Shaved Doors?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 11,367
Likes: 211
From: Edgewood Washington
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13-'14-'15
I put the body color version sold by GM on my car. I didn't really like the look without them but many members do.
They are available from most Forum Vendors in either aftermarket or OEM. Paint match doesn't appear to be much of an issue and you can get them in most, if not all, OEM colors.
CF and chrome are also available. Very easy install, and just as easy to undo.
Nice cheap mod.
They are available from most Forum Vendors in either aftermarket or OEM. Paint match doesn't appear to be much of an issue and you can get them in most, if not all, OEM colors.
CF and chrome are also available. Very easy install, and just as easy to undo.
Nice cheap mod.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,617
Likes: 167
Tech Contributor
Cruise-In 11 Veteran
NCM Ambassador
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'10
While members have done this and with mixed results it is not recommended.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 5,738
Likes: 81
From: Milford NH
While members have done this and with mixed results it is not recommended.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: The Land of Sugar TX
Are you referring to structural support?
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Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 27,420
Likes: 64
From: San Clemente CA
While members have done this and with mixed results it is not recommended.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 345
Likes: 0
From: The Land of Sugar TX
Exactly where I was going...
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 35,617
Likes: 167
Tech Contributor
Cruise-In 11 Veteran
NCM Ambassador
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'10
The information that I posted above is information I have received from an engineer on the part and I have no reason to doubt it. Think about it this way. In interest of saving weight and added part cost, everything on the Corvette serves a purpose. On the C5, the CHMSL was integrated in to the rear fascia. On the C6 an additonal part was added to house the CHMSL because it provided for better aero despite adding part cost. The same can be said for the handle covers. If in fact the switches could have been mounted direct they would have been. In addition to provided the support for the switch that I spoke of above, they also provide a nice place to press to close the door that isn't on the painted surface which is why the wrap around.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 56,381
Likes: 79
While members have done this and with mixed results it is not recommended.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
The door switch is not intended to be self supporting. The outer portion of the door handle is more than just a cosmetic piece it is designed to serve as a support for the touch pad and when it is removed it can cause the switch to fail prematurely.
Several will chime in and tell you that they have had their handles off for years with no problems. This may be true however there is no guarantee that the use of their cars and the operation of the handles will be the same for you.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 27,420
Likes: 64
From: San Clemente CA
The switch is a momentary contact pad covered with a rubber membrane. The rubber membrane is a press fit in to the handle and it is designed to provide an amount of anti-shock and vibration support for the membrane and switch assembly underneath.
The information that I posted above is information I have received from an engineer on the part and I have no reason to doubt it. Think about it this way. In interest of saving weight and added part cost, everything on the Corvette serves a purpose. On the C5, the CHMSL was integrated in to the rear fascia. On the C6 an additonal part was added to house the CHMSL because it provided for better aero despite adding part cost. The same can be said for the handle covers. If in fact the switches could have been mounted direct they would have been. In addition to provided the support for the switch that I spoke of above, they also provide a nice place to press to close the door that isn't on the painted surface which is why the wrap around.
The information that I posted above is information I have received from an engineer on the part and I have no reason to doubt it. Think about it this way. In interest of saving weight and added part cost, everything on the Corvette serves a purpose. On the C5, the CHMSL was integrated in to the rear fascia. On the C6 an additonal part was added to house the CHMSL because it provided for better aero despite adding part cost. The same can be said for the handle covers. If in fact the switches could have been mounted direct they would have been. In addition to provided the support for the switch that I spoke of above, they also provide a nice place to press to close the door that isn't on the painted surface which is why the wrap around.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,108
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
My personal opinion is that both the door handles (about 50 cents cost each and painted for $112) and the spoiler (stock Z06 is about $72, but painted $201) only come from the factory in black, just to sell a painted upgrade at a massively inflated price. If those parts were all painted body color as standard from the factory, any replacements would only be slightly more than the present black ones.
