shaved handles on a daily driver?

[62fairlane]

was wondering how many people here have run shaved handles on a daily driver? I am looking to shave mine one of these days (have no outer handles for two years now, just reach in wing windows) but I was wondering about solenoids failing, power failures, mechanical failures etc keeping me out of my car. I drive in freezing weather so I need to know if there is a freezing issue that can come up or a way to avoid it happening.

Nick

[daign]

Yup yup and yup. Make sure you can get into the car via the trunk or some other neat trick.

I know plenty of people who broke their windows.

-Dane

[porknbeaner]

I don't shave handles because of the reliability of solonoids in the cold/freezing. But I think the newer stuff is more reliable.
Of course I just tell everybody that door handles are my style. A little fib never hurts, much.
There's a trick that you can do with a choke cable, that a lot of people do. You can put it on your firewall or in the fenderwall or somewhere out of the way, and if the soloniod fails you just pull the choke handle to get in.
Another thing I have done in the past is leave the doorlocks in tact. Then you just use the key to trip the door latch. No solonoid involved.

[saltflataddict]

bike cable works, I run mine right up the door. Can barely see the pinch bolt sticking up by the corner of the window. never fails in cold weather which is what I deal with in Utah winter..

[Satinblack]

Good question. But being in the desert, I never have a problem. lOL

[Hellfish]

you could shave the handles and put in push button door poppers. You don't have to use expensive Lincoln re-popped poppers, but use something from the hardware store. there was a post about this a few weeks ago

[Satinblack]

I am installing poppers on my 53 chevy panel and they seem to strong, binds the latch and doesnt open easily. Not sure if adjusting latch will help. Anyone have that problem before?

[JSM56]

instead of poppers, my car has a small spring at the lower rear corner of the door frame. way cheaper. and run electric door lock selinoids from a junk yard. plus run the bike or choke cable as a back up.

[Mai Ki-Ki]

I just have a chrome Cabinet lock on my 1/4 vent window.

Walk up..unlock and reach in to pop door...No fuss.

Cheers
Maiki

[62fairlane]

well for two years I haev just been leaving the wing windows unlocked and pushing them open. but I and getting ready to get a radio back in the car and just would like the saftey feeling of knowing not just anyone can get in my car (I live in the dorms at school)

I guess maybe some silicon grease in teh solenoid would help too to keep moisture out of it (along with new door seals)

as far a extra way in I was going to run a new latch for my trunk that you get to from teh fuel door (rear mount) and have a jump post in the trunk (have two amps going in there anyway) so a bike cable with a little loop in a wheelwell that I can just pull incase of a lockout will do it then? just loop it so it doesn't pinch in the doorjamb


Nick

[HardLuck]

Been running shaved door handles on my '60 chevy daily for over 7 years. I set mine up so the key door lock actuates the door latch, no prob.
-HL

[du$ty]

shave 'em.i never even had poppers...just went through the vent windows.lived in a ghetto fab hood ...thieves wont figure it out...they will just bust out your glass.

[Ayers Garage]

Kid up the street from me has a nice late model Chevy truck all tricked out with shaved handles. I've seen him break the driver's window twice to get in when his battery died in the last few years.

I saw him up there a few weeks ago looking all pissed off. Same deal, dead battery again. I asked him why he didn't just boost the battery enough to pop the solenoids. He explained that I was stupid because the hood release handle is inside the truck. I was going to suggest that we jack it up and connect the cables to the starter post hot wire underneath until he called me stupid. I was trying to keep from laughing later when I saw him up there sweeping up the broken glass with a broom. He called me stupid...

[62fairlane]

yeah kinda been my theory on it...if they know how to steal stuff right they can get in without breaking stuff. I would rather someone ripoff a radio wihtout having to break stuff vs them taking things out clean. so are the stories of freezing solenoids just a urban myth? something that only happens to a few people?

well one month until finals are over then it is time to get out the old miller 250x and do some door filling.

btw how can I find out if I have any local hambers? do I just ask around? reason I ask is that I am planning on being a bum this summer and not getting a job since I have about 90% of the parts and it all planned out to finish my car and was looking for anyone that might be able to give a hand if I feel like a chop project.

Nick

[Boyd Who]

Go for it!
I ran solenoids in my '48 for 5 years with no problems. I had a mechanical release on the passenger door in case the battery died, but never had to use it.

[CherryBlossom]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't shave handles because of the reliability of solonoids in the cold/freezing. But I think the newer stuff is more reliable.



[/ QUOTE ]

amen.
mine are shaved on my 02 GMC truck.......ILL NEVER HAVE SHAVED HANDLES AGAIN....unless i lived somewhere where it was always about 60 degrees. Weather sensitive doors SUCK!!!!!!

[TheDooWopKid13]

where can you get the solonoids?

[burndup]

I use the old keyless entry/alarm keychain fob off my ol BMW to open my door, er, actuate my solenoid. When my battery dies, or the one time I locked the keys inside it, I have a plan B, which I wont tell you, cause I like my truck and want to keep it!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[hotrod54chevy]

here's a diagram of how to wire up soleniods for shaved handles.this is pretty much straight forward and what i'm gonna be runnin on my chevy,cept for the inside buttons.

[DrJ]

Newer cars have remote locks and alarms and if the fob won't unlock the doors and turn off the alarm you ain't going anywhare because even if you unlock the doors with the key it doesn't turn the alarm off and you can't very well drive around with the alarm going off...likely to get shot...
So, do remote alarm and locks freeze up in your cold ass parts of the world too?

I once had a $70 radio stolen out of an unlocked car and they broke a $60 window to "get in".... after three stolen radios out of the same car, I just leave the wires hanging out of the hole in the dash. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[CherryBlossom]

[ QUOTE ]
So, do remote alarm and locks freeze up in your cold ass parts of the world too?



[/ QUOTE ]

i dunno about that. my solenoids just dont work when its cold out. you can hear them click inside, just wont pop the door, until you've walked around the truck, stood there, stared at it, bitched at it, for at least 5 minutes. Then all of a sudden, it pops. Its GREAT when you're in a store parking lot, just staring at your truck as people walk by.
as for locking the keys inside, kustombuilder knows how to break into it (hes done it at least 6 times- half of them sitting in another state, with the truck running)LOL.....he can take apart the window trim, stick something down in the door, and push one of the rods in there and make it pop. gotta be careful though, because if you hit the locks, you're fucked.
too much a pain in the ass *I* think to have smooth doors http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif but yeah, i can see if you have an emergency entry thats easy to get to, ok. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[chopolds]

I HATE door handles! I've run shaved doors on all my "older" drivers since the 70's. Had 2 new cars that i never got round to shaving handles.
On my old Regal, I used Ball's gear drive door openers. Very reliable. But to handle the situation in case of dead battery, I had a GM hood release cable attached to the driver's inner door handle, as well. Went through the door jam, and into the engine compartment, and into the wheel opening. It got dirty, but I only had to use it once or twice in the years I owned it.Tips on keeping the doors working well, thoroughly clean and lube the door latch, use silicone dielectric compound on the electrical connections, good grounds, and keep the door weatherstrip cleaned and Armor All'ed.
Cars like old Chevies, up to 54, have difficult latches, it takes a lot to pop'em. I cut in later model latches to fix those problems.

[burndup]

Oh, I didnt say my door pops nicely! Kindof a weird maneuver with my knee pushing the damn door in and jamming my fingers between the door and the cab to get a grip...all while pushing the remote button.... a lot of times it takes two tries, and the keyless entry unit has a delay you hav eto cycle thru before it opens again.... nice thing is it has a defeat, when the ignition is on, your solenoid aint gonna fire. Aint designed as an ejector...

[Mai Ki-Ki]

Fer Christ sakes just put a lock on the 1/4 vent window..no hassles...K.I.S.S (Keep it Simple Stupid).

=p

[BoomBoom]

Checkout Anti Chryslers door handle shave kit, pretty spiffy! Ill try to find his web site for ya.

[saltflataddict]

this one I thought it was hamiltons -
http://nosweatgarage.com/html/shavingKit.htm

[porknbeaner]

[ QUOTE ]
yeah kinda been my theory on it...if they know how to steal stuff right they can get in without breaking stuff. I would rather someone ripoff a radio wihtout having to break stuff vs them taking things out clean. so are the stories of freezing solenoids just a urban myth? something that only happens to a few people?

well one month until finals are over then it is time to get out the old miller 250x and do some door filling.

btw how can I find out if I have any local hambers? do I just ask around? reason I ask is that I am planning on being a bum this summer and not getting a job since I have about 90% of the parts and it all planned out to finish my car and was looking for anyone that might be able to give a hand if I feel like a chop project.

Nick

[/ QUOTE ]

I got a friend that lived in one of the worse neighborhoods in the metro. I had to leave my rod for a couple of weeks and and go out of town (no room for the wife and the two dawgs that we had at the time). So it stayed with him. He never locked it because his theory was #1 if they figured out how to start it they probably couldn't drive it. and#2 was that way they wouldn't break my window to figure out that they couldn't start it or drive it.

Yes solonoids freeze in the winter, not everyday but not a myth either. Even on late model cars with electric locks. Normally a cup of coffee will get you in but then its the next time and the time after that.

Now that said a lot of cars that get driven everyday havd electric doors. Just make yourself a backup plan and you'll probably be fine.

[53choptop]

I have been running shaved door handles for 7 years with no problems.

I use Nissan starter solenoids ($15 at auto parts store) to pop open the door, these little fukers are strong as hell, and use 1/16 steel wire as a safety backup (run it behind the door and into the bottom of the cab - (have suicide doors now))use the same wire to connect the solenoid to the latch. HAve had to use it twice. You can get that wire at Holmes Depot for 15 cents a foot and you can also get the clip thingamajigs to lock the wire together there too. These "backup" kits online are running 25.00, got the same crap at the depot for 3 bux, I am a cheap bastard and this works great for me. Good luck.

Rey

[AssGasket]

How well does that "no sweat" kit hold up after being on the car for a long time...????

What about flush-mounting a push-button door lock, like on a 50's GM car, where the handle has a button that you push to open, and the button also has the key-hole....???

That would be pretty easy....

Maybe just leave your window down and scatter shards of glass everywhere so it looks like someone already broke in...

[62fairlane]

well I guess I will weld it up next month when I get back from school. now I have a little cupped area for the handle that needs filled. I was just going to weld them up but do I need to drill and prime a small hole or something so that it doesn't oilcan with it cools off? I have thought of using some panel adhesive to do it too...just glue them up and smooth it out.


nick