how big of a hole does the door handle make. lowflyin if your out there with pics please post

 

I'm not sure what you mean about how big of a hole you will need to make in order to cut out the door handles.....

But here is a picture of my handle gone....

What exactly are you asking for?

 

when you take the handles out how big of a hole is there that you must fill

 

FLYNLOW92rs that is the sickest 3rd gen I ever seen.

 

Technically, you can just take the handles and key holes out of the door and just fill the small indents and holes....

But i cut around the door handles about 1 inch in either direction to fill it with a new piece of sheetmetal......


thanks for the compliment F585

 

do you have any pics of when you were doing it like step photos or even a vid, thanks

 

unfortunatly not, I didn't perform the work, I had a shop do the work.....

 

o

 

I do!

 

Oh, this brings back such fond memories

 

I have more (pretty much of the whole process), but I think these should show you what you were looking for.

 

doesnt look to bad and on a black car it wouldnt look bad at all. where did you guys put the key hole im thinkin under the mirror

 

There isn't a key anymore. You remove the tumbler and linkage along with the door handle. Then a solenoid is used to pull on the linkage for the latch. Since there is no exterior door handle, there is no need for a lock.

 

yo fly how much they charge you to shave your handles? sounds like something i would want to do, that and get an internal antenna so i can shave down the antenna hole in my bird

 

TOTAL for everything was like $750

Door popper kit
Viper Alarm
Body Work
Installation of kit & alarm

 

what happens if somebody finds your popper or what happens if your bat goes out

 

If you were to do a *search* you would find the posts (yes, there are several) where both Flyinlow and/or I have explained how it works (and there are even more threads where other people explain it). But, once more shouldn't hurt.

The kit comes with a button that is wired directly to the relay for the driver's door solenoid. Usually this button is mounted on the outside of the vehicle. If you've ever seen older hotrods where they pushed a button directly under the door to get in, it's like that. I've also seen them mounted on the bottom of the side mirror. Now, I'm not one for placing a button on the outside of my car that would let people in. So I installed mine in the locking compartment in the hatch. That way, if the battery in my remote dies, I just open the hatch, open the locked compartment, push the button, and voila, my driver's side door opens.

As far as someone finding the remote? It's no different than having a keyless entry remote. I've actually thought about going to a push-button start so that I didn't have to use any keys for my car at all.

As far as cost:
If you're going to be doing the door poppers yourself (it's not to hard if you have the right tools) then look for a kit on ebay.

I paid $650 to have the door handles and antenna shaved, and the car smoothed and primered. I bought the poppers and installed them myself.

 

i wasnt gonna do electronic i was gonna do either cable or rod operated. the key would work and then you pop it that way even if you find my popper you still cant get in. neat huh? or stupid?

 

I find the solenoid method to be much easier, and a direct install.
I think Redraif kept her power door locks when she shaved the door handles. So it's entirely possible to keep the lock (she did remove the outside cylinder). However, IMHO, it's a bad idea. Should the door fail to unlock, you wouldn't be able to get in. Now if you kept the stock door panels, then you could just open the other door, reach across and unlock it. But if you do like I did and remove the door panel and the latch and lock handles, then no such luck.

The only other thing I can think of is that some door lock actuators are able to register when the door is locked/unlocked. If you were to use one of these then you could remove the door handle and keep the lock. Then have the unlock signal from the actuator trigger the solenoid. That might be kinda cool. But ultimately the whole idea of shaving is to smooth out the body lines and have just a lock sitting in the middle of the door would really stick out. By the time you went to all the effort of moving it out of sight, I don't think I'd be worth it.

 

i was planning on moving the cylinder under the mirror and have a toe solinoid popper right under the ground effects

 

I would say just shave everything off.........and don't look back

Don't make all these loop holes JUST IN CASE something goes wrong.......Crawl in through your hatch, it's not that bad......

 

well i have mediocre welding skills. do you think i could do it. also will i have to get new door panels, how do you install the popper kit. do you think a foot poper is a good idea or where are some good ideas

 

I think as long as you have the necessary tools/ability to weld the metal without warping it you'll be fine. I had originally planned to do it myself but had neither and it cost as much (in fact probably less) to have someone else do it instead of buying all the needed tools.

This will show you the basic "anatomy" of the solenoid/popper system.
http://www.raxo.net/jeremy/Camaro%20Website/shaved.html

And what do you mean by a foot popper?

 

do you need power locks for the shaved handles? or is it like a complete new setup in the kit they installed?

 

^^^^The link in my post above shall lead you to enlightenment.

Door locks are no longer required since no one can walk up to the car and open the door. The system operates by remote or can be connected to an alarm system.

And jocww, sry I forgot to answer your door panel question. No modification is necessary inside the car. Several people on here with shaved door handles retain the stock door panel. I did not, mostly for the sake of appearance. At the same type I shaved the door handles, I converted to power windows. So basically I was then able to get rid of the door latch (the handle inside to open the door) the lock switch, and the window crank. That would have made for an unusual looking factory door panel. So I just went the custom route and have a single button to open the door and a power window switch installed in the new panels. There are more pics/details on my website if you need them.

 

so then how do you open your doors from the inside. i would still like to open the doors from the inside handle

 

Then just leave your interior setup the way it is. The kit you install doesn't require the removal of anything (in fact, it's a good idea to install the kit a few days before you actually remove the door handles, just incase something goes wrong you can still get in). So everything will continue to work like before.

In my car, I just wired a button (the red one) to the relay for the solenoid. When the button is pushed, it activates the solenoid, opening the door.

 

ic if this goes well i might do it to our hiboy

 

If you shop around enough, you can do shaved doors for under $100. That is if you do all the work yourself and have the tools as mentioned.

I did all the hole filling the same as joezero. Just welded up everything real nice and groud the welds so I didn't need to use body filler. Came out really smooth after painting. Total cost of metal and borrowing friends welder, $10 bucks and a bottle of his chosen beverage lol.

For the actuators, I used the stock power door lock actuators and wired it to use only the unlock button. Worked flawless until it got totalled lol.

For remote entry, I used an Audiovox alarm I picked up for $35. It was cheap, made noise, flashed some lights and had an output for power door locks.

I kept the interior handle operational as well. Since it was my only car at the time, I had to work fast, but I got it done in a day.

A crappy picture, but that's how it turned out.

That was taken the day before putting the air dam back on.

It's pretty easy to do yourself if you have basic skills and knowledge and really want to tackle the project yourself.

It's how I learned to do everything on my own cars, lol. Just do it. Although I did go to school for automotive about 10 years ago, I learned more with real world hands on than I did from school.

 

I think shaved antennas look cool, but i wouldnt go as far as the door handles. So i have a question when u shave your antenna where did you relocate it???

 

There are a few options. One is to do like I did and put it up in the fender lining or frame rail. Another it to do like Redraif and pull the antenna cable back into the car. Then reconnect the antenna and put it under the dash. The other is to use a powered antenna that mounts either under the dash, or on the windshield.

I don't get the greatest reception, but between the 10 disc changer in the trunk, the cd player in the dash, the dvd player under the seat, and playstation in the back seat, I think I have enough audio sources already

 

put it in the back like on the 4th gens. i think it looks great back there and have no idea why GM didnt release them like that to begin with. fairly simple to do. you can bolt the base to the donut mounting location in the back then pop a hole through. then get enough line to run it back through the car to the head unit. easy stuff man

 

gotta problem here i dont have power locks or windows.

 

You don't need either. Hansolo was just pointing out that you can use power door lock actuators instead of a solenoid. Either will work and there are people on here who run both of those successfully. The key here is that you're adding to your existing system. So everything will work like it always has, you'll just be able to electronically open the door. When I installed my kit, my car was manual everything. Literally, the only real option my car came with was A/C. The door poppers were just the first in a series of power upgrades to the car.

 

so how do i do this. go buy a popper kit. to make it open with my remote i cant just buy an alarm i must also get power locks. but if i dont want to have my doors open with my remote all i will have to buy is a popper kit.
my head hurts to much thinking

 

LOL, I guess we really have been doing our best to try and confuse you


O.k., here goes.

Two things are needed in order to shave the door handles:

1. A device to pull on the latch to open the door. This is usually a door handle, but in this instance we will use either a solenoid, an actuator, or a small elf who lives in the door. It should be noted that I have heard mixed results about going the third route, so we'll just stick to the ones that run on electricity.

Both a solenoid and an actuator perform the same mechanical function (at least in terms of how we will be using them). What we are going to do is use the pulling force of these devices to replace pulling on the door handle. So we'll attach a rod or cord to the latch linkage inside the door. This is the same place that the rod from the door handle connects. Which leads us to:

2. Something to activate the solenoid/actuator. Now in modern times, we use a remote. Back in the day, it used to just be a button on the bottom of the car. If you don't want a remote, a button can easily be mounted on the exterior of the car. Another nifty way is with a special reed switch that is activated by a magnet. Simply wave a magnet passed the relay (often a ring made of magnetic materials is used) and it will activate the solenoid, opening the door.

A remote you say? How about a VCR remote, I don't have any use for those, can I use it? Unfortunately not. However, any remote system designed for use in a car can be used. This includes alarms (using extra channels) and keyless entry kits. Some of the shaved door handle kits (like the one I got from autoloc www.autoloc.com ) come with it's own remote and reciever.

Now then, if you don't want all this fancy high tech junk, you can just use a button mounted somewhere on the car to activate the solenoid.


If you have little money (welcome to the club) there are cheaper ways of doing this. Obviously the most expensive way is a stand alone kit (like the one that this dumbass bought) that includes 2 solenoids, relays, and a remote/reciever pre-programmed for this application. Of course, if you already have an alarm and just want to use the extra channels to open the door, then you can get a kit with just the solenoids, relays, and associated wiring. Even cheaper still is to use a door lock actuator. This route requires a little more fabrication to work, but is definently cheaper. The small elf route is not recommened as you have to pay for worker's comp insurance.

So basically, Hansolo took his existing door lock actuators, modified them to work the latch instead of the lock, and then removed the door handles. If you don't have power locks, then you would need a set of generic actuators or a pair of solenoids. He was being very efficient and put what he had to good use, unlike those of us who don't realize money won't last forever and blow it all (oops).

In summary: There are several ways to go about this project. Everything is removable/reversible up to the point where you weld the filler plate in where the door handles used to be. This is a great mod for several reasons:
1. You will never have to wonder again "did I lock my car?" because there are no locks
2. The nifty factor of being able to open your door at the push of a button.
3. The fun factor of confusing people when they can't figure out how to get into the car. Especially fun when you have an "expert" try to work on your car and they can't get in.

Again, there's a page on my website http://www.raxo.net/jeremy/Camaro%20Website/shaved.html that shows all the parts involved in a solenoid operated system. Also look at some of the manufactures' websites, a lot of them have installation instructions posted. I'm pretty sure www.autoloc.com has them up, I'm not sure about some of the other major manf. tho.

Hope that clears up some of the confusion.

 

how about you take a hr drive west and come help install it for me

 

If you want to take said hour drive east I'd be more than happy to do it for you. Unfortunately my nice shiny car without door handles nor antenna is also sans transmission at the moment. But feel freem to PM or email me about it

 

alright we can help each other out ill help u with ur tranny and u can do my poppers. gonna have to wait awhile tho. have no insurance for the camaro and wont till aug.
now you said you put ur popper in the trunk. can i have two poppers. or actually i like the remote idea. but i would also like to have a popper in the hatch like you incase the bat goes out.

 

This is how my kit is wired, it's the autoloc one.

Basically, red is +12vdc, black is ground, and blue is ground as well.

What happens is that when the reciever gets the signal from the remote, it will ground channel 1 or 2. When that happens, the relay activates powering the solenoid. When the reciever removes ground to the relay, then the solenoid releases. The backup button is just "piggybacked" on the wire for channel 1. The button when pushed allows that wire to ground, activating the solenoid. This is the same way the buttons in the car work to open the doors. So basically, if you have the remote you will also have the emergency button. Usually this button is mounted on the exterior of the car. But since I kept the lock on the rear hatch, I installed the button inside the car so that no one could open the door from outside. The kit that I bought came with everything that is shown in the diagram.

 

im liking it

 

just curious, could u use one of those kits or DIY methods with the outer handles still intact?

 

Certainly, I had the kit installed for several months prior to actually removing the door handles. The problem tho, is that you can't leave the car unlocked, since someone could just open the door. And with the door locked, the poppers won't do any good. So I looked really stupid, walking up to my car, disarming the alarm, unlocking the door, and then standing back to pop the door open with a second remote. But I felt cool (and we all know that is the most important part ) I suppose if you had power door locks and a keyless entry system, then it wouldn't be a problem. At one time I thought about just connecting the door unlock pulse from my alarm to the driver's door relay, so that when I disarmed the alarm, the door would automatically open (which I think would look really sick). The problem is that I'm always getting stuff out of my car that's on the passenger side. So I would have to close the driver's door everytime I got something out, which would be a pain.

So yes, you can do it, although I don't know that you'd want to unless you intend to shave the door handles at a future date.

 

i was just wondering since im a kitt builder, and in the show he could open the doors much like to shaved door kits allow

 

im doin this. just gotta find some time. how much did ur kit cost again. is it a good system. i mean what type of grade. cheap or real nice

 

I got a kit from autoloc. As far as quality and all, it's great. Of course, there's this big marketing thing that says that the bigger the door, the bigger the solenoid must be. This is NOT TRUE. The size of the door has nothing to do with the solenoid. I bought the 50 lb kit, because it was gonna cost me the same as the smaller kits, but it's totally overkill. Others have run with solenoids that are half the size with no problems. There are lots of other manufacturers out there. Autoloc seems to be the most expensive, although I won't say that makes them the best. I believe Summit sells the VPA kit, and there are other manufacturers out there as well. There are some generic kits on ebay for a lot less, but the quality may not be there.

The biggest difference I've seen between the kits is how they connect to the latch. The autoloc kit uses crimp connectors to secure the cable (which, IMO, was the worst part of the design) while the VPA kit uses a slotted bolt and nut type thing to tension the cable.

Usually the biggest thing is to make sure that the latch is properly lubricated to ensure ease of operation for the soleniod.

I don't remember the actual cost, but I bought mine on ebay, I want to say it was in the $60-75 range.

 

was it real hard to set it up. or self explanitory with the directions what size solionoide should i get. is the price dif that big

 

I think there were people on here running like 25lb solenoids. But really if you think about it, how much power does a door lock actuator actually have? Cause those seem to work fine. So I don't think that big of a solenoid is needed.

There can be a pretty dramatic price increase with larger solenoids depending on where you buy it from. Like I said earlier, I bought the bigger ones only because that's all the seller carried, and it was the same (actually I think a little cheaper) to by those off ebay than the smaller ones from somewhere else.

The install itself if pretty straight forward.

If you do a search under Redraif's name, you should find the thread she did about her kit and the install.

 

what is the smalles lb solinoid. if i get a bigger solinoid what will it do pop the door out farther

 

No, this is the marketing driven misconception I was talking about. The solenoid doesn't move the door at all, it simply opens the latch. A popper can be added, which is basically a spring loaded plunger that pushes the door open. This is what will affect how far the door will open. I haven't ever seen these avaliable in an variety, just one standard size/spring rate.

The solenoids are rated by how much they can pull when activated. Thus, a 25lb solenoid will pull on the latch with 25 lbs of force, an 50lb will have 50lbs of pulling power. Now then, this isn't like your engine where more HP and TQ make your car go faster. All you want to do is open the latch. This is a fairly static number. I don't know exactly what it is, but I think it's safely below 25 lbs. Anything beyond that is basically wasted energy (think snapping a toothpick with a sledge hammer. It'll get the job done, but you could have done it with your fingers).