- Depending on your car make and the type of kit, butterfly door conversion kits can range anywhere from $999 – $6,000, but labor costs will undoubtedly increase the price. (Source)
- Professional customization will depend on work to be done, car type and parts to be used.
- Butterfly doors were first seen in 1969 at the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. (Source).
- Butterfly doors are sometimes confused with other customized vertical doors like gullwing, scissor, and suicide doors. All of them have almost the same idea but differ on where the hinge is placed. Butterfly doors have their hinges placed on the forward upper corner of the door which opens more naturally and easier.
- Butterfly doors work well in parking spaces near curbs, tight parking, and areas with high vertical clearance.
Butterfly Door Cost Factors
If you’re wondering how much do butterfly doors cost, it’s going to boil down to a few different factors. Lambo butterfly doors add a custom look to your car and will definitely up your car’s cool quotient. If you’ve decided to install one for your car, you need to consider a few things to help you prepare cost-wise. Read below for the factors that will affect the price of changing up to a butterfly door.
Cars with Built-in Butterfly Doors
Butterfly doors earned their prestige since its mostly seen in high-end supercars. Cars with built-in butterfly doors are usually more expensive than regular cars. Models like the Volkswagen XL1 modernized by building a hybrid diesel car with butterfly doors giving the road car an edge.
Therefore, if your car has built-in butterfly doors already, be prepared to pay more compared to owing regular cars.
Conversion Kit Type
Converting your regular doors is easy if you have advanced mechanic knowledge. You can opt to purchase a conversion kit that contains tools and parts that will take your regular door to the next level.
The kit cost can depend on the type of car that you have and the current model of your car. Conversion kits usually contain gas shocks, door hinges, brackets, nuts and bolts and other tools.
You can choose between two types of butterfly door conversion kits including bolt-on car kits and universal kits.
Bolt-On Kits
Bolt-on kits are a great choice since they are designed for a specific car model and brand. If you can’t find any bolt-on kit for your car type, there are universal kits that you can custom fit for your car. Using bolt-on kits are the best options to use since the parts are custom fit for your car make and model.
It is a reversible process when you want to change back to regular doors. Hence, the price of these kits can be more expensive compared to universal kits. However, they require less work and are very straightforward to install. The most popular and trusted vertical door conversion kit brands are Vertical Doors Inc and LSD Door.
Universal kits
If your car doesn’t have any bolt-on kits available, there are universal kits available on the market. You can customize the parts based on your door’s specifications. The downside of using universal kits is that it’s not reversible and requires some professional work. It includes welding, cutting, bolting, and mudguard installation on some parts of the car to achieve this.
Profession Installation
This is another cost factor that you may need to keep in mind when thinking about installing butterfly doors. If you lack mechanical knowledge, you can opt to get a professional to install this door. For those using universal kits, getting a professional is also recommended since some parts of your car need to be welded to fit with the kit.
This is also true if you’re thinking of using a different set of car doors. It goes without saying that it will be more expensive to get their services rather than getting the kit. However, this is a better route than making a mistake that might be more expensive to repair.
As for cost, most of the automotive shops require you to drop by and get a personalized quotation. Pricing will depend on the parts, brands you’ll use, and car model.
Summing Up
Butterfly doors are an awesome addition to your car. Its rich history with high-end cars makes for a dramatic entrance and exit anywhere. If you opt to buy a car with butterfly doors already, be prepared to shell out quite a sum.
Technically, these won’t be cheap compared to regular cars but at least it is integrated into the design. Opting for conversion kits will make your car truly one of a kind but you need to put time and effort to get it together. Overall, it all depends on your budget, time, and expertise.
Hi, my name’s David. I started this pricing blog as a side project to help people figure out the best prices on common services. Whether you’re trying to figure out how much it costs to get scanning done at Staples or the expense to bleach short hair, more than likely I’ve blogged about it. Shoot me an email if you have any questions: david@mightyprice.com.
