smooth tailgates

ive seen some that are smooth, i assume u remove everything and cover it and do the bodywork etc,so what is method for a secondary way of opening the glass,is there a way to relocate the push button inside,i did relocate my trunk lock on my sedan,im still able to use the key if needed to open the trunk, so i figure there must be a second (backup way to open the window) tia

i got a friend whos is shaved, he uses either the button on the dash to open the window then the gate or the key fob. anything that is easy works for me.

I'm placing a switch elsewhere on the exterior of the car to operate the tailgate glass.

Looks good, but where is the plate gonna go?

Pat you are a tease!
I am looking forward to the smooth wood grained tailgate, I have an idea that will look killer.

thanks,well thats easy enough,was thinking using that 2 part glue for the patch,my luck spot welding id set it all on fire some how ..lol but is the push button on the t/g itself is it a direct mechanical link to the window unlocking mechinism? id feel better if there were 2 ways of opening than just electrical,then to i was thinking a fiber glass roll pan, then eye balling those center exhaust tips i shouldnt be thinking along theses lines it gets me in trouble

Blackfoot wrote:

Looks good, but where is the plate gonna go?

Look at my avatar for a hint.....

UberWagon wrote:

Pat you are a tease!
I am looking forward to the smooth wood grained tailgate, I have an idea that will look killer.

do you think they noticed the bumper?

What about the bumper?

He sanded the traction nubs off it.

I have never been big on relying on electric componets as the only way of doing things on my cars. Way too many times have I had cars with power windows that just stopped working for no apparent reason. People who use electric door popers as the only way of gaining access into their cars after they shave the door handles and stuff, are just asking for problems in the future. Hasnt anyone ever had a battery just completely die on them from one day to the next or lost their keys? Well that would make it awful hard to get into the car if the battery is dead or you loose the keys with the keyfob that remotes the door. Sure it looks cool, but I prefer to have guarenteed access one way or another and relying on electronic parts on a automobile to always work is just crazy.

When I was a FORD mechanic, the new "Retro" T Birds came out. Well FORD has a real knack of dong things a little slatherazzed in the first place. Recals that would make your heads spin that went one for years without getting fixed at the factory, but thats another story. Well we get one of these new turds in and everything is powered off the battery. When you open the doors, the windows instantly drop 1 inch to allow the door to open, real bright idea, the door and trunk are also only accessable through push button electronic releases. Well the battery from the factory was garbage, we couldnt open the door as the window went right up into the roof line, couldnt access the battery under the hood because the battery was dead and the hood release was electronic and the battery was dead and there were no cables that you could crawl under the car and manually pull with a pair of pliers. We ended up having to hotwire power to the starter from underneith the car just to get the door open to up the hood.

Its your cars, do what you want, as for myself, I will keep my doorhandles and manual releases for my hatch glass and if I had my way, my car would have manual windows as well, it doesnt take much effort to run a window crank and I know it will always come down when I need it to.

I agree for the most part as I prefer less power items on my cars. My sedan is manual everything while the wagon is full power.

Only thing is, manual windows aren't foolproof either. My driver door window has a stripped gear and is a mother to get down. You have to spin the handle til the window comes down a little. After that you can grab it with your hands and force it down. Getting it back up is even more fun. Finding a manual regulator in the yards has been a PITA to.


As for the shaved gate posted, it has been done well and looks great, wood would be awesome. The bumper is the coolest part.

i agree on the look, very cooooooool. when you do shaved doors you are "supposed to run your manual hood pull from inside to outside and hide it in case of the "dead" battery, but some dont to be cheap, i love watching them. i personally like things at are smooth and flow, a few tweaks here and there just to clean things up. i ammmmmmmmm going to use your pic as a template for my bumper buickestate. clean. nice job.

matt

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3299559/5
Look at the butt on this one!

that is a nice butt,butt i thought of what happens if someone hits him in the butt.. butt officer i didnt see the leds,sorry butt its your fault for hitting him in the butt u were following to close, butt really its a nice job,pretty clever, the whole car imo is well done

I do like this white wagon's look. The LED's are trick!

To get back to my current project one of the issues some of you have raised is having to open the glass hatch via the key fob or dash switch. my 93 is an Ontario Car, do due to road salts the original lock/hatch release has never worked since I've owned it. I've been using the fob and dash switch since owning this wagon, to me it's a non issue. putting a hidden external switch to open the hatch would be an added benefit.

Since my subs are mounted in the tailgate I ran a cable from the release thru one of the grilles so when it does act up I can simple crawl over the seat and pull the cable to release the glass.

funny u mention something like that, was thinking something along that line .whenever i get to it (my plate is full for some time )i need to remove the panel anyway to replace a lower latch so ill eyeball some thing trick like

i was thinking about going with something similar to this