top with amby doors, so when the top is off the back is open, I'll be installing a drop down tailgate. That's my preferences. If your 1980 40 is US spec it most likely had a hard top and amby doors. 1 hinge on the top and 1 in the tub on each side. There would have been holes for the spare tire too. Someone has filled in most of the holes in the back. I suspect there's been a lot of repairs and there could be a lot of bondo too.
Good info, thanks! I mostly just need a way to access any cargo in the back, I have some physical issues that prevent me from getting back there as it is now. Mine didn't come with a hard top, just a "Bestop" and the current bikini top. I have no plans at the moment to hunt down and purchase a hard top and amby doors mostly just because I don't have anywhere to put them if they're not installed. I am hoping it's just bondo over the mounting holes for the hinges - I've taken a magnet and went around the area and it seems like it's all metal as far as I can tell. The plan is to get the barn doors installed as well as order some Aqualu half doors and then have the whole thing painted beige or desert tan, so I'll find out then how much bondo is hiding in this thing.
 
I don't run a top and I've been running a panel across the back forever and I'm ready for something that opens too.
 
I think later rear openings are slightly different than earlier models. You may have some fitment issues to work thru. Others who know better than me my chime in.
 
If I had my druthers, I'd have a tailgate and liftgate, no questions asked. I have had 3 40s, 2 60s, 4 80s, 2 100s and one 200, and I wouldn't have wanted ambulance doors on any of them. If I could have changed one thing about any of my 40s, it would have been those doors.

The next best thing is two half doors, which you have to have (if you don't have a tailgate) if you have a soft top.
 
If I had my druthers, I'd have a tailgate and liftgate, no questions asked. I have had 3 40s, 2 60s, 4 80s, 2 100s and one 200, and I wouldn't have wanted ambulance doors on any of them. If I could have changed one thing about any of my 40s, it would have been those doors.

The next best thing is two half doors, which you have to have (if you don't have a tailgate) if you have a soft top.
That seems to be the consensus - why do you prefer the tailgate though? I'm assuming utility; what specifically do you like about one versus the other?
 
Swing out spare tire carrier has to be swung out for tailgate to open. One side of barn doors can be opened with carrier swung closed. FWIW. Makes it easier to load my hunting dogs (Britanys). I have a hard top in place.
 
Having a tailgate to sit on or place things on is one of my favorite design features of later Land Cruisers.

I can't remember how many times I've need to pull something out of the back, to get in a bag, or get to something that's under something else, and I haven't had to work off the ground. Plus it's great to have a place to sit, especially when every other place is nasty (and you don't feel like squatting on your heels). The liftgate makes it easy to get into the back and access the entire width at once. Even with one ambulance door open, you can only access that side.

I'll admit the advantage of the doors if little creatures have to get in, but I don't have that problem, so it's not a concern, for me. Also, unlike the wagons, there's no bumper to step on, so if I had to help something in the back, I'd have to pick it up. Lifting it another foot over a tailgate wouldn't bother me. YMMV

And yes, the spare tire's in the way. I didn't design this thing so I can't complain.
 
I don't see any spare tire. The barn doors look to be for a 74 model by the bracket for the license plate holder. If from a 74 the problem.will be the overall width. The barns door in 74 were made to fit against the tub. Your tub appears to be made for ambulance doors. Looked into this before would require adding fix nuts. Trimming the lower corners and spacers between the hinge and barn doors so the doors fit flush.
 
I don't see any spare tire. The barn doors look to be for a 74 model by the bracket for the license plate holder. If from a 74 the problem.will be the overall width. The barns door in 74 were made to fit against the tub. Your tub appears to be made for ambulance doors. Looked into this before would require adding fix nuts. Trimming the lower corners and spacers between the hinge and barn doors so the doors fit flush.
That's horrible news, heh. I guess I was hoping they would "just fit" because the truck came with a "Bestop" soft top, and has the rivets all along the sides to snap it down, and I noticed that those doors also have the rivets as well - so my assumption was they were installed at some point. The fit might be why the PO decided to weld up the back though...

I have a guy that can do some metal work, can you give me some more information on the fix nuts you mentioned?
 
Good info, thanks! I mostly just need a way to access any cargo in the back, I have some physical issues that prevent me from getting back there as it is now. Mine didn't come with a hard top, just a "Bestop" and the current bikini top. I have no plans at the moment to hunt down and purchase a hard top and amby doors mostly just because I don't have anywhere to put them if they're not installed. I am hoping it's just bondo over the mounting holes for the hinges - I've taken a magnet and went around the area and it seems like it's all metal as far as I can tell. The plan is to get the barn doors installed as well as order some Aqualu half doors and then have the whole thing painted beige or desert tan, so I'll find out then how much bondo is hiding in this thing.
If you are going to get anything from Aqualu you might want to order it soon!

 
I recently bought a 1980 FJ40, and was fortunate to have gotten one with very little wrong with it mechanically as well as with regards to the body. One of the previous owners decided to weld in a panel where the rear half doors go, and when it was sold to me he gave me the oem doors which I've had media blasted and they are in pristine condition now.

I had combed the mud forms for how to go about getting them back in place and deal with the lighted license plate holder and, since they still have the hinges as well as the "Bestop" rivets, it should be a relatively simple matter. However, I've seen an overwhelming amount of posts in here where people have engineered (either from scratch or by welding the doors together) a more traditional tail gate like on a pickup truck.

One of the main things that drew me to the FJ40 in the first place was every little detail about how it looks, half doors included. I know I'll likely never fully restore this truck to original appearance but I like the idea of the doors for a more "authentic" feel.

TL;DR - are the barn doors "that bad"? I assume they're noisy (my entire truck is noisy), so that's not too much of a putoff; I imagine some rattle can be mitigated. I don't know that I would get that much more utility of a traditional style fold down tail gate - if I'm carrying a ton of stuff I'll just use my pickup truck. I guess I'm just curious about the why and why not for the barn doors. Bonus points if anyone can tell me what in the world is up with the electrical wire being "mounted" under my welded in panel (bottom left). My best guess is it's something for the tail lights.

View attachment 3264838

View attachment 3264839
You just gotta have the struts from city racer on the glass door. 1974. The one good thing about the tire carrier in the way... no one knows how to get my back opened but me. Locks are original and useless.
Being able to pop the glass open without fiddling with the struts = gold. I like that i have a roof overhead for that space. Helps with shade or rain depending on weather. But i have nailed my head repeatedly on the inner latch, lol

C891DA2B-3BB4-48E1-A3E9-4219902294BC.jpeg
 
You just gotta have the struts from city racer on the glass door. 1974. The one good thing about the tire carrier in the way... no one knows how to get my back opened but me. Locks are original and useless.
Being able to pop the glass open without fiddling with the struts = gold. I like that i have a roof overhead for that space. Helps with shade or rain depending on weather. But i have nailed my head repeatedly on the inner latch, lol

View attachment 3266454
AH ok - I actually don't have anything beyond the little barn doors, and likely won't ever, provided the Bestop still works fine.
 
Does it have a 17 digit vin number?
Does it have a heater?
Factory roll bar?
Is the glass DOT certified?
Heater - yes but under the dash, not in the back.
Vin - FJ40-XXXXXX
Roll bar, but unsure if it's factory nothing DOT on the glass
 

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