May 14, 2023
REMOVE THEM! 😎
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of driving DOORLESS for the first time in my Bronco. @EZAPAR organized a Bronco roundup at a restaurant and tap house called the "Egghole" in Kent, Washington about a half hour south of Seattle. Around fifteen Broncos (or more) showed but we lost a couple before a group photo could be snapped. The food was very satisfying and the beer selection was incredible (24 taps?). Service was stellar. I'm warming up to venturing off-road, and losing my doors was the next logical evolution of immersing myself in the great outdoors.
TAKEAWAYS:
1. Anyone who owns a Bronco MUST remove their doors at least once to experience "open air" driving. It's incredible. Do you think going topless is cool? Wait until you try removing your doors! It ups the ante and I'm confident it'll make you want to do it more often.
2. It's windy! I knew it would be a bit breezier than losing my top alone, but it was surprising to feel air coming from both sides in addition to overhead. It's not a deal breaker, just something I noticed almost immediately.
3. It isn't quiet! The rush of air was enough to set off an alarm on my Apple Watch, warning of higher-than-normal decibel levels. Honestly, this didn't take me by surprise, and needless to say, I had to increase the volume on my stereo to compensate. You'll also notice how much noise your tires make, particularly on the pavement.
4. You may feel a bit vulnerable. While guarded by a roll cage and surrounded by airbags, you can't help but feel a little exposed. (Duh!) All I can say is that that uneasiness dissipates over time. I was feeling completely at ease by the end of the day.
5. You'll LOVE climbing in without a door to impede your ingress. The same is true for your egress. Mounting and dismounting feel remarkably natural. Just remember to buckle up! You may unconsciously try to rest your left arm on the armrest, only to recall that it's not there anymore (obviously). Having roof-mounted grab handles may help with that.
6. Removing the doors was a cinch. I just took my time and in no time at all, both doors were securely enveloped in their respective door bags and stored securely. (Okay, that's a stretch. They're actually sitting in my living room because 2-door Broncos don't have the ability to store them in the cargo area... Score another win for the 4-door crowd!). It helps to have the door bags sold by Ford. They're stiff and tight but bound to loosen up over time, making it easier to store the doors after removal. YouTube videos provide some very helpful tips as well.
7. Laying the rear seats completely flat reduced wind buffeting and improved rearward visibility.
8. The doors are HEAVY and CUMBERSOME! Especially the 2-door model doors, probably because they're a little longer and have larger glass. Bear in mind that you are working with very tight tolerances when moving these parts apart and together. If at all possible, get a helper to provide a second set of eyes as you remove and reinstall the doors on their hinges.
9. I applied a tiny dab of never-seize to each of the bolts and the pilot pin that is used on the lower hinge. This guarantees that nothing will bind up when attempting to remove or tighten the bolts. Ford provides two little rubber protectors for use on the door and fender. They work! I bumped my passenger door just above the rubber protector and it would have chipped the paint if it were not for my PPF!
10. Tighten the bolts well otherwise you'll hear that dreaded (but harmless) "POP!" when closing the doors. Tightening the bolts ensures the doors are properly seated on the hinge mechanism. Others have mentioned this before, but it merits repeating.
EDITS: I added 8-10 because everything seems more important when you have a list of TEN things. 😜
RESOURCES:
Bronco Nation Door Removal Tutorial
Bronco Nation Door Removal & Reinstallation Tutorial
Bronco Nation Door Removal & Reinstallation Tutorial - Abbreviated
Ford Door Removal Tutorial
FINAL THOUGHTS: I cannot overstate how much fun it was to drive without doors on my Bronco. I wish I could leave it like this all the time. That said, there are some important things to note. For starters, there are decals warning that removing your doors should be reserved for off-road use only. Gotcha, thanks. Next, state or local laws may frown upon you driving your vehicle sans doors even though door removal is a highly-touted feature of this dye-in-the-wool off-road vehicle. No one I know of has been ticketed for driving without doors, and you may have a hard time finding anyone that has, but it is possible that you could be ticketed if you violate state or local laws forbidding the operation of your Bronco without doors. My only apprehension about driving doorless was getting a ticket (or worse, having my Bronco towed and impounded for being driven in violation of the law). It had nothing to do with feeling unsafe. All I can say is you should look into whether it's legal to drive your Bronco without doors on anything other than off-road trails. Decide for yourselves if you're willing to risk a ticket. It may just be one more thing a LEO would cite you for if they catch you doing something reckless or inappropriate. End disclaimer.
Cheers and enjoy driving your Bronco the way it was intended!
Here are some photos of my Bronco without its doors...
It was also a lot of fun seeing fellow Bronco Nation members @sambarner and @BeaverBronc71 again! 🙂
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of driving DOORLESS for the first time in my Bronco. @EZAPAR organized a Bronco roundup at a restaurant and tap house called the "Egghole" in Kent, Washington about a half hour south of Seattle. Around fifteen Broncos (or more) showed but we lost a couple before a group photo could be snapped. The food was very satisfying and the beer selection was incredible (24 taps?). Service was stellar. I'm warming up to venturing off-road, and losing my doors was the next logical evolution of immersing myself in the great outdoors.
TAKEAWAYS:
1. Anyone who owns a Bronco MUST remove their doors at least once to experience "open air" driving. It's incredible. Do you think going topless is cool? Wait until you try removing your doors! It ups the ante and I'm confident it'll make you want to do it more often.
2. It's windy! I knew it would be a bit breezier than losing my top alone, but it was surprising to feel air coming from both sides in addition to overhead. It's not a deal breaker, just something I noticed almost immediately.
3. It isn't quiet! The rush of air was enough to set off an alarm on my Apple Watch, warning of higher-than-normal decibel levels. Honestly, this didn't take me by surprise, and needless to say, I had to increase the volume on my stereo to compensate. You'll also notice how much noise your tires make, particularly on the pavement.
4. You may feel a bit vulnerable. While guarded by a roll cage and surrounded by airbags, you can't help but feel a little exposed. (Duh!) All I can say is that that uneasiness dissipates over time. I was feeling completely at ease by the end of the day.
5. You'll LOVE climbing in without a door to impede your ingress. The same is true for your egress. Mounting and dismounting feel remarkably natural. Just remember to buckle up! You may unconsciously try to rest your left arm on the armrest, only to recall that it's not there anymore (obviously). Having roof-mounted grab handles may help with that.
6. Removing the doors was a cinch. I just took my time and in no time at all, both doors were securely enveloped in their respective door bags and stored securely. (Okay, that's a stretch. They're actually sitting in my living room because 2-door Broncos don't have the ability to store them in the cargo area... Score another win for the 4-door crowd!). It helps to have the door bags sold by Ford. They're stiff and tight but bound to loosen up over time, making it easier to store the doors after removal. YouTube videos provide some very helpful tips as well.
7. Laying the rear seats completely flat reduced wind buffeting and improved rearward visibility.
8. The doors are HEAVY and CUMBERSOME! Especially the 2-door model doors, probably because they're a little longer and have larger glass. Bear in mind that you are working with very tight tolerances when moving these parts apart and together. If at all possible, get a helper to provide a second set of eyes as you remove and reinstall the doors on their hinges.
9. I applied a tiny dab of never-seize to each of the bolts and the pilot pin that is used on the lower hinge. This guarantees that nothing will bind up when attempting to remove or tighten the bolts. Ford provides two little rubber protectors for use on the door and fender. They work! I bumped my passenger door just above the rubber protector and it would have chipped the paint if it were not for my PPF!
10. Tighten the bolts well otherwise you'll hear that dreaded (but harmless) "POP!" when closing the doors. Tightening the bolts ensures the doors are properly seated on the hinge mechanism. Others have mentioned this before, but it merits repeating.
EDITS: I added 8-10 because everything seems more important when you have a list of TEN things. 😜
RESOURCES:
Bronco Nation Door Removal Tutorial
Bronco Nation Door Removal & Reinstallation Tutorial
Bronco Nation Door Removal & Reinstallation Tutorial - Abbreviated
Ford Door Removal Tutorial
FINAL THOUGHTS: I cannot overstate how much fun it was to drive without doors on my Bronco. I wish I could leave it like this all the time. That said, there are some important things to note. For starters, there are decals warning that removing your doors should be reserved for off-road use only. Gotcha, thanks. Next, state or local laws may frown upon you driving your vehicle sans doors even though door removal is a highly-touted feature of this dye-in-the-wool off-road vehicle. No one I know of has been ticketed for driving without doors, and you may have a hard time finding anyone that has, but it is possible that you could be ticketed if you violate state or local laws forbidding the operation of your Bronco without doors. My only apprehension about driving doorless was getting a ticket (or worse, having my Bronco towed and impounded for being driven in violation of the law). It had nothing to do with feeling unsafe. All I can say is you should look into whether it's legal to drive your Bronco without doors on anything other than off-road trails. Decide for yourselves if you're willing to risk a ticket. It may just be one more thing a LEO would cite you for if they catch you doing something reckless or inappropriate. End disclaimer.
Cheers and enjoy driving your Bronco the way it was intended!
Here are some photos of my Bronco without its doors...
It was also a lot of fun seeing fellow Bronco Nation members @sambarner and @BeaverBronc71 again! 🙂
Chris here. I drive a 2-door Velocity Blue 2023 Ford Bronco Badlands with Sasquatch, Lux, a 2.7L V6, and an automatic transmission. It’s fun.
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
"Stupidity is a more dangerous enemy of the good than malice." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Bluestreak57, THE Buckeye Bronco