Door popper back up question.

[Svtfreak]

Hey everyone.

Here's my plan. I want no outside door handles. I intend to have a removable hard top. Sometimes the car will have the top on with windows up. Locked up, so to speak. In the configuration, getting to the inside handles won't be possible should the battery die, or something happen and the poppers not work. I will probably be using a remote controlled set up and not a push button setup.

The delimma. Has anyone here set up a mechanical fail safe to be able to open the doors from the outside when a top is installed (and windows up) should a mechanical method be needed? Electric failsafe would be easy via hidden button but doesn't alleviate the problem of dead battery or electrical failure.

[DaveS53]

The only way to have a practical mechanical backup is to place the latch in the kick panel area and the strike pin in the door. I've seen a few fiberglass bodied hot rods done this way.

I have no outside handles and use a remote to open the doors. I ran a backup source of power to both electric latch operators, from a different circuit. Of course that is not fool proof, but better than nothing. Instead of a switch I used two stainless socket head cap screws placed fairly close together and located out of sight in the wheel well area. I can complete the circuit with the touch of coin, key ring or other key.

Another option with power windows is to put a switch in a hidden location, to roll down one window. I have that too.

I also have a marine grade cigarette lighter socket mounted under the body, pointing down, so I can hook a battery tender or other power source to the car, from outside. My power window operator only requires about 5 amps, and the door latch operators even less, so only a little power will let me into the car, in case of a dead battery.

[Svtfreak]

Thanks, Dave. The electrical ideas are all ideas I've thought of, or similar. But the reversing the striker and latch I didn't think about (although I got almost there trying to figure how to have a cable at the front lower frame rail somehow).

[DaveS53]

Here's a link to a speedstar pic with the latch in the kick panel.

https://get.google.com/albumarchive/104898847835936248126/album/AF1QipPhodipMKZq3GbK2gONl_Cm93jaURkn2NxRNtQu/AF1QipOnf4A9Cos6ZfLXjoaVEJACo3vaPb2GC8ePX321

[Svtfreak]

Boy, I really like the shape of the speedstar.

That looks doable. I could nix the inside door handle and maybe put a button to open then... will have to think that over a bit. Thanks Dave.

[Data]

SVTFreak,
It's not terribly difficult to run a piece of 1/16" cable, or even sheathed bicycle brake cable, in parallel with a door popper along the door frame bars and the hinge arms ending in a pull loop under the body just in front of the rear tire. Its out of the way, but will work even if the battery is dead! You can leave enough slack in it under the body that the door opens, and use some strategic tape/ziptie placement to keep it from getting pinched before you have to use it.

[DaveS53]

If you eliminate the inside door handle and go electric, you might want to set it up such that the switches won't work if the engine is running. That's easy to do with a relay that opens with ignition power. My autoloc brand remote also works that way. I use the door lock and unlock buttons to open the doors and these buttons don't work when the engine is running. I also use electric safety pins, but they only work if I remember to activate them. I still need to set them up to automatically activate when the engine is started. You can also buy a module that monitors speed and actuates the pins at a low speed.

I figured out that I need a solid state one-shot relay and a second standard relay to activate the pins automatically. The one-shot would send a +12V signal to the safety pin operator and +12 to the other relay, to provide -12V to the safety pin operator, when the engine is started. I also have manual polarity reversing toggle switches for the safety pins to release the pins (or activate them).

[Svtfreak]

Data, I am also tossing your idea around in my head, but the lack of a traditional wheel well (mine will be fenderless) makes that a little harder. However, I am thinking that some tubing bent and secured in place in the back side of the body behind the door will allow me to make a smooth enough bend to have the loop actually under the car in front of the rear tire. It can run inside the same loom that speaker wires and power wires for windows and poppers go through.

Dave, very good points and ideas. I think I'll def incorporate that into it.

[roadster31]

My thought is if the battery is dead I don't need to get into the car. I would put an external charging port or put the battery in the trunk with a manual override to the trunk latch. Remember they do not recommend that you jump start an AGM battery

Roadster31
#233

[DaveS53]

https://www.optimabatteries.com/en-us/experience/2015/01/how-do-i-use-jumper-cables-jumpstart-my-car-battery

[michael everson]

Heres what I did on a customers car. Note: this requires the mirror to be mounted on the door. I used electric door poppers. Just run a wire from the positive side of the popper to the bolt that holds the mirror to the door. Do this on both sides. If the battery ever dies, just run a 12 volt source to the mirror and a ground to any metal on the chassis. The popper will open. Vey unlikely both will fail at the same time. No one will ever know this trick except the builder.
Mike

[TDSapp]

If the battery ever dies, just run a 12 volt source to the mirror and a ground to any metal on the chassis. The popper will open.
Mike


Mike,

Do the door poppers actually use a full 12 volts? I know that many units are labeled to use 12 volts but will operate at a much lower voltage. I bet with them being such a low amperage if you put the positive post of a 9 volt battery on the mirror and then ground the negative post it would pop the doors. I would test it but I don't have stage 2 here yet.

It is just a lot easier to get a hold of a 9 volt battery than to find a 12 volt source.


Tim

[michael everson]

9 volt would probably work.
Mike