shaved door handles and trunk

[chuck1985]

Has anyone shaved all four doors and a trunk or anyone has any tips on how or what i should do to go about this? Thank you everyone for the help.

[GregFarz78]

Someone should do a write up on shaving body parts I know the basic theory of it but a write up with some pictures would be nicer :)

[TA^Guy]

- Quick rundown.

Before you remove your handles install your solenoids and get them working properly.

Then remove your handles, make a paper templet of the opening, and transfer it to 18-20 gauge sheet metal and cut them out.

Remove any paint or coatings atleast a inch from the area being welded.

If any curves are needed, shape the panel to match the body line as close as you can before welding it into place.

Once formed make a few tack welds to hold it in, cooling the panel and surrounding areas with a cool damp rag between tacks. Alternate tacks from side to side, top to bottom to prevent heat build up and warping a panel. Keep making small tacks all the way around until the panel is fully stiched in.

Grind down the welds, because you can warp a paenl just as fast grinding as you can welding. Feather out painted surfaced with some 400 grit paper.

Clean the surface and mix up some body filler, my favorite is light weight filler like Rage Gold. Mix up small amounts first, if you apply too much you will hate yourself sanding it down. Easier to mix and apply more than it is to sand off excess.

Spread filler well beyond the area so you can feather it in.

Sand it down using long blocks will help keep it even, if you are knocking down alot use cross hatches while sanding. Never use sand paper without some kind of backing, you'll end up with grovves due to pressure at your fingers.

When smooth and flawless clean and spray the area with some epoxy primer to seal out moisture, and finish with paint.

[Gagt518]

Great tutorial John :thumbup:

[Blackhawk]

Definitely make sure it's not getting too hot. We've got an older Chevy truck in the shop at school that had one of its gas doors shaved, and the dumbass put on welding got lazy and laid a nice thick BEAD! Took me three and a half weeks, hour a day almost every day to get it back flush (teacher didn't want to break welds or have the extra headache of pulling that big of a warped panel back into place so we duraglassed it, only using lightweight filler and glaze putty on the very top like 5 layers).
Don't do it this way because it probably will crack, and if you're looking at this to be a show car you don't want that headache. (The truck will be daily driven and used to tow project vehicles so cracking is no big deal.)

[Trigga-T]

johns tutorial is 100% correct. thats the way to do it. i've done plenty of shaved handle jobs, when i get another one ill take pics if i remember. you have to be very careful not to warp it. its not fun to try to fix it. i had that problem the very first set i did. and let me tell you, you'll learn ur lesson real quick. and find someone good to do your popper kit and make sure its a good kit and not some cheap shit.

[Blackhawk]

Use a Spal shaved door kit, poppers and solenoid.

[Trigga-T]

yea use spal or autoloc but autoloc is expensive. both are good kits. aslong as it aint a real cheap kit you'll be ok. the solenoids on the cheap kits **** up alot

[Sweet98GA]

I run with autoloc, and I haven't had any problems w/ them and i've been shaved since 2005, but it's absolutely imparative that you run at least the 50lb popper kit from them (or anywhere really)

[ga5speed02]

Someone should do a write up on shaving body parts I know the basic theory of it but a write up with some pictures would be nicer :)


i had one but lost all the pics :doh:

- Quick rundown.

Before you remove your handles install your solenoids and get them working properly.

Then remove your handles, make a paper templet of the opening, and transfer it to 18-20 gauge sheet metal and cut them out.

Remove any paint or coatings atleast a inch from the area being welded.

If any curves are needed, shape the panel to match the body line as close as you can before welding it into place.

Once formed make a few tack welds to hold it in, cooling the panel and surrounding areas with a cool damp rag between tacks. Alternate tacks from side to side, top to bottom to prevent heat build up and warping a panel. Keep making small tacks all the way around until the panel is fully stiched in.

Grind down the welds, because you can warp a paenl just as fast grinding as you can welding. Feather out painted surfaced with some 400 grit paper.

Clean the surface and mix up some body filler, my favorite is light weight filler like Rage Gold. Mix up small amounts first, if you apply too much you will hate yourself sanding it down. Easier to mix and apply more than it is to sand off excess.

Spread filler well beyond the area so you can feather it in.

Sand it down using long blocks will help keep it even, if you are knocking down alot use cross hatches while sanding. Never use sand paper without some kind of backing, you'll end up with grovves due to pressure at your fingers.

When smooth and flawless clean and spray the area with some epoxy primer to seal out moisture, and finish with paint.


tho i have done it, using the wet rag is not really a good idea. from the hot metal to the cooling rag creates a chemical breakdown in the metal. i hear thats how you can get high and low spots. but then again i am NOT pro.


Use a Spal shaved door kit, poppers and solenoid.

i tend to agree. spal kit and solenoid, but auto loc poppers. the spal poppers suck so bad, the could suck the chrome off a bumper

yea use spal or autoloc but autoloc is expensive. both are good kits. aslong as it aint a real cheap kit you'll be ok. the solenoids on the cheap kits **** up alot

i have to disagree. the auto lock kit is horible. the solenoids are garbage. every one i know (except for Guss) has had problems. the brain and all might be good, but not the solenoids.

[TA^Guy]

From what I understand the Autolock solenoids tend to rust up if you drive in bad weather often. Just what I hear.
tho i have done it, using the wet rag is not really a good idea. from the hot metal to the cooling rag creates a chemical breakdown in the metal. i hear thats how you can get high and low spots. but then again i am NOT pro.
Actually Mike a better way I have found to cool the area down in blowing compressed air across the area. It actually cools it much faster than a damp rag.

Here are some photos of my friends Civic done years ago.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/ClubECM/Modification%20Days/02%20March%2024/BODYWRK03.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/ClubECM/Modification%20Days/02%20March%2024/BODYWRK06.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/ClubECM/Modification%20Days/02%20March%2024/BODYWRK10.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/ClubECM/Modification%20Days/02%20March%2024/BODYWRK18.jpg

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l120/ClubECM/Modification%20Days/02%20March%2024/BODYWRK19.jpg

Also note the body line in the first photo has holes and is square, last photo holes are filled and it has a nice rounded edge to the body line... Little trick with some filler, a old beer can and some sandpaper. Of course holes were welded closed first. :)

[ga5speed02]

nice, you have to teach me the beer can method like joe showed me beer can chicken

[Trigga-T]

ive had the autoloc kit for 1.5 years and mines fine. no probs at all. yea compressed air is a good way to stop from warping as well. that honda looks good. all cars look better with no handles they should just come from the factory like that haha

[TA^Guy]

nice, you have to teach me the beer can method like joe showed me beer can chicken
Mike filler was added to the body line and then sand paper wrapped around the can and used as a sanding block. :)

[jrbracing15]

Mike filler was added to the body line and then sand paper wrapped around the can and used as a sanding block. :)

the can full while sanding so it didn't crush? then you could drink it up after your work is done ;) (of course you clean it off before drinking)

[ga5speed02]

Mike filler was added to the body line and then sand paper wrapped around the can and used as a sanding block. :)

nice ill have to try it out. oh yea i heard of compressed air as well as a cooling method