G60 0 Posted March 11, 2003 i've been reading over the posts about alarms as i've been trying to decide what to do with my alarm this spring. i have a clifford, but its toast. because of this.. i wanted to stay away from clifford and was leaning towards viper. but that's not the point... no matter what alarm i decide on, i want to shave off the door handles and trunk button and install a system that will *always* lock the doors when they are closed..because there are no door handles, and without the keyfob, they will NOT open as the locking mechanism will be changed (no coat hangers), inner and outer handles removed, etc i've seen kits that release latches and pop open doors remotely for around $400. i will provide a way to charge a dead battery without getting under the bonnet..at least enough to trigger the doors. so if you're thinkin i'd be knackered with a dead battery, that will be taken care of. i figure this way.. the only way to get in the car without the keyfob is through a busted window... and if some bastid wants to slice his balls all to shit for a shot at stealin my car, well i'll give him a go... still won't be able to start it with the alarm engaged tho! i'm sure some of you foresee some problems with this setup and i'd appreciate comments before i dig in! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W3RKD 0 Posted March 11, 2003 u seem to have it cover'd mate go for it! hope those door seals dont stick in the cold though! lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60Jet 1 Posted March 11, 2003 The corrado door seals stick in the summer heat to believe it or not!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 12, 2003 that was the concern brought up by my friend who will be helping me with it. i figure that if this happens i can make a little L-shaped plastic piece that will fit in the door crack and can be used to pull the door open for a little extra oomph if its stuck... hit the keyfob and pull the door at the same time. i'm hoping this will be rare, or never at all. i don't drive the car in the cold months and it doesn't get as hot here as it does in spain!!! ..although i have noticed it sticking a few times. good.. if you think it sounds ok then i'm a lot more confident darren..i thought i was gonna get flamed for this one! anyone else see a problem? thanks guys! :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.A.N.T. 0 Posted March 13, 2003 Only other thing I can think of is from a safety point of view. If, heaven forbid, you stack it and knock yourself out, then people outside can't easily get in to pull you out. The same could be said for anti-hijack systems which auto-lock the doors, but at least then you break the window, pull up the catch (which is pretty much where it is on any car) and yank the handle. If there's no handle there to yank then they've got to reach in through the shattered window and fumble about for the internal door release... Could take extra precious seconds.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scott 0 Posted March 13, 2003 that was the concern brought up by my friend who will be helping me with it. i figure that if this happens i can make a little L-shaped plastic piece that will fit in the door crack and can be used to pull the door open for a little extra oomph if its stuck... hit the keyfob and pull the door at the same time. i'm hoping this will be rare, or never at all. i don't drive the car in the cold months and it doesn't get as hot here as it does in spain!!! ..although i have noticed it sticking a few times. good.. if you think it sounds ok then i'm a lot more confident darren..i thought i was gonna get flamed for this one! anyone else see a problem? thanks guys! :D From what you proposing I would say its illegal - at least over here in the UK it would be .... as the MOT states you must be able to open the door from outside for a safety point of view - as in you had an accident and a fireman needed to get in to get you out.... how would they do that quickly and easily if you can only get the doors open with a fob ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 14, 2003 good points guys.. hadn't thought of the accident bit of it. trying to block that sort of thing out of my mind for the C! however, i've seen a few .. at least 3 or 4 Cs with shaved door handles, and other cars with this done as well. so over here it might not be illegal. i'll look into that. but even if it is legal, you make a good point.. i'd rather not be unconscious or something and not have people be able to get me out...... i'll have to give this some thought. i've been in many accidents.. many.. (none my fault) but i've always been able to get myself out, even when my friend hit a neon head-on and rolled his van without my seatbelt being on. but maybe next time i won't be as lucky.. cuz that's all it was, pure luck that i wasn't mangled. well, mangled more. seatbelts are a good idea! :( but even then... the people outside couldn't open the doors, i had to kick the back doors out and drag my buddy with me......so i wonder if its an accident that bad if the doors would open anyway...even with proper door handles. not really something worth gambling on though.. :? i'll be turning this one over in my head, thanks for the good advice guys! anyone else? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
W3RKD 0 Posted March 14, 2003 From what you proposing I would say its illegal - at least over here in the UK it would be .... as the MOT states you must be able to open the door from outside for a safety point of view - as in you had an accident and a fireman needed to get in to get you out.... how would they do that quickly and easily if you can only get the doors open with a fob ? tvr's have no external door handles! the use a modded CORRADO mirror with button underneath them cling 2p hits the bucket!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VR6 0 Posted March 14, 2003 Yeah they don't have a handle but they do have an external release, which G60 wouldn't. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 14, 2003 i'm not concerned with being legal, rather, being safe. so, if i'm stuck inside and the guy outside can't find the little release button hidden by the mirror, how does it help me? it doesn't.. cuz he still won't be able to get the door open. :? i thought of doing the release button thing, the guy helping me has this on his '78 trans am, and another friend's dad has it on his '70s custom-bodied vette. the idea is to hide it from thieves, so if they can't find it, the guy trying to get me out of my crashed C won't be able to find it either... :x not too sure what to do now...i thought i had it all figured out! ..maybe i just won't crash the C, hey.. great idea! :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck 0 Posted March 16, 2003 Surely its no different than driving with doors locked??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck 0 Posted March 16, 2003 Bit more info on the whole legal thing "Drivers and front passenger doors must open from inside and out and remain securely closed. There are exceptions where as part of a specialist customisation the door aperture has been permanently filled, provided there are no obvious aperture gaps. Vehicles modified to carry high value cargoes are also exempt. The lack of door handles because of original design characteristics or specialist modification is not a reason for rejection providing the door can be securely latched in the closed position. " From an MOT site. Make from it what you will, but the way it reads, it says that if modified to remove door handles, it need only close securely. This makes sense as the MOT is more geared towards public safety and not personal such as this modification. I have still sent a query to the MOT depot on this subject though, as I have aleady passed the point of no return. :oops: Anyway, I've seen tonnes of cars modded to remove door handles over here, and kits are readily available to do so. It even has a standard works charge at a few of the ICE stores too. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Banana Man 0 Posted March 16, 2003 I think you have to have a manual release somewhere on the car so you can get in from the outside my mates have done this in tha past by putting a push button on the bottoms of the mirrors TVR stylee, they only work when the alarm is deactivated. If you do decide to go ahead with it G60 make sure you have a spare alarm keyfob to hand if you should ever need it!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 17, 2003 i had thought about where to hide a release button on the outside of the car, but decided i'd rather just have it on the keyfob since its virtually the same thing, except one of them requires extra crap on the car, which i dislike. if i can make a button flush with the bottom of the mirror i may consider this, except that i'm also considering M3 mirrors... mayyybe. as long as a have a spare keyfob (which i definitely will) i will always have a way out of a tough situation. the knocked-out-in-the-car thing is a bit of a concern, but not a major one. if its really that bad they'll just bust a window. i think i'm going to go ahead with it as soon as i can find the parts and the time :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
2cc 0 Posted March 17, 2003 looking at it another way, if you crash that bad then chances are you won't have a window there anyway Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 17, 2003 exactly.. but SHHH! ..no crashing. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuck 0 Posted March 18, 2003 An update, Checked with the local MOT centre today, and all they look for is that the doors open and close securely from outside of the vehicle, without key in hand. Mine has a button accessable from boot, which opens from outside (I have only removed door locks), that opens either door. (sorry that doesn't read well - boot operates as normal - inside boot is button that opens door) I was told today that this would be acceptable, as they test it in normal working order, not crashed condition.... I might still look at putting a button in the wing mirror like TVR. Anyone any pics of how they've done this? Hope this clarifies things, though this applies only to Northern Ireland as I think our MOT is slightly different to the rest of the UK. I don't know what the legislation is for England or further. Incedentally, I've had this system installed now for 3 months without problem. Sure if its really icy, you might need bottle of water to free the door, but other than that there hasn't been a hiccup yet - and I have two keyfobs.... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andi 2,147,483,647 Posted March 18, 2003 Was in a Tuscan yesterday. They just use a Corrado mirror with a rubber button on the underside. Not visible from above (quite a low car anyway!) and you easily find it when you plonk your hand underneath the mirror. One point though - you need two hands if the car is parked on a slope sideways - so you have the pull on the door as it pops, else it latches on the half-open-half-closed latch thingy. Was quite strange being in a 180+mph supercar and looking into Corrado mirrors :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stormseeker 0 Posted March 18, 2003 Chuck, just sent you a PM with contact details for the guy at TVR who designed the keyless ignition/door release etc. on the chimera/cerbera at TVR. I met him a few years ago on a tour of the factory - he's a genuine approachable bloke so he might be able to help.... Chris. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vr6storm 0 Posted March 18, 2003 Was in a Tuscan yesterday. They just use a Corrado mirror with a rubber button on the underside. Not visible from above (quite a low car anyway!) and you easily find it when you plonk your hand underneath the mirror. One point though - you need two hands if the car is parked on a slope sideways - so you have the pull on the door as it pops, else it latches on the half-open-half-closed latch thingy. Was quite strange being in a 180+mph supercar and looking into Corrado mirrors :lol: really surprised that the tvr approach hasn't been copied by all the other corrado modders......much better than m3 mirrors or mirrors with indicators imo......could well be that its just too subtle for them though :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andi 2,147,483,647 Posted March 18, 2003 Well, it does mean you could strike up conversation by your signature... Blackberry L-reg VR6, Tuscan wing-mirrors (which are from a Corrado - but then I added a button to them). Ah, the irony.. lol Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 19, 2003 i am considering the TVR style mirrors..can you easily find the extra parts required? i am considering M3 style mirrors for only one reason.. i *really* like the look of corrados with completely shaved sides. so if i shave everything off and the mirror is the only thing left... i just may have to use the completely obvious traingle instead. :shock: chuck.. do you have it setup so that the door is released and pops open a few inches when you hit the keyfob? i'd like to hear more about what you did if so..and i'd like to see those tuscan mirror pics if anyone has em! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dan 0 Posted March 19, 2003 G60, Did you see Andi's link http://www.anditails.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/speed-mag/ You can see a silver Corrado with shaved handles. :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
G60 0 Posted March 19, 2003 thanks dan.. nope, didn't see that link til now. very nice ride! very sharp and i like the interior. not too sure about the bling rims..look like they should be on a lowered truck. i don't think i like the painted window triangle... the mirror should be there! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dan 0 Posted March 19, 2003 Teah, I agree with you on the little triangle, it just stands out too much. I do like the look without the handles tho. The back of the car looks the business 8) . I cannot find fault with the back end at all, smoooooooth or what? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
