What are shaved door handles?
To shave a part means to remove it. A car with shaved door handles is a car without door handles. It looks a lot cleaner and is a very popular mod on show
cars. You can still get into the car by pressing a button on a keychain. It will unlock the door and pop it open. The same applies to the trunk. The keyhole
and/or handle are removed and the trunk is accessed by a remote button.
Often, a hidden button is placed somewhere on the car that can be used to pop the doors open if the remote door opener is lost.
First and foremost:
l This mod will require basic welding and body work skills. If you can weld, this should be an easy mod for you to do.
l Will you void the warranty on your vehicle if you rip the door handles off? You should check first if this is a concern for you.
l Will your vehicle pass inspection in your state or local area with extremely modified doors?
Shaving your handles...
Despite what you may believe, shaving door handles is not that difficult to do There are plenty of body shops out there that will charge you well over
$1,000 for this modification, but that is a ridiculous price to pay for what you are really getting. Yes, it looks like an extreme mod, and it does require a
little hard work, trial and error, and patience. However, the only parts that you will need can be obtained for less than $400.
The toughest part of this project will be welding. If you have cutting and welding tools, you should have no trouble at all.
Parts List
I recommend purchasing the AutoLoc "35lb Remote Shaved Door Kit" (Part #: SVPRO3). It is $250, but will
provide everything you will need for a perfect and reliable shaved door handle installation.
An Overview of Shaving Handles
Shaving door handles is not that complicated. In fact, the kit above is everything you will need to shave your
handles! The kit above also has very detailed instructions on how to do the installation.
This guide is just a supplemental guide to the Scissor Door and Suicide Door conversions. Shaving the door
handles would be a nice addition to either scissor or suicide doors. Since it is such as an easy process, I went
ahead and included this information as a free bonus. It's not much, but it definitely shows how easy it is to shave
your handles... especially compared to the radical door conversions that I did describe in detail!
Basically, you just tear your door apart and remove the connections to the door latch release lever. You then need
to attach a solenoid to the latch's release lever via a steel cable. The solenoid will pull the cable and release the
latch whenever activated. The AutoLoc kit includes a keychain to control the solenoid, which in turn opens the car
door.
That's all there is to it! Simply follow the instructions with the kit. Then shave the door handles from the vehicle.
I've included details on the actual shaving process below.
I've also attached two other shaved door handle installation guides that you can review:
Remote Controlling the Doors
Here are the basics of the remote door popper. I won't go into extreme detail with this installation because the
different kits come with different parts and different instructions.
l You'll have a keychain controller for popping open either the driver or passenger door. You can also control
4 doors if you have a 4-door vehicle.
l You get a heavy-duty back up button to install under the vehicle to pop the doors open in the event that your
keychain controller ever quits working.
l A solenoid will be mounted inside the door vertically in line with the latch's release lever. A solenoid is a
small device that can pull with a large amount of force. You connect a steel cable from the solenoid to the
latch release lever. The solenoid can be controlled by the keychain controller. When the solenoid is
activated, it will pull the release lever and the latch will pop the door open. The AutoLoc 35lb solenoid will
be more than enough to pop the door open immediately every time!
l You get (2) long range remote control units.
l (3) Heavy-duty relays.
l 1/16 Pre-stretched stainless steel cable.
l Brackets and mounting hardware.
The wireless solenoid system is very easy to install, and it comes with very nice instructions. All that you need to
know is the basics of how the system works. By knowing the basics, the installation should go very smoothly, or
you could even opt to design your own solution for opening the doors.
If you have a very customized car, and have future plans to automatically pop the trunk and/or the gas tank, or if
you wish to control some other electronic device, you may want to go with the AutoLoc 16-function remote
systems. The range is up to 300ft, and you can control a lot more devices with the controller.
The Actual Shaving...
Mark the area to be removed from the door. A rectangular shape is the best since it will be easy to cut out a piece
of sheet metal to take its place. Once you've marked the shape to remove, go ahead and take a die grinder or cut
off wheel, and cut it out as shown below.
Then, cut out a plate of the exact same size and weld it in place.
Do not leave any holes or gaps. Grind the welds down and apply plastic filler and sand to the desired shape of the
car. Strip the paint from the rest of the door and sand it smooth. Then you can prime and sand the door. Once you
are happy with the shape of your work, you can refinish the door to match your vehicle. The paint type and color
will vary depending on the make, model, and color of your vehicle. If you are unsure of what to use, ask an auto
body specialist.
Repeat for the other door!
To shave a part means to remove it. A car with shaved door handles is a car without door handles. It looks a lot cleaner and is a very popular mod on show
cars. You can still get into the car by pressing a button on a keychain. It will unlock the door and pop it open. The same applies to the trunk. The keyhole
and/or handle are removed and the trunk is accessed by a remote button.
Often, a hidden button is placed somewhere on the car that can be used to pop the doors open if the remote door opener is lost.
First and foremost:
l This mod will require basic welding and body work skills. If you can weld, this should be an easy mod for you to do.
l Will you void the warranty on your vehicle if you rip the door handles off? You should check first if this is a concern for you.
l Will your vehicle pass inspection in your state or local area with extremely modified doors?
Shaving your handles...
Despite what you may believe, shaving door handles is not that difficult to do There are plenty of body shops out there that will charge you well over
$1,000 for this modification, but that is a ridiculous price to pay for what you are really getting. Yes, it looks like an extreme mod, and it does require a
little hard work, trial and error, and patience. However, the only parts that you will need can be obtained for less than $400.
The toughest part of this project will be welding. If you have cutting and welding tools, you should have no trouble at all.
Parts List
I recommend purchasing the AutoLoc "35lb Remote Shaved Door Kit" (Part #: SVPRO3). It is $250, but will
provide everything you will need for a perfect and reliable shaved door handle installation.
An Overview of Shaving Handles
Shaving door handles is not that complicated. In fact, the kit above is everything you will need to shave your
handles! The kit above also has very detailed instructions on how to do the installation.
This guide is just a supplemental guide to the Scissor Door and Suicide Door conversions. Shaving the door
handles would be a nice addition to either scissor or suicide doors. Since it is such as an easy process, I went
ahead and included this information as a free bonus. It's not much, but it definitely shows how easy it is to shave
your handles... especially compared to the radical door conversions that I did describe in detail!
Basically, you just tear your door apart and remove the connections to the door latch release lever. You then need
to attach a solenoid to the latch's release lever via a steel cable. The solenoid will pull the cable and release the
latch whenever activated. The AutoLoc kit includes a keychain to control the solenoid, which in turn opens the car
door.
That's all there is to it! Simply follow the instructions with the kit. Then shave the door handles from the vehicle.
I've included details on the actual shaving process below.
I've also attached two other shaved door handle installation guides that you can review:
Remote Controlling the Doors
Here are the basics of the remote door popper. I won't go into extreme detail with this installation because the
different kits come with different parts and different instructions.
l You'll have a keychain controller for popping open either the driver or passenger door. You can also control
4 doors if you have a 4-door vehicle.
l You get a heavy-duty back up button to install under the vehicle to pop the doors open in the event that your
keychain controller ever quits working.
l A solenoid will be mounted inside the door vertically in line with the latch's release lever. A solenoid is a
small device that can pull with a large amount of force. You connect a steel cable from the solenoid to the
latch release lever. The solenoid can be controlled by the keychain controller. When the solenoid is
activated, it will pull the release lever and the latch will pop the door open. The AutoLoc 35lb solenoid will
be more than enough to pop the door open immediately every time!
l You get (2) long range remote control units.
l (3) Heavy-duty relays.
l 1/16 Pre-stretched stainless steel cable.
l Brackets and mounting hardware.
The wireless solenoid system is very easy to install, and it comes with very nice instructions. All that you need to
know is the basics of how the system works. By knowing the basics, the installation should go very smoothly, or
you could even opt to design your own solution for opening the doors.
If you have a very customized car, and have future plans to automatically pop the trunk and/or the gas tank, or if
you wish to control some other electronic device, you may want to go with the AutoLoc 16-function remote
systems. The range is up to 300ft, and you can control a lot more devices with the controller.
The Actual Shaving...
Mark the area to be removed from the door. A rectangular shape is the best since it will be easy to cut out a piece
of sheet metal to take its place. Once you've marked the shape to remove, go ahead and take a die grinder or cut
off wheel, and cut it out as shown below.
Then, cut out a plate of the exact same size and weld it in place.
Do not leave any holes or gaps. Grind the welds down and apply plastic filler and sand to the desired shape of the
car. Strip the paint from the rest of the door and sand it smooth. Then you can prime and sand the door. Once you
are happy with the shape of your work, you can refinish the door to match your vehicle. The paint type and color
will vary depending on the make, model, and color of your vehicle. If you are unsure of what to use, ask an auto
body specialist.
Repeat for the other door!
I take no credit for this DYI I had this on my PC and figure it can help some because this is something I will never do to my car
