Help! 2 shave or not 2 shave?

[obsesive23]

Ok I'm to that critical point were I have to make a decision, but I need help.
Here's my question, Should I shave my door handles and locks? My dad says yes my wife says no, I'm not sure. What should I do? What's the pros and cons? I know you guys either have done this or know some one that has. I'm not worried about the labor just the looks and potential problems. Thanks for your help you guys rock!

[Bamm]

There is middle ground you know. I am going with a newer vehicle flush mount handle that can be painted the body color and blend in more. It will take some fab work, but thats not a problem. I haven't started that part of the project yet so I haven't found a vehicle with a slight curve that will be easier to get to fit right, but with all the different door handle setups out there, it shouldn't be too hard. Good luck with your truck whichever way you go..........Jerry

[smitty62]

IMO it just isn't worth it. It doesn't add enough to the looks of a truck to be worth the hassle. Many other mods that add more to the appearance with less work & $$

[my new 72]

If done PROPERLY, a shaved system works flawlessly and gives NO hassles. I typed certain words in bold for a reason, because doing it right and not cutting corners is the difference in whether or not You have to break a window to get in your truck one day or not. Mine is shaved and never fails me, not even close.

[RON WOODGEARD]

There's a couple of guys here that have shaved doors, I'm going to do it also, I think it just puts the Rat Rod/Old School touch to them, And after all.. They are Old.. :p You will have to install an Emergency pull cable, hidden of course to have a way to enter if the battery fails.

It's like "Anything" we do to our trucks, It's a personal preference and taste. And if you were to do the shave, and not like it for some reason, you can always trade your doors for stock doors.. ( that is before you spend the money for paint..

Cochino Here on this board, has posted some pictures of his Selinoid install, He used just standard electric door lock mechanisms.

[Shane65]

I shaved the handles on my Chevy II and 3 years later I'm still glad I did. I also got rid of the vent windows. Cleans up the look. I did incorperate a mechnical means of getting into one door. I have 1/16" aircraft cable going to the door opening mechanism and it goes out through the front lower drain hole and into the front wheelwell. If all else fails I can get in.

[N2TRUX]

SHAVE EM! unless your wanting the restored look, shaved handles really clean the lines up on these trucks. You can use a mechanical back up like everyone suggests, or you can add a hidden wire to create a place to jumper to if your battery dies. You can use a Makita/Dewalt/etc battery to energize the door silonoid....

[Tx Firefighter]

Funny little story:

I've watched the dumb assed kid up the street break 3 windows out of his 90 something Chevy truck in the last 5 years because his battery died. Apparently, he has no backup way into his truck.

Last time this happened, I asked him why he kept breaking the glass everytime. He asked me if I was so smart how else would I recomend he get in to his truck with the shaved door handles. He copped an attitude with me and explained that his truck had the hood release inside the truck and he had to pop the lever to get the hood up so he could get to the battery. Little bastard acted like I was too stupid to know how to open the hood of his truck. (I worked as a GM dealership mechanic, so I'm pretty familiar with these things).

I was going to offer to jack the truck up and connect jumper cables to his positive battery cable at the starter. Then we could pop the solenoid and he would be into the truck with no damage. Instead, being the butthole that I am, I just walked back down the street to my house. I laughed later that afternoon when I saw him up there with a broom and dustpan sweeping up the glass after he broke it. If he'd just not acted so arrogant, I could have saved him some cash.

[lock]

Im not a fan of it unless its a show truck. The drawbacks of no door handles are too high unless it is a show truck that isnt driven much.

[64fleetside]

My buddy has a 93 1500 with a rigged shave job. Has a tampon string hanging out of pass door as a lockout thing but he usually just leaves the window down, I laugh when it rains & he forgets to put the window up. You need to hide the emer lockout thing because someone stole his radio. Another buddy has a 71 that is shaved/rigged also, it has release buttons on the back of the cab, between bed & cab. When you torque it up or twist thru a driveway etc, the bed hits the button & opens the door. Its your truck do what you want but do it right or you will regret it. I really like the fact that these old truck doors usually still operate well after 30+ years. Brian

[LONGHAIR]

I've done it on dozens of cars and trucks over the years. I've done them with manual switches and even key switches like the old alarm switch on 70's Corvettes. The newer ones have been done with remotes. The only time I ever had a problem was one where the customer didn't want an external manual switch. He was worried about someone finding it and getting into his Astro. The problem came when he shut the door with the engine running. The remotes were designed to cut-off the door switches when the engine is running as a safety measure. He ended up bringing it back to me to install the external switch.
I did have to go through the back seat of a 66 Impala one time to get the trunk open when the solenoid failed. It is unlikely that this would ever be a big problem for the doors because you could always get into another door.

Over-all I would recommend them. It cleans up the lines of most vehicles and these trucks have rather large handles.

You could also use the door handles from a newer truck like the '88/up Chevrolets. It takes a bit of work, but it does look cool too....

[XXL]

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by XXL

Any questions......

XXL that is a priceless response.... :p

[Shane65]

About the battery going dead with shaved handles. When I did my brother's 32 Vicky, I put the battery inside behind the rear seat. I ran some 1/0 wire out to the rear and mounted a junction block. This was prevention in case the battery went dead. Just hook up the bosster cables to the junction block. Never needed it but it was nice to know it was there.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

I just shaved mine be careful with the welder as I was a little hot on it and had a hell of a time getting the metal back out with minimal filler I still may replace the door as I have other and just chalk it up to experiance..

[XXL]

This was a practice door... but I also shaved hump off the inside where the lock knob went.

[ghetocrewzer]

I like them both ways but I really like the newstalgic look so I went with PT Cruiser handles on my Burb keep the look of factory just more sleek and streamlined. It is personal preference so do what u like. in the case of dead batteries i just put an external hidden means of gettin unde3r the hood but on our trucks you wont have toi worry about that. I don't like the flush mounted newwer handles on these trucks if you go this route you may as well shave them.

[ghetocrewzer]

here's a pic of the difference of the new and old handles.

[slogo]

ghetocrewzer, how much trouble was to set up the PT handles?? any pics during the install? looks good. i have shaved 'em and like 'em that way but they can be a pain from time to time.

[ghetocrewzer]

the install only took about 30 minutes per handle. had to drill one new hole weld up one hole and weld a longer tab on latch for button to hit. Also on the pt handle you have to remove the rod mechanism and turn it back into just a push button handle. Easy mod

[gabet40]

the kits u can get these days come with not only a back up battery with wiring instructions, but also a little peice of sheet metal with the matching curve of our trucks to shave it clean. the back up battery is only bout 6"widex3"tallx2"deep so u can squeeze it in where ever. this way there is always juice to your handles so if ur battery dies, this one is only tied to ur alarm so ur good to go. i bought my kit through www.a1electric.com
my advise is to make sure u get some strong solenoids and big poppers.
natually if u shave ur handles your gonna want an alarm system with a remote to open them right? cuz thats the only way to do it. the alarm system that i bought (prestige) came with emergency back up wires that we just mounted by the master cylinder. never had to use em but its a good backup.

[Kris Fuller]

I shaved my doors 4 years ago and havent had a bit of problems with them. I also figured a way to wire hidden switches that will never be found on the outside of the truck. If you want to know how e-mail me and I can explain the concept. SHAVE THEM, SHAVE IT ALL

[72 CustomCamper]

I think it's a waste of a good door. I only like shaved handels handels on lead sleads. Looks stupid on everything else to me...


Chuck

[XXL]

Originally Posted by 72 CustomCamper

Looks stupid on everything else to me...

That's why I did mine.

[gabet40]

one way i fooled theives with mine was by putting a back up switch exactly where they would look for it but instead of wiring it to the door, i wired it straight to the instant alarm trigger. got em everytime