I am looking to add vertical doors to my C5, I have narrowed down to Vertical Doors Inc. and Dream Cars. Both are passionate about their product and have reasons why not to buy the competitors. I am looking for good or bad reviews on either product.

 

Moved to C5 General.

 

Good luck with that!

 

Im gonna go ahead and say not many people here will be able to give you first hand experience with vertical doors.

 

I can and will be glad to. I’ve had mine on for about 8 years now. I only put them up when I’m at a show and they work like normal doors when I’m just driving it around town. I have the Dream Car Custom version on mine and the reason I bought theirs is I didn’t have to do any cutting or modify anything to make them work. I do have to change the struts out fairly often though but I attribute that to the heat during the summers down here. I get tons of compliments on them when they are up. You’ll also find out that it’s a love hate thing with Corvette people. You either hate them and they are the devil or you like them. The Dream Car Custom ones you’ll only be able to open the doors about 3/4 the way from normal so if you’re average build you should be okay to get in and out with no issues. If you have any other question feel free to ask away. I love them and have no plans to change them back anytime soon. I’ve even had people tell me that it won’t be the same car if I take them off. I can’t comment on the other brand but I do know you’ll be doing some body modding to make them work. Maybe some wire extensions also.

 

Back around a decade ago I had an Eclipse, which has similar doors to a C5 [coupe w/ frameless windows], and I had a vertical door kit on the car. I received them through a minor sponsorship and showed them off at cruise-ins and the like.

I can echo a lot of the post above in regards to vertical door kits as a whole.

- Remember that the doors do not swing upwards like an actual Lamborghini or the like. The issue with "normal" cars like the C5 and similar is the A pillar; the door has to swing on the horizontal axis some to clear the A pillar, then swing up. If you're expecting fluid motion -type operation you'll be very disappointed. Also expect some flimsy-ness; there's only a single hinge point as opposed to two hinges holding the door.

Also per above you will lose a percentage of horizontal opening, at around 25%-35% depending on how the hinge is adjusted. To test this, go out now and open your C5's door, then close it a little over a fourth of a way. If you can't get into your car you'll have problems with vertical hinges. I didn't actually use the vertical motion all that much in driving; only when showing the car off.

- I went through struts quite a bit also - three sets to be exact. The first set didn't have enough pressure for the door and failed fairly quick. The second set was rated higher PSI but eventually wore out also. Struts run in the neighborhood of $80-$140 a set depending on the type and vendor.

- Most of the bolt on hinge types have basic adjuster bolts and nuts with lower grade hardware. One thing I immediately did was swap all the adjuster hardware out for nylon-threaded. I initially kept having consistent issues with needing to re-adjust the doors which was a major pain. I resolved that quickly.

As far as a company to go with most of the kits are frequently copied nowadays with minor variations (that's how most "bolt-on" kits are built; obtain a generic or specific hinge and modify the mount points to fit whatever you're putting it on). Just read reviews and what people have said.

Opinion wise yes it is a one side of the street or the other; there's no middle ground. Either you and others really like these, or you and others really hate them. I can tell you that when my period with the hinges was over I actually gave them away. They grew old very quick.

 

Personally I like the idea of vertical doors but not the execution. The design of the Corvette probably limits what can be done, but I would want a design like the Agera for a vertical door. Pops straight out then up. Having to open it out normally in order for it to go up defeats the purpose of having it.

 

 

I'll be honest, I've thought about how it would be nice if the doors swung upward to make it easier for me to get out when I'm parked in a lot. I'm a bigger guy and getting in and out without smashing my door into something can be annoying when the space is cramped.

 

I too have the Dream Car Custom hinges on my 02. I purchased them over the Vertical Door kit for the same reasons as mstromquist. The biggest reason is the no cutting involved. They were a bitch to install. I really like the fact they open like a regular door too. I really only use the Lambo feature at car shows. Each door uses two shocks which is an advantage over the Vertical Door kit. The shocks are cheap too, about $20 each on eBay. They too are a bitch to change too as some of the nuts are in there to where you just can't get even a quarter turn with a wrench. I guess it's not hard, just time consuming.
Would I do it again, yes. Dispite the major PITA to install, they do get me votes at car shows. Am I going to put them on my non-show 99 Corvette, hell no!

 

Yeah... put me in the "not a fan" camp. Save your money for a different tasteful mod.

Do not want.

 

Go for some ‘tasteful’ Caliper Covers, and a wheelskin!

frank

 

Not a fan of the Lambo hinge mod either .

 

It's different and cool! Nice car from the front to the back. Sweet wheels!

 

I'll be as gentle as I can; You also need to look into gold chains, and toupees. YO! Vinnie!

 

I wonder if Lamborghini owners install Corvette Doors?