Shaving the Door Handles Off Your Car

Shaving door handles off of cars or trucks creates a smooth, unbroken line in the car's profile, and generates a sense of unification across the vehicle's painted surface. Although this type of automotive surgery is not out of reach of the garage mechanic, most people will want to have a body shop perform the work to avoid the headache that will follow. If you do choose to take on this project yourself, here are a few pointers for getting the job done correctly the first time.

First, take your time. Too often, customizers will try to rush through a job trying to see the finished product. When shaving door handles, this kind of impatience can lead to panel warpage during welding, mismatched paint or panels, and a bad overall finished product. Remember to label the parts you take off the car, and diagram where they came off of if you are unfamiliar with how to put doors back together. This will allow you to put everything back together more easily when the welding is done.
Remember to always use high-quality parts for this sort of work on your vehicle. Cheap parts will come back to haunt you later on. What follows is a step-by-step guide.

1. Remove the interior trim panel from the door and leave it in a safe place away from the work area.

2. Roll the window completely down and remove the bolts holding the glass to the window mechanism. Be careful, as this is very dangerous.

3. Remove the trim pieces from the top of the door carefully, then remove the rear-view mirror and pull the window glass out through the top of the door.

4. Remove all plastic parts or insulation from the inside of the door, and then remove the door handle.

5. Using the kit method, place the metal filler plate provided into the appropriate spot to test for fit.

6. When you are satisfied with the fit, clean the paint off the work area all the way to the bare metal, and then tack weld the filler plate into position.

7. Working very slowly to avoid heating the panel too much, continue tack welding the area all the way around, cooling with a wet cloth as you go.