replacing door handle with straps
 

So I was looking to add a little character to the otherwise boring door card so I was thinking of taking off the factory armrest/doorhandle and replace it with a horizontal strap (about an inch wide and from one of the bottom bolts to the other) and just bolt it in with the factory bolts and a black washer. I think it will be pretty easy. but I was thinking it would be cool to get rid of the door latch handle (the one used to open the door) and replace it with another loop of strap (I would recover the door card with new leather so there wouldnt be a big hole) but I wasnt quite sure how to physically make it work. just bolt the metal rod to the strap and feed it through a slit in the door? has anyone seen either of these things done? It seems like a good idea in my mind but maybe its just butt ugly. I couldnt find any pics of it done tho.

Thoughts?

found a pic of door handle idea. anyone think this would work in a NA ?


http://www.thedetroitbureau.com/wp-c...r-Spyder-4.jpg

Well, if you stand by your requirement that it not be "butt ugly" and that example is indicative of what you're looking for..........I've got some bad news.

ha im not saying it needs to look nearly that good (obviously porsche parts arent sold at home depot0 but my main question is could i just yank the hard metal rods and tie/bolt a strap to the actual door latch? i dont wanna break something I cant fix ha

How much boost are you running?
__________________
Best Car Insurance | Auto Protection Today | FREE Trade-In Quote

damn, busted.... I'm still saving up for that :( but its hard to resist the urge to alter stuff...im bored just driving it around. I have to always be messing with stuff (car, electronics, prostitutes, the norm)

When I bought my old 91 it had no armrests but it had a deal like that but bolted on both sides. I sort of likes it. the door cards were still in. It was just bolted in the factory locations.

I don't have any armrest in my car either. People get confused when trying to shut the doors on my car. I usually grab the window winder, but passengers like to grab more fragile pieces like the handle cup, and break them.

A strap hanging down from the upper portion of the door could work well. The upper pad would help it lay flat too.

Removing the stock door handles was one of the first things I did after buying the car. Between the fat stockers protruding 3" inward and me being 6'3" my hand would hit my knee every time I had to shift while turning left. Just sandwich some webbing between two washers and bolt it up, problem solved for $5.
Attachment 194469
Obviously I left the stock door latch release alone. It works fine and causes no problems with legroom or anything else, so modifying it now would just be pointless ricer horse shit. When you get around to making it a dedicated track slut and gutting the interior, that might be an appropriate time to deal with the door latches.

On my 1990 I converted to PW and I made new door cards that are smooth with just a strap to pull it shut I think they turned out good.

scottfw thats pretty much what I was picturing, but between the bottom two mounting locations, rather than one bottom and the top one. but the washer and strap were what I had in mind. thanks for the pic

That's what I did. Cut a piece off a nylon tow strap, and bought $2 in huge fender washers. I was worried the holes I cut in the strap would eventually widen and rip out, but they haven't in about a year. Looks ok, even the 2" fender washers don't quite cover the holes in the door card, and you can still see the impression left from the door handle. Plus It's not a weight savings. Take the handle off, and three washers definitely feel like about twice the weight.

Sorry for the amazing phone pictures.
Attachment 194465
Attachment 194466

I was worried about that too, so when I made them I got all Martha Stewart on its ass and put in a little eyelet/grommet or whatever you call it, and hammered it flat so it would fit between the two washers. Buying the eyelets and the little punch tool to set them probably doubled the cost (another $4) but it's an option if yours ever start to fray.
Attachment 194453

Did the earlier cars not have door pockets? The little impressions left by your handles look different than mine. I wanted to keep the door pocket since that's where I toss the Palm Pilot when I'm datalogging track sessions.

No pockets in the doors. It's a flat bar with a handle/pocket in it, then goes up to the top mounting point. It's all foam, and weighs nothing. Which is why this is merely a room saving mod, not a weight saving one.

I use the window crank to shut the door. No problems yet. Just don't grab it too hard.

I ended up doing the same as you curly but instead of just a washer on the top hole, I ran another strap from the front bottom to the top. so I have two handles now. I like how it turned out. a little simpler than the factory handle. and I was worried about the hole tearing too so i melted it with a lighter and squished it between two washers to flatten it. seems like it will work. still dunno how to go about the strap to open the door though..

Why haven't I done this yet. Let me go out to the store. Gracias.

I only used one washer, not for weight savings, but if your concerned with that, one would work fine. no need to add a metal grommet, burning it around the hole makes it pretty hard. and I hit it with a little spray paint so it blends in a little better.

Ditch the upper one, like mine. Now it just looks like a sloppy stock unit. You're going to start grabbing one and never use the other anyways.