The Lambotek Vertical Door Conversion Kit is a Universal Weld-on kit that will fit most cars. We cannot guarantee that it will fit your car. If you experience problems then we will be happy to fit the kit for you. This is a weld-on kit that should be fitted (and specifically welded) by a competent individual experienced at such work. We estimate that the job will take around 10-30 hours depending on the specific car, but do not rush to hit this target. Safety should be paramount. You will need an assistant for most of the tasks which involve moving and holding heavy doors. There are several optional upgrade kits that may be of help.

DISASSEMBLY.

1:-Disconnect the battery and remove the front wing

2:-Remove the door wiring and place it out of the way.

3:-Remove the check strap and dis-guard

4:-Remove the door and remove any hinge lumps and/or check strap lumps from car. (Grind off any protruding metal that will either interfere with the operation of your Lambo door, or will look unsightly when complete)

MOUNTING PLATE.

The most critical part of the conversion is choosing the location for the mounting plate and mechanism, since the whole conversion depends upon it. Do not rush this stage. Pictures of fitted plates and measurements for guidance will appear on the site when we get time. As a general rule of thumb the centre of the main pivot should be around 4-5 inches down from the top of the door skin, and around 4-5 inches from the front edge of the door skin. This does vary depending upon the specific vehicle and it is your responsibility to ensure that the door mechanism will operate unhindered through its entire field of operation, before welding commences. Although other dimensions will work satisfactorily, the more you vary from the 4-5 inches then the more chance you have that the door will catch the wing. The higher that the mechanism can go the better. You should ensure that there is at least 3 inches of clear depth from the outside of the wing to the back plate in order to allow the mechanism to work correctly. In order to achieve this you may need to recess the plate into the inner wing. It may be easier to simply fit it on the surface, but you really do need 3 inches clearance. For some applications angling the plate so it is deeper at the front may also help.  

Click here for more detailed recessed plate instructions.
 

1:-Loosly bolt the mechanism to the plate and using the criteria above (and on the website) choose the location for the mounting plate. The plate is larger than the mechanism and can be cut down if it interferes with other parts of the car. The plate needs a flat mounting surface, and should be cut to allow such, but leaving at least 1 inch around any mounting holes and 3-4 inches down the full height.

2:-Check inside the inner wing for wiring, insulation, underseal and other combustible materials - remove. Have a fire extinguisher and water supply to hand.

3:-Cut mounting plate as required and tack weld into position. When finished (after door welded and everything checked) around 60-70% of the circumference should be seam welded by a competent welder - everything depends upon this and the door weld.

WING

1:-If you try the wing in place with the mechanism bolted on you will see that the arm catches on the return of the wing - this needs trimming to clear. Try the wing as near to its position as possible and operate the arm - mark the upper and lower, this will illustrate which section needs trimming.

2:-The rule is to remove as little as possible since it weakens the wing. You can cut away or slot the wing - we tend to slot them as it leaves a little more metal and therefore strength behind. Slotting involves using some tin snips and cutting a number of small slots (about 1-1.5  inches between them) and then gently folding back them metal using hand pressure. Do not be tempted to use more than hand pressure as it is very easy to damage the wing. Slotting is untidy but it is slightly stronger than simply cutting away the metal.

3:-Bolt the wing in position for a final check and then remove again.

DOOR.

1:-With the mechanism bolted to the mounting plate you have to sort the door fixing. With many cars it is possible to reuse the hinge and weld it to the arm, and to the door, with everything in position. If the door is bolted on to the hinge (most BMW's) then you can reuse the hinge in this way. For this section you definitely need an assistant and possibly two.

2:-Place the door in the door aperture and have your assistants hold the door so that the bottom and back edges of the door have the correct gaps - and so that the glass or frame is tight against the rubbers. It is often an idea to remove these rubbers during instillation, but remember to check operation before final welding. This is the hardest section of the whole job. Tack weld the door into place well enough to try the door without the welds moving or breaking and allowing the door to fall off - its your judgement. Try the wing to ensure the gap is correct, before finishing the welding.

3:-If you are not happy then cut the welds and try again - it may take several attempts, but it really is worth being fussy and getting it right. This really is critical to the success of the instillation since it dictates how well the door fits when closed (98% of its life) and operates (100% of street cred.) Take your time and get it right.

4:-Once fully happy seam weld and then have a coffee whilst it cools - you are nearly there now.

ADJUSTMENT.

1:-The key to a well installed Lambo door kit is in the adjustment. The mounting holes in the mechanism are far larger than the bolts to allow a good range of adjustment.

2:-Slacken the bolts and move the mechanism as required to achieve the desired gap - washers can be used under the mechanism is required. This gives up-down, forward-backward, and in-out adjustment. The mechanism also has a crash stop which dictates the lowest position of the door.

3:-Try the door opening and closing and re-check the gaps. Readjustment may be required after a few operations, after a few days, and maybe weeks as the mechanism beds in.

RAM (SPRING)

The Ram supports the weight of the door, and is very powerful. It should be installed only after everything has been fully fitted and fully welded.

1:-Have as assistant open the door and support the weight, whilst you screw the ram into the top fixing. Very gently lower the door and guide the ram onto the lower rose-joint fixing. Secure.

2:-The door should now operate - check and Marvel at the wonderful Lambotek Door conversion. Get your assistant to pat you on the back, and say "well done". Bet you can't stop smiling!!

3:-Check that the door clears the wing when fully open, and that the door card clears.

ELECTRICS.

1:-The wiring will (often) no longer reach, and needs extending. Extend and cable ties the wiring out of the way, so that it can not get cut by the arm. We recommend that soldering the terminals is the most trouble free method although terminals is the quickest and easiest solution.

2:-You should note that some manufacturers use the same colour wiring in a multiplug for different functions, so you should be very careful when extending the wiring.

 3:-Courtesy and alarm switches are often located at the front of the door on European cars, and more normally at the back on Japanese cars. If they are at the front they will most likely need to be re-located to the back to function properly.

4:-Some wiring may reach – try before you extend it. You may be able to release a little extra from within the loom/door so you have enough. It is normally only a few inches too short and this can sometime be liberated.

5:-Make sure that all wiring within the door is secure – the door was not designed to lift and wiring may come loose when the door is vertical causing window/central locking to jam.

SIDE REPEATERS.

1:-It is normal for the side repeaters to interfere with the mechanism and/or ram. You can either weld up the hole and move the repeater entirely or we normally replace them with the new style LED ones which do not have any real depth to them. Once fitted tape the wires to the inner surface of the wing so it can not catch when the door operates.

FINISHING.

1:-Refit everything and check that all bolt are tight, connections are good, and wiring clear of chaffing. The mechanism will almost certainly need readjustment after a few days or weeks. Thread lock the crash stop.

HELP.

If you need help with this product then please feel free to phone our bodyshop on 08707 518518, or email sales@autofashion.co.uk with LAMBO TECHNICAL as the subject line. If you have problems then we may ask for photos of what you have done, which should be emailed as Jpegs of not more than 75kb each, at internet resolution of about 72 dpi. Our server will automatically reject any photos not in this format.

If you can not fit this product then we will be more than happy to do so for you.

WARRANTEE.

All mechanical parts are fully guaranteed for one year from purchase. Air Springs often known as Rams or Lifters or Supports are not covered by Warrantee. The failure of these parts is always the result of dirt (and even over-spray) on the shaft of the ram, which penetrates the seals and causes them to fail. Cleaning the spring will help but it will not prevent inevitable failure if the kit is not correctly protected from the elements. We now offer (extra cost) shrouds for all Lambotek kits which help. You should also ensure that the wheel arch liner in left in place or alternative protection installed to protect the mechanism. We normally keep replacements in stock. Please ask for specific terms.