Love the look...but not always with the function Past projects). Anyone have them shaved, door poppers - using stock latches? Or is changing to jaw latches necessary? Love Kendig handles - but they are a ton of work.... Trying to decide - Shaved or T-Bird handles. What do ye all say?
Mine are shaved and I still have the stock latches. I installed some spring loaded door poppers which are not electric. They basically just push the door open enough when the latch is triggered so you can grab them. I also installed an emergency pull cable to trigger the latch when the windows are up and the vent window is locked. Short video of it working below.
Where did you get the spring loaded poppers? My Merc has shaved handles and ****ons under the rocker panels but no solenoids. It was like that when I bought it. I'd rather not deal with electric poppers if I can avoid it.
Dakota Digital. https://www.dakotadigital.com/index.cfm/page/ptype=product/product_id=395/mode=prod/prd395.htm
When the door closes the spring is loaded so all you have to do is trigger the door latch. Simply reaching through the vent window or open window and pulling the inside door handle will pop the doors out. I also installed a pull cable up front which runs through the door to the latch in case I ever need to leave the windows up and the vent window latched.
A junkyard alternative would be a Chrysler Sebring convertible trunk, they had spring loaded poppers from the factory. When you pushed the trunk release ****on they forced the trunk lid up past the latch so you could open it. Just FYI. Mark
Dos Cinco - shaved my 50...door poppers and all...put the ****ons in the wiper grille - you could push it with a comb. But sometimes the latch would catch as the poppers released - then you're stuck. Had to cut and install jaw latches. I just don't want that h***le. Yours ever get caught up on the latch?
So far that hasn't been an issue for me but thanks for putting that out into the car universe. It is most sure to happen to me now! I have the striker plate greased up pretty well so the doors open well. The only latch issue I have is sometimes on the close the star gear doesn't turn so the door won't close
Looking at installing a hidden pull level near the inner wheel well. But keep my outer door locks so I can still lock the car. Think like a bicycle brake lever. on my 57 hardtop pushing the inner latch ****on pops the door enough to pull it. But still thinking of adding the spring popper as a helper. I have read some install them on the hinge side of the door. I would say if your stock latch it’s working use it. You might just have to figure out a wait to have a wire to actuate it. You’d be providing the pull the Solenoid provides
This is exactly what I have in place except my spring popper is on the latch side down at the bottom corner of the door. The pull cable I have looks like a bike brake/choke cable and it runs through the fender/door and attaches to the inner handle mechanism. Pulling the cable moves the handle and opens the door. The door can still be locked from the inside, if needed, but without handles there isn't much point in locking mine. This is the cable I used in case anyone is interested. Pull Cable
I removed the door handles from my model A pickup and my 1939 Ford convertible, I only experienced problems once, battery died so the back up release didn't work. At this point in my life I don't have a problem with door handles, if you do remove them make sure you have some sort of backup way to open the door, a brick is not the best method but it does work. HRP
A rock was the first "remote keyless entry", a brick will work as well if it hits right. Just don't try to use a hammer!
I love the look of a shaved door, however, inline with all of the folks on this thread I have experienced problems with getting the door to open on occasion. I even had the reverse situation once. The door would not latch because the cable going out to the inner fender - for emergency use - became bound by the flex hose that keeps the wiring together when the door is open. I rerouted the cable and that seems to have fixed the problem. I also had some sprung steel "poppers" that were supposed to actually push the door open once the latch was operated by my remote. This caused me a headache because they put more pressure on the latch and the new solenoids did not have enough "oomph" to overcome that pressure and operate the latch. As I said, I love the look - very SMOOTH as Carlos Santana would say. However I do not intend to ever have another vehicle with door poppers!!!
Great look but you have to have a "hidden" emergency pull cable. One of my buddies has a OT C10 truck with the pull inside the fender well on one side.
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