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As far as shaving the gas cap, you may not need to run a fuel cell for that. I know a popular mod on older chevys and fords was to reroute the filler tube to behind the taillight and then have the taillight swing out to one side to fill the tank. I remember seeing a thread on here somewhere that someone started to do this to their camaro. The entire driver's side taillight was gonna be hinged and swing out from the car to allow access to the filler neck. The filler neck itself was rerouted to run through the little locking box in the trunk. One of the problems with this is that it needs to be sealed off from the passenger compartment for safety reasons. Its not easy, but I believe he got it to work. A search should find it.
Fiberglassing may work. There are 2 main problems I can think of with blending them into the body: 1 - making sure it doesn't crack when the body flexes, 2 - getting whatever you use to stick to the metal without separating over time. I hate to say it, but the answers can probably be found on an import forum somewhere. I know when they do body kits right, they blend them into the rest of the car to make them seamless. I don't see why we can't do that with the stock GFX on our cars. My brother used to have an Eclipse he did it with, I'll have to ask him next time I see him. His held up even when he smashed the back end into a guardrail(raining, too fast, nearly bald tires). The body kit cracked and splintered but didn't separate from the car where he blended it.
yeah as sad as it is, some import body work is actually pretty nice
i guess they have to be good for something,
yeah i should be able to get my camaro into the garage this winter or spring to do a complete overhaul, new interior, shaved handles/antenas, engine swap and transmission swap, possibly making it a t top car, and then new paint
The thing is, you can having a crappy looking car is cool if your beating everything else on the street. It's a "sleeper," right? Having a crappy looking car and losing though is not cool. So, if your gonna drive an import and not be able to actually win a race against a real car, you might as well look good losing I guess.
That is not meant to be derogatory to anyone who actually has put the time and effort into upgrading the engine properly, only those who slap a body kit, wing, and weedeater muffler on and call it a 10 second car.
im looking to shave my doors but i don't rly know what to do ? can any1 send me pic of the steps i gotta take ?
actually as wierd as it sounds, there is an entire step by step video on youtube for this exact thing, its done on a riced out civic by a r1ced out show, but it does show you the basic idea of how to do the wiring for the popper kits, if your using them.
Ok, I finally got the Camaro in the garage, and since I wanted to grease the passenger side solenoid, I figured I'd take some pics and post them up to answer some of the questions about location and such that were raised earlier in this thread. The solenoids I have are Autolocs, but others should be similar enough in design. The pics show where on the door I mounted it, however I would suggest moving it slightly closer to the jamb side of the door(to the right in the pic) as the cable is to close to horizontal to work 100% properly. It opens the door fine, but the latch doesn't always grab when I go to close it. Might be the latch itself though, either way its my own stupid fault on that.
Sorry about the pic quality, all I had with me was my cell phone. The wife won't let me take the good digital camera into the garage.
Now for the exploded views of the solenoid. The black end cap is held on with 2 screws. After removing those, you can turn the cap gently to the side, the wire to the + terminal is not long enough to actually move the cap away from the body of the solenoid at all. There is a paper/cork ring gasket that seals the perimeter of the connection to keep water out. If you look into the back of the solenoid you can see the little e-clip that holds the plunger in place and a little crush sleeve that keeps the e-clip in place. Push the plunger into the body of the solenoid and you can open up the little crush sleeve that keeps the e-clip in place and remove the clip with a pair of needle-nose pliers. That little e-clip is what broke on my driver's side solenoid back in October. Once the e-clip is removed you can pull the plunger and its return spring out of the opposite end of the solenoid body. I cleaned up the plunger and the inside of the solenoid body with a small brass wire brush and some 150 grit sandpaper. Then I smeared some moly chassis lube on both and put it all back together.
hmmm neat, i haven't been on in quite a while so i haven't seen these untill just now, soon i hope i'll be able to get all of my body/interior work at least started, i just gotta wait untill some room opens up in my grandpa's garage,
he's keeping his old nova in there for the winter and his truck needs a new transmission, once the tranny swaps done though i'll be taking my camaro in to begin all this work
Ive been thinkin of doing this but im still scetchy on if its worth doing because of the manual button prob. there isnt a place that you can put it where no one else can find. now on the other hand the vett door handle looks sick on a Fbody i dont know. is there anyone else with some pics of shaved doors? or even the fender with no antenna?
I have shaved door handles, antenna, and door trim. I haven't had any problems with the set-up yet. Every winter I disconnect the battery and just leave the hatch open a little so I can get inside. I've had the battery go dead once on me when the keys / were in the car... oops. The fix for that is to jack up the left front corner and run power to the stud on the starter and pop door with remote
Since that problem I had extra hatch keys made so I never get in that situation again.
As for the antenna problem, I ran my antenna up through the A pillar and get decent reception yet.
For the doors I use a door solenoid kit with no receiver and installed your standard alarm system. That allows the lock and unlock feature to work (not really needed with no door handles) Then the two aux outputs trip relays for the drivers and passenger doors. No external buttons are installed. Who needs them when you have a hatch key.
Nope. No rocks. Only open ocean. I just returned recently from a deployment on the USS Reagan, and now I'm in Florida for training 'till Feb. Man, it will be nice to finally be able to have some time at home and get to my projects. I'm planning on painting my car in my garage sometime this summer.
wow its been kind of a while, i've been really busy,
imo a lot of people seem rather perturbed at the idea of having an external button to open the doors, yet without them theres the fear of the solenoids freezing up, what i've been doing is just keeping the hatch key in my wallet, on the offchance the remote popper doesn't work, i have my "emergency" buttons on the inside of my hatch, so i unlock my hatch with the key, reach into my trunk and press the open buttons, easy as that.
hey, so i just indstalled my drivers side stuff for my shaved doors, and it doen't seem to work all the time. i press the remote and 80% of the time it doesn't open. i have the antenna in a clear spot, it doen;t work at point blank. anyone have a similar problem?
Denthar - Does your remote have a LED that lights up when you press the button and the door doesn't open? If not, try replacing the battery. Can you hear the solenoid activate when you press the button? If not, I would check your relay and grounds first. If you can hear it moving, you've got 1 of 3 problems. 1 - Your cable between the solenoid and door latch is too long, 2 - the door latch is stuck, or 3 - the solenoid and door latch is working fine, the door is just too heavy/sagging too much to open. Do you have some kind of spring-loaded popper or plunger to push the door open when the solenoid opens the latch? You should be able to hear the solenoid moving, both of mine make a pretty solid-sounding "thunk" when I pop the doors. Does the passenger door open with the remote? There are a lot of other things to check that could be the cause. If you can answer those questions we can go from there.
92rs:
when i open my passenger side door and aim about a hands lenth into the car everything works fine.
yes the LED lights on the remote. i replaced the battery to make sure.
when it doesn't open nothing is going. you cant even hear the relay clicking. i can have the remote and the antenna touching and it wont work. but it always works through the passenger side. i'm going to rip out the wiring for it all tommorrow and do some testing. but the weather hasn't been great and i dont have a garage...
its wierd.... and very frusterating. it was working fine up until 10 mins after i finnished the install... i've been a little gun shy of working on it becasue it took me effin 5 hours to install all this to the working condition i have it now. ( i had a relay explode on my cuz of a short) so yeah... i'll kepp you posted. but any help work be greatly apretiated...^-^
Where in the car did you install all the electronics(control box, relays, antenna)? I put mine under the center console, behind the shifter. I ran the antenna up the inside of the center console and under the radio area. If the LED is lighting every time on the remote, that shouldn't be the problem. I would check power and ground for the control box and relay. If it was working until you closed everything up, you may have accidentally pulled a wire loose or put a screw through one. Also, if you blew one relay because of a short, are you sure it didn't damage the other one?
i tested the others, they work fine. i mounted my control under the drivers side of the dash. next to the fuse box. i'm thinking that it could be power related. after installing it my dome light and CD player stopped working. so fuses are probly blow. not sure though. when i get a day to work on it i plan on pulling out the control and wiring it directly to battery insted of running it through my fuse box. i dont know... its frustgerating not having a garage. v.v
I understand the not having a garage part. I didn't have one for a few years after I got married. Now I have 2 small ones that are barely big enough to work in. Your problem definitely sounds like a power issue. The dome light and radio run off the same fuse if I remember right. The control box can probably be piggybacked off that fuse, mine only uses a 5a fuse. If your door solenoids are like mine, they need a 30a fuse per side. That's definitely too much to run off the radio/dome light fuse. I'm surprised its not blowing so hard you can hear it pop from outside the car if that is how its hooked up. Let me know how it goes.
I shaved my handles and my antenna when I repainted my car.
I have not had a chance to try it out this year.
But I did not install the back up button. If my battery goes dead...I'll go in through the rear hatch.
__________________ 305 TPI, Elelbrock hi flow intake, Edelbrock hi flow runners, ported & polished plenum, holley AFPR, 24# LT1 injectors, air foil, SLP cold air induction system, Crane roller Cam#104224, Crane springs #11308-1, Summit # SUM-G6601 Roller timing gear set with polished aluminum timing chain cover. Richmond 3.73 posi rear end, Ceramic coated headers, and matching Y-pipe, Flow through exhaust with Flowmaster muffler, Torque Thrust 17" rims, Sportline springs (lowering almost 2 inches all around), Custom made box in the rear that holds 2- 12" subs, Updated speakers all the way around. CD player, A/C deleted. Custome tuned and dynoed.
as for legality on the track.... could one not just install an additional solid rod that you could route up between the window and the outer window molding... something that would have a handle on it, that they could pull up in order to release the door??
I think there is a guy here in Mn that has a setup like that on an old truck.. its removable to so when he isnt at the track he can take it off and no worries...
For legality at the track, why couldn't you just leave the inside handle and leave the window down? That way they can just reach inside and open the door.
If not, I like your idea Phoenix. That wouldn't be too hard to do. It would take a push to open the door though using the original outside door handle lever.
not shaven but still smooth, i had shaved on my pickup and hated it, never worked right, plus everything else i drive (wifes explorer, my company truck) has door handles so i was always trying to grab what wasn't there. Sorry the cars not painted, and the second pic is during the mini tub,
88+ C/K 1500/2500/3500 trucks, or the S10/S15 trucks (which I believe have a BIT smaller handles, same design).
My body shop did it, not me, but it didn't look hard at all. They pull in the same direction, so the stock rods were used & just attached to those handles.
My body guy and I have been talking about this idea for a while now. He did a really nice vert Bird a while back, and I mentioned shaving mine like that, and said for a DD, he thought something like this would be better. I think I agree with him. My next round of exterior mods include shaving the door molding, antenna, emblems, and adding the S10 door handles.
Well my dad locked himself out of my car while it was running the other day (he has to take it out every once in a while for me cause I'm deployed still....) So, I think I have thought up a solution...
I could run a relay to the solenoid and have it only work when a 12 volt is running through it (aka when the car is running). nobody could open it and steal it when the car is off this way. I use a small door jam button like the one used to turn on the interior lights and hide it somewhere on the car like: the grille, either license plate, any wheel well, etc.
So what do you think 92RS_Ttop and Wulfgar the pen? Sound good?
Does anybody think they could draw up the wiring diagram for the relay and maybe find a source to turn on the relay? I just wish I had a camaro around here to tear into and work on these ideas. 2 MORE MONTHS!!
Sorry to hear about your dad, I feel for him. I did that one night, had the family along. We stopped to watch fireworks and all got out of the car and I shut the door without thinking about it. Luckily for me, the driver's window was partially down and my wife has arms that are small enough to reach in and open the door.
I'm not entirely sure I'm understanding what your suggesting? If I read that right, you want to have a relay that will allow a button to pop the doors from the outside, but only when the car is running? If that is the case, its easily doable. I would suggest putting the button behind the front bumper as that would be the least likely place to have something hit it accidentally, and open the door while your driving. Let me know for sure, and I'll see what I can come up with. Just a matter of finding the right wire to energize the relay.
This is something all of us should probably have. After thinking about this some more, I realized a door pin switch won't work. Think about it, when you open the door the little button or plunger pops up because of the spring inside which closes the switch and completes the circuit. However, this is the opposite of what we need it to do for this circuit. For it to work for this, it has to be depressed in order to close the switch. Unless you can find a door pin switch that works "backwards" from the ones in our cars, you'll have to use a regular weather-proof switch.
As far as the wire to use, if you have an amp wired in the car for your speakers you can use the remote wire. It should only have power when the key is in "accessory" or "run" and you only need a small amount of power to operate the relay. It also has the added bonus of usually being located in the trunk which would make it easy to run a wire behind the license plate or into the gas filler pocket. I'll get a diagram drawn up and posted.
Here's the diagram. As I said in the last post, probably for most of us the easiest thing to do would be to splice into the amp's remote wire for power to the switch. The +12V, Ground, and Output to the Solenoid could all be spliced into the relay that was installed with the door popper kit. Let me know what you think.
Thanks man. I'm not too great on these relays yet. But let me see if I
understand it fully.
You have to have the power and ground wires of both relays connected to each other. And the relays obviously have to be both connected to the solenoid in the door. And when it says "Original Door Solenoid" you mean Original Relay right? And "New Switch Solenoid" means New Relay? I assume as much. Then the "Door Control Module" is just the box that tells the door to open when I push the button of course. Then I run another wire branched off of the "Amp Remote Wire" and hook it into the other side of the "New Relay" with the push button somewhere in that branched off wire. If you say it will work, then I will believe you lol.... or maybe you should try it first.
Also with the push button. I just meant one about that size and style but of course not just like that. I think faster than I type. Here's what I'm talking about : http://www.watsons-streetworks.com/switches.html
It's labeled "Recessed Momentary Switch" PN #L20-M
The only problem is that it ISNT waterproof. But it is the perfect size. But I still wouldn't suggest putting it in near the fuel filler neck with all of those fumes.
Thanks for the help 92RS_Ttop. Let me know if you plan on trying this out. I know I will when I get home!
Sorry, that should have said "Relay" instead of "Solenoid." I'll attach a corrected version . That's what I get for doing wiring diagrams while at work. You don't necessarily have to have the power and grounds for the relays connected to each other, I just figured that was easier than running new power and ground wires for the new relay. Yes the "Door Control Module" is the control box for the door popper system. Right, the "Amp Remote Wire" will connect to the Switch, then to one side of the relay. The other side of the relay connects to Ground. That way, when the car is running power will flow through the "Amp Remote Wire" to the Switch through the Relay to energize it and to Ground.
That switch will work, until it gets wet. If you can put it somewhere where it won't get wet it should be just fine. The only problem is that the interior is the only place that stays dry and if you're already inside the car..... A better idea overall (meaning less complicated and cheaper) would be to go a little farther down that page to PN# L67 Momentary Starter Switch With Boot. That switch is rated at 60A so you wouldn't need to add a relay if you can find a +12V source that is on when the car is running and uses at least a 30A fuse. You could run a wire to the switch from the fuse, then to the Solenoid side of the existing relay. You could still run the relay and everything if you can't find a good enough +12V source to run the switch straight to the solenoid. I know the starter switch is bigger and uglier, but if your gonna hide it anyhow I wouldn't worry about.
Any 30A-60A relay should work. Double pole/single throw are generally the most common, but you could use a single pole/single throw. You can find them at your typical Advance Auto/Autozone/Pepboys stores. If the guy behind the counter gives you a dumb look like they do at the stores near me, just tell them you need an A/C or Fuel pump relay for a 97 Dodge Neon. My wife used to drive one and it had the same type of relays. You can also find them on Ebay pretty cheap if you need a bunch. If you only need 1 or 2, its usually best to go to a parts store. Ebay Examples:
As far as placing the switch in the gas tank filler neck area, I wouldn't be too worried about it since the cap is not vented. If the cap hasn't been opened in the last few minutes, there should be no fumes there for the switch to ignite. If you use the low amperage of the Amp Remote Wire to power the switch, there should not be enough energy to produce a spark capable of igniting any gas fumes. I do understand "should not" is not the same as "can not" though
Just another thought - If you want to use that starter switch as a backup even with the car off, you could wire it into the battery wire going to the amp and then to the solenoid. That way it would work all the time in case your remote dies.
So, if I use that button in the last post I have to use a relay but I could use a higher rated switch off of a 30A fuse. I will see what I have room for when I get back home. Thanks for the help.
Yeah, the switch in my last post is only rated for 5 Amps apparently. That would definitely have to work off a relay. A switch rated at 30 Amps at least would be fine without a relay.
so is re a way i can hook up the 5a switch to my current relay and run the power off of the remote wire on my amp? (i do have a setup in my hatch well, good guess) If not, where is a good place to put the new relay? I'm guessing right next to the current one.
What other ideas do you of this concept of opening it while its running only?
You could use the 5A switch off the amp wire to the current relay possibly. It depends on how the control module for your door poppers works.
If it works by supplying a +12V source to the coil of the relay and the other terminal on the coil is connected to ground then you could do it. You should install a pair of diodes though to protect the control module. One diode on the wire coming from the new switch, and one on the wire coming from the control module. This will prevent the +12V from the switch from backfeeding into the control module and potentially frying it.
If your control module works by providing a ground for the coil on the relay, then you would have to wire things differently. You could wire the switch to that same terminal on the relay as the control module, and then the other side of the switch to ground. This would only work if you haven't installed the "safety" relay that cuts power to the control module while the car is running. If that has been installed like it should have been, then you would need to either disconnect it, or use a second relay like originally suggested. The original wiring diagram I posted would also need modified a bit.
If you go the route of using a second relay, putting it beside the original one would be best since you can easily tie it into the wiring for the solenoid there and they can share a common ground and +12V source.
As far as the amp in the trunk, I'd feel safe saying probably 75% of the members here have SOME type of upgraded stereo in their car. That percentage is probably higher when you only count the number of members that have done other, more permanent mods to their cars like shaving the door handles. Upgrading the sound system of a car of course almost always entails an amp or two, and the easiest place in our cars to put an amp is in the spare tire well in the trunk.
this leads me back to my original idea, having the buttons mounted inside the trunk, and having the hatch key in your wallet so in any situation like this, you just open the trunk and open it, and you don't have to worry about anything accidently hitting it and opening your doors while its running
WOW! This is a GREAT thread - very informitive and very smoooooth look!
IMO - shave the doors handle, moulding & antenna... Definatly have some type of back up for a dead battery or any other issues that may arise, I like the "manual" cable in the trunk idea the best...
My 'Vert is in dire need of a paint job - looks like I've got some extra work to do before she goes to the shop...
The www.autoloc.com site that was mentioned in an earlier post has a lot of great products that many have mentioned they'd like to use... The "UltraTouch", Shaved door kits, Hidden Antenna - a ton of possibilities! Maybe if we can get enough interest going a "group purchase" could be in order...
Well I finally got that button attached like I had talked about. Took me long enough. I will post it on here and hopefully not be hijacking this thread. I posted a video of it on youtube. The first time I press the button the car is running and then I shut off the car and tried the button again. Here's the page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8_s0EOvC1Q
Well I finally got that button attached like I had talked about. Took me long enough. I will post it on here and hopefully not be hijacking this thread. I posted a video of it on youtube. The first time I press the button the car is running and then I shut off the car and tried the button again. Here's the page: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8_s0EOvC1Q
Having the button not work is good for security purposes, but also makes it useless.
Think about it....
You stop, turn the engine off (but leave the key in the ignition, in the Off position), fumble around inside/talk on your cell...Whatever.
Lock the doors, you hop out, shut the door.......
Now your keys are inside, so if you have an alarm that can trigger the poppers, you can't do that. Nor does your hidden button work, because the ignition is off. Your now locked out, the keys inside & your hidden button doesn't work.
Might wanna rethink the button wiring, to make it of any use. Nice concept, bad execution.
I first found a spot to hide the button and by the drivers windshield wiper was the best spot. I then cut out a bracket out of steel and drilled the holes and bent it to fit perfect. A rustproof paint was used to keep the bracket from falling apart. Then I put in the momentary button and put a “fuel primer bubble” from a weed eater over the button. Then super glued the bubble down and surrounded it with silicone to make the top water proof. Then I soldered the wire on the back of the button and COMPLETELY covered that in silicone and waterproofed it. Button done and ready.
Having the button not work is good for security purposes, but also makes it useless.
Think about it....
You stop, turn the engine off (but leave the key in the ignition, in the Off position), fumble around inside/talk on your cell...Whatever.
Lock the doors, you hop out, shut the door.......
Now your keys are inside, so if you have an alarm that can trigger the poppers, you can't do that. Nor does your hidden button work, because the ignition is off. Your now locked out, the keys inside & your hidden button doesn't work.
Might wanna rethink the button wiring, to make it of any use. Nice concept, bad execution.
How is it bad execution if it does exactly what it's designed to do?
If I understand it right, he wants to be able to start the car and walk away while it warms up and have a way get back into the car.
Anyway, I will add the pictures here. And I don't need your criticism. Not asking if you like it, just showing a way to do it. Just because we all don't do things the way you like it, Stephen, doesn't mean it's wrong.
7.4L LSX
. That's what I get for doing wiring diagrams while at work. You don't necessarily have to have the power and grounds for the relays connected to each other, I just figured that was easier than running new power and ground wires for the new relay. Yes the "Door Control Module" is the control box for the door popper system. Right, the "Amp Remote Wire" will connect to the Switch, then to one side of the relay. The other side of the relay connects to Ground. That way, when the car is running power will flow through the "Amp Remote Wire" to the Switch through the Relay to energize it and to Ground. 
SORRY!
