Shaving door handles and locks...

[bigmikevee]

Hey Gang,

See a lot of models with handles, door locks, trunk lock, etc. shaved off. Me, I think it looks pretty cool depending on the build, but want to know how it works in the real world. I would guess you would use some type of remote to get in, and then some type of cable release for the trunk. Hopefully a good guess. But, if this is true, what happens if you lose keys/remote, or if your battery dies,how do you get in? And also, if you have a convertible, do you just reach in and open the doors, or is there a way to make your vehicle a little more secure so that any fool that wants to open your doors can't mess with it? I had a convertible that I always used the remote to arm system so that it would at least (hopefully) get mine or someone else's attention.

As always, thanks for the info., I appreciate it.

[MikeMc]

What we have done is a couple of different ways...The last one we had a drop down battery and could drop it down to use jumpers..we did use an Optima battery.

Another way is to shave the handle and leave the lock cylinder then make a rod to connect the latch to the lock, this was done a lot years ago....leaves the chrome lock in the middle of the door

Another way is to hang a cable down from the trunk latch and make access through there

[samdiego]

Yeah, it pretty much comes down to a dependable battery and solenoid combo. I've seen some pretty cool places to hide the button. They can be part of the outside mirror or activated by pushing on a piece of trim. I can't think of many cars that don't look better without the handles.

[Drake69]

A friend of mine did one with magnetic locks all around. He had a bar magnet as long as a key and attached to his keyring that tripped the manual lock whenever he "completed the circuit". Didn't require any power to use and everything from the doors to the hood latches had this setup. The drivers side door also had a hidden cable release that could be pulled in case anything went wrong with the magnets (like locking the magnet in the car!).

He's also the guy that wired my gas and ignition with kill switches. Smart guy.

[Steve Keck]

My '79 ...

...has electric solenoids to activate the latch and a spring to pop the door open about two inches.

I have a hidden external switch to activate the driver's door as well. I use external locks for the fiberglass hood so no cable is necessary.

The electrical solenoids have been working without problems for 12 years. Now I'm having mechanical issues with the original equipment latch not holding the door closed.

[Steven Zimmerman]

There are many aftermarket kits that deal with this. Some have a small button that is hidden somewhere on the car,but most have a 'keychain' control similar to the ones on newer cars. most of these pop the door open about an inch with adjustable springs/solenoids(some doors are a LOT heavier than others) Unless your battery is completely dead,most of these will work even on a very 'low' battery,as they use little power,not much more than the watch on your wrist...'Z'

[Darin Bastedo]

as far as having the battery die, the last solenoid system I intalled had a capacitor installed inline with the wiring so that in the event of a loss of power there would still be enough juice to open the car once.

Edited July 14, 2011 by Darin Bastedo

[samdiego]

My '79 ...

...has electric solenoids to activate the latch and a spring to pop the door open about two inches.

I have a hidden external switch to activate the driver's door as well. I use external locks for the fiberglass hood so no cable is necessary.

The electrical solenoids have been working without problems for 12 years. Now I'm having mechanical issues with the original equipment latch not holding the door closed.

That Vista Cruiser is bitchin' on those rally Rims!

Edited July 14, 2011 by samdiego

[Scale-Master]

are you at Mark Jones house?

How did you deduce that is my house Dave?

I just noticed you can see my late Golden Lab Rocky through the back side windows of the Vista Cruiser... I sure miss that dog.

And thanks Sam, I "loaned them to it" from my Camaro for a while. It drove way better on the 15 inch Rally rims than the stock 14s with skinnys.

[Jordan White]

I have a parallel story from an OEM I once worked with that sold a car with "factory shaved" door handles/locks. When the battery died, your only inlet was the glass rear window. So, the thing to do was find a small kid, pop the hatch, and airlift them into the car so they could crawl through and manually unlock the front door, then you could get to the battery to charge/replace.

Style has it's compromises...

C6 Vette or Caddy XLR?

Edited July 14, 2011 by Jordan White

[Scale-Master]

personally, i've never gotten into the whole shaved door handles and locks thing. between modern OEM and some original chrome handles on cars and trucks there's i'm sure something for everyone that would still have a functioning mechanical way to open the door.

isn't it the new Corvette that has electric inside door handles?

Yes, the C6 is all electric, with manual "escape" release latches so you can get out if the battery dies with you in the car. Even the exterior latch is actuated electrically by a button.

Scary hunch... And yes, F78 14s were the "big" tire from the factory on my Vista Cruiser. 245/60R15 & 255/60R15 was a much needed improvement.

[Guest Johnny]

I did my first shaved doors on a 50 Ford. Just used choke pull cables hidden in the front wheel wells!

[diymirage]

When it comes to convertibles, realize that with conventional locks if you leave the top down you can lock it...and someone can walk up, reach inside, pull the lock plunger, and open it up. Just like with solenoids, so it's really no different.

not sure about that statement

on my passat (not a ragtop) if i leave the windows down and lock it with the key i can push the unlock button on the inside of the door all i want but it will not unlock the car

[Guest]

I had an '81 Malibu that was lowered and shaved many years ago. The buttons for the doors were located underneath the outside mirrors. I bought it from a young guy that had done all of the work himself. That should have been my warning! I was always working on the door solenoids,relays or buttons. He had done something to the window regulator that would allow you to push the window down in case the doors wouldn't open which wasn't a good idea either. It does look cool,but it can be a hassle if they aren't done right.