i just started body work on my car and ive seen some on here shave the lines around the door handle do i need apply body filler all around the handle or just the line???thanks

 

What do ya need door handles for?

 

you mean shave the handle completely or make the door handle look like its part of the door and not seperate. If its the latter then you havent seen "some" on here that did it. Several people have shaved their handles but I am the only one on here that has removed the lines making the door handle look like its part of the door. There was one other guy that did it in Canada but he had a problem with his cracking.

You cant just apply filler or it will crack. And I hate to sound like a jerk because I really am not and am usually one of the most helpful people on here but if you want to do it then you have to figure out how to attach it without welding (cant weld pot metal) and not have it crack plus the work you will need to do. I just dont want to share that info right now since I havent completely finished it and dont want someone that copied me to beat me to having it finished ...sorry. In a couple of months if I finish them then I will be more than happy to help you out with the little secrets to doing them...even though its stuff you can figure out.

I will tell you this...it is a LOT of work getting the curves and such just right.

anyway is this what you are talking about:





or this (Shavedmax's car)

 

you can use a fiberglass bondo to fill in the lines and that stuff don't crack too easily unless you don't mix it right. as far as welding you would have to fab up the entire bracket for the handles because if memery serves me correctly the actual door handles and bracket are pastic if i remember. i not too sure it's been a long time since i have had door handles on my max

 

why not just pull the door handles out, and weld a plate in there? i mean shaved cars

 

just make sure if you lose your handle, have back up entry system other than poppers. That cost me a rear qaurter window once....

 

ya take it to a body shop and let the professionals do it. imo the best way..then if something ****s up you can go back and say "this is ****ed up" but if you wanna do it yourself just to go any bodyshop and buy some body filler and stage your sanding routine..so low grit to high grit for smoothing purposes

 

I'm the guy from Canada that tried it as well. I did it to one door, but the car was a pos and the effort required was not worth it imo, so I ultimately got rid of the car.
The handles are pot metal like Micheal said, and can not be welded. Bondo will not work - it will definately crack. The sanding stage is the toughest part by far.
If I were you, and you really wanted to have 'normal' looking door handles, I would simply remove the existing ones, fill the area with metal (requires welding) and then transplant handles from another vehicle. That may sound like more work, but trust me, it's really not.
I'll let Micheal decide when to reveal his 'how to' secret. He is the originator of this (and many other things) for sure!

 

you going to remove that moulding groove too for S&Gs?

 

Hey man how you been? I figured you got tired of 3rd gens and left the forum. I havent seen you in a while. I was looking for your page a month or so ago but cant find it.


Dan...na I like the molding grooves...it adds character

 

I'm still around......., I only visit the forum on occasion tho. I've been working on my black Max (got rid of the silver one awhile ago). Also bought a house and have been tinkering around with stuff like this in my new garage...

(non-maxima related)
http://www.sculpture.net/community/s...ead.php?t=2280

 

i remember shavdmax selling a kit he had to shave the handles and it included door poppers...pretty sure nobody bought them but if i had the money at the time i know i would have done it now.....hindsight is only 20/20

 

also your paint CH0 is a PITA to match and if you do repaint the doors prepare to repaint the entire car. that's why i didn't do too many body mods.

 

so question for those guys with the completely shaved handles..how do you open your doors? remotely and hydrolics? just wanna be sure I know about this 'feature' for future reference plus the org is the first and only place I see this whole shaved handle thing beside the chicago autoshow this year.

 

people have been putting these on hotrods for years and years. just a solenoid or actuator..... door poppers

 

lol sorry I'm not old enough to know much about hotrods :P

 

lol so im old?

 

Indubitably. You are 5 years older than me

 

I bought a kit from shavedmax. It included 2 poppers, alarm, soliniods, and pre already cut filler plates for the doors. Saved alot of time and money for sure.

 

i don't know about you other guys with shaved door handles but i have a HELL of a time opening my door when it freezing outside kinda makes me want to at least put the drivers front door handle back on. i actual have been thinking about doing it and molding it in. although it does look so good without them. i have been trying to picture it but the only thing that has stopped me is the fact i think it would look RE+ARDED. any opinions.

PS sorry not trying to steal the thread

 

How about you try spraying some Silicone Spray on the rubber insulation around the door, if that doesnt freeze then the doors shouldn't stick. Try that and if it doesnt work then consider what you currently are considering.

 

its not the rubber that sticks it's the actuator not engaging all the way. That is my problem. i guess i should have said that earlier

 

Are you using soliniods?

 

yeah just one handle molded back in will look really bad imo.

 

I'm using gear driven not electromagnetic. I know i need to stop being cheap and buy some good ones but it's only a problem when it freezing cold

 

hmmm...
buying the right part > not opening door in the freezing cold

 

so you'll spend 30 bucks on door sils... but not solinoids.

 

yeah i know i just don't think about it until i have a problem that's why on the topic i just ordered a electromagnetic actuator with 45 lbs. pull if that don't work I'm screwed. the actuator i have now i think is rated at 30 lbs. but is gear driven... if i remember correctly but it has been awhile since i got them so they might be less.


As far as the sills that's hitting below the belt

 

Mine are 15lb. Thats all you need. Just makes sure when you mount it. It pulles the cable in straight. If it's off enough to for the cable to touch the plastic collar you'll have problems.

about the sills... I was having a bad day, I went through 2 rolls of tint. our frikn windows are sooo tight. I'm probubly going to have to remove each one to get em tinted right.....

 

I had ones that were for a trunk release (electromagnetic)that i got at the local junk yard and those worked OK but they didn't have that great of a pull so i had to hit the button several times before it would pop which is why i have been running gear drive actuators. I had it those hooked up to a button that was on the mirror (real hard to see) and at the time i still had the lock functional but from time to time the actuator would get hung up just a hair which doesn't allow for the locks to unlock. So i complete removed the locking system all together. Now i have the actuator running off the alarm so it became a pain in the AZZ to arm than dis arm the alarm over and over till it popped at least the button you could hit it multiple times but since i put BMW M3 mirrors no use on drilling a hole in a new set of mirrors.