I know that this may be blasphemy to some, but I am wondering if anyone has taken a 2 door kit and made it into a 4 door? I have a 1966 Buick AMT kit that I am hoping to build for a friend who drove one in High School, but his was a 4 door.
I can find the 2 door 1966 Buick Wildcat, but can’t find that anyone ever even made a 4 door model kit. I am pretty sure I can handle the other small differences (auto vs. stick shift, etc.) but trying to make it into a 4 door seems impossible to me. Any thoughts?
It can be done. You may need two kits though as 4-doors tend to be longer. I did it with two '80s Toyota single cab trucks to make a double cab truck. I cut the front one across the rear of the front door and the second just in front of where I wanted the rear door to be. Then I combined them together, shortened the bed, and lengthened the frame to fit.
The 1966 Buick Wildcat 2-door and 4-door models share the same 123-inch wheelbase, 401/425ci “Nailhead” V8 power, and luxurious styling, with the 2-door sport coupe/convertible focusing on performance (often featuring bucket seats/console) and the 4-door hardtop/sedan offering family transportation.
Key Differences:
Body Styles & Trim: The 2-door was available as a hardtop coupe or convertible, frequently in the luxurious “Custom” trim. The 4-door was available as a hardtop (no B-pillar) or a pillared sedan.
Performance Focus: The Gran Sport (GS) performance package was limited to the 2-door hardtop and convertible.
Interior Configuration: 2-door models often featured standard bucket seats and a center console, while 4-door models typically used a bench seat (bucket seats were optional in some 4-doors).
This would hopefully allow a reasonable chance to convert. Some filling and scribing for the doors, maybe making a bench seat for the front, possibly removing some trim and you should have a good replica of a four door. It’s nice that it it’s an option to not have to build a B-pillar for the four door, hope your friend’s car didn’t have one…. That’s a bit more work to add.
According to Scalemates only the 2 door was ever molded for a scale model kit.
Looking at comparison images online, in addition to the 2 door to 4 door conversion, I think your next biggest hurdle would be the rear window, and the slope thereof. The 2 door looks more gradual whereas the 4 door is more abrupt. As far as I can tell, everything else is the same.
I say give it a shot, but definitely not something you want to rush through.
