I am thinking about shaving the door handles on my 1960 ford f100 and i was wondering if anyone out there has done this and what kinda problems i might encounter.
Ok cause i has a jc whitney kit it seems easy but i didnt know if there was any road blocks or not on it
Getting the cables (that attach the solenoid to the latch) the proper length was the only tricky part.
Be sure you have a hidden mechanical emergency release for at least one door. Sooner or later your solenoid or remote will fail, or you'll have a low battery, and you'll be locked out.
Beside the mechanisms, the biggest mistake I think on shaving door handles is that everyone seems to do it because everyone else is doing it. Looks good on mild customs and up. Not so good on hot rods, street rods, drivers etc. Pick/plan your look, and go from there. If shaved door handles still make sense, make a super reliable outside mechanical release a priority!
I was gonna have a mechanical swith for one door plus i might keep one wing window unlocked just in case. I dont really want to do it cause its a fad, Im just looking for a little switch for the ordinary.
shaving handles should have something to do with improving or accenting the overall flow of the body lines-hope that you do not remove the handles from your truck.
Hey, if you like the look go for it, that's why I did it. Sometimes they are a pain, but have never been locked out. I don't have kickers on the doors either. I removed the vent wings and installed electric windows before the shaved handles and Hanniline suggested the easyest way would be to remote the windows, which I did. The less electrics in the door the better. The window goes down and I just pull the inside handle.
For what it's worth, I know of a couple cases where people ended up converting back to conventional door handles. In addition to what has already been mentioned, you will also need something(spring) to push the doors open a little when the latch is released.
Just an idea for you.... My Dad has electric doors on his 53 F-100, and mounted the buttons for the door in the hole in the roll of the top of the box side. Makes it more hidden, and not as likely to get accidently popped open there. Also, it makes it simeple toopen. Walk up, grab the door with one hand, and pull it open as you push the button with the other.
WOrd of advice DO NOT use that CRAP..... Autoloc has a quality kit... or find one on suicidedoors.com Remember your counting on this to open your doors for you... we have put the Autoloc in alot of suicide and shaved trucks and cars... NO issues....
I ran shaved handles on several OT trucks, The best thing I ever did was use a push mower throttle cable made a mount on the frame and ran the cable into the door through the innner fender this gave me a real mechanical pull to open the door, I never used poppers and honestly only used the cable once in over 10 yrs. The throttle cable was just incase of a dead battery mind you. I have remote/keyless entry.
Wow! Do a quick search on Autoloc, for example :http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=507950 You may be the only person I've ever heard saying Autoloc and quality in the same sentence. I wouldn't buy a thing from The Hoffman Group based on personal experience.
After having nothing but problems with solenoids ranging from stretched cables, Loose cables,cables of the pulley,etc, Idid as Dave delta dog did,remote control power windows,reach in and pop the handle, Fool proof,quiet and works like a charm. Just be sure that your battery is acessable or you have jumper lugs somewhere,just in case.
Anything from the Hoffman group, Helix, or Autoloc I stay away from! Quality is not their strong point, advertising is. They advertise in any automotive magazine they can to get their name out there but the quality of crap they sell is bad!
FFS avoid autoloc solenoids like you would the plague!!! I put one of their remote kits on my truck about three years back and I think it's safe to say I've had to replace the solenoids every year. The trouble is they are the only ones we can get here in England, so I have bitten the bullet and ordered a pair of SPAL and a pair of Electric life 60 pounders from your side of the pond to replace the passenger side autoloc that has just failed again. Do yourself a favour, and read the threads that bad shifter so kindly put up and learn from my mistakes and don't go near autoloc! Also, bear in mind what jalopy joker has to say on the subject, only shave the handles if it's going to improve the lines of your truck. Sometimes being "trick" is a real pain in the ass. Good luck Paul PS without meaning to hijack the thread, has anyone out there had any luck with the Electric life 60 pounders?
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