A-body door crash bars.

I'm pretty sure 1971 A-bodies did not have a crash bar in the doors (Duster/Demon). Did they start in 1972 or 1973?

IF they had them it would have been with the redesign in 1973. I know that the door glass in Dart Sports are different for 73, 74, and 75. I have never checked a 76 to see if it is the same as a 75. I don't recall ever seeing a crash bar though...

My Duster is a '73 model with all the original untouched sheetmetal and it doesn't have crash bars in the doors.

We cut the ones out of my '76 doors Myron. They weighed 15# per side.

My 74' Duster(Manufactured 3/73) has them if that helps.

Then there is the answer. Probably why the door glass is different from year-to-year also...

So far it sounds like 1974 was the first year for the crash bars!
I was curious in case I find a good deal on some doors. My current car started as a '74 and the bars were cut out.
If my other car project takes much longer, I may fix up my current car a bit with early doors having better sheetmetal and glass.

A friend told me that 1973 Dart Sport/Duster door windows were different from later years. Not sure about earlier years.

Thanks!

My '73 Dart Sport doesn't have them.

I have a '73 340 Duster and it Does have the crash bars. Built 4/73. Original doors. It may have been a mid year change? I believe the '73 glass is different than the '70-'72 glass. The '73 glass has 5 mounting holes and the previous years only have 4.

Interesting! I tried to put 74 glass in a 73, holes were in different locations. Tried it again from a 75, same thing! Put all three years glass on top of each other and all three had a couple different locations.

lol So '73 may be iffy, if it depends on the build date!
Hopefully if I commit to buy some doors without crash bars, they'll have the windows in them.

73 was the first year for the crash bars in the door and the glass is a one year only thing for 73 74 to 76 is different

The term crash "bar" is kind of misleading too. They are really flat plates about 6" wide that run the length of the doors.

Myron, if you want to be real trick find a pair of aluminum doors. I've got a buddy with a pair on a Demon. I'm guessing they would be leftovers from the old P/S cars?

My '73 Scamp has them. kind of a corrigated style plate thing in the door welded to the skin.

A lot of NHTSA mandates for "safety equipment" used a Jan 1st date: mandatory headrests & mandatory shoulder belts are 2 examples. Door intrusion beams (more accurately anti-intrusion beams) may have been the same deal.
Some are allegedly removeable, by drilling out the spot-welds and cutting the beam in half to slide it out of the door.

my 73 doors had them until I cut them out they where 17.5 lbs per side.

Quote:

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Some are allegedly removeable, by drilling out the spot-welds and cutting the beam in half to slide it out of the door.

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We cut the spot welds, plasma cuttered a slit in the door, and pulled them out whole. The slit was then welded shut.