i have an idea, but i need some help

[adub4185]

so a fellow camaro owner and i were talking about covering the silver key hole on the drivers side and we came up with a great idea. we have seen the stickers that are colored to match the exterior and cover it up, but we both felt that they were cheap looking. so, our idea was that we could buy one of the key hole covers on the passenger side door (there is no key hole, but if there was one, this part would cover it) and retrofit it to the driver's side door. this would be awesome because it would cover the key hole completely and would also follow the lines of the door handle much better than a sticker

anyway, fast forward to today and i have the passenger side key cover. i went to see how this may work and i found that i couldnt get the driver's side cover off for the life of me. my question to you guys is how do i get it off? it just seems to snap in, but you have to be very careful and not scratch the paint. i layered some blue painter's tape around the cover and tried to pry it off, but i only got one edge up and the rest of it wouldnt budge. any advice from body guys that have replaced/fixed this part would be greatly appreciated.

i think the only other thing standing in my way is that the lock sticks out a bit farther than the cover and will have to be ground down on the right side edge to allow the cover to fit correctly. also, the passenger side cover does not come painted, so this is another thing to consider. i know this is a lot of work for such a small cosmetic mod, but i think it would look so much better without the silver key hole sticking out like a sore thumb on my black car.

any constructive criticism or advice is much appreciated.

[CleanCutCreations]

I believe (for theft/tamper resistant reasons) that the drivers keylock surround is held in not by just the plastic clips, but also by the bolted in key cylinder. Surround is clipped in the handle first, then the key cylinder is installed and fastened by a screw to form the handle assembly that is installed in the door shell.

[adub4185]

Originally Posted by CleanCutCreations

I believe (for theft/tamper resistant reasons) that the drivers keylock surround is held in not by just the plastic clips, but also by the bolted in key cylinder. Surround is clipped in the handle first, then the key cylinder is installed and fastened by a screw to form the handle assembly that is installed in the door shell.

thanks for the info. if thats the case, then this may be too hard for me to pull off. anyone have an exploded view of the driver's side door?

[Sir Nuke]

IF NOTHING ELSE, I have seen covers for the divers side that are color coded to the car.

[BLACK10]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

IF NOTHING ELSE, I have seen covers for the divers side that are color coded to the car.

ebay

[adub4185]

yeah, i have seen those, but i was hoping to be able to do this with the passenger side cover and make it look like that was the way it came out of the factory. thanks for the help guys. if nothing else, ill get one of the $10 covers and call it a day

[Sir Nuke]

something else to think about.......if you were to put the cover from the passanger side on the drivers side.........and if you were out and about and either your battery goes dead, or manage to lock your keys inside......how do you thing you are going to get into your car?

[rdono]

Think I will shave off the handles and add poppers.

[CamaroScotty]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

something else to think about.......if you were to put the cover from the passanger side on the drivers side.........and if you were out and about and either your battery goes dead, or manage to lock your keys inside......how do you thing you are going to get into your car?

Pop the cover off

But this is what I'd do - buy the passenger side and flip it

[Angrybird 12]

On my Yellow car I have never even noticed that there was a keyhole on the drivers side...
have you thought about just painting it black?

[adub4185]

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

something else to think about.......if you were to put the cover from the passanger side on the drivers side.........and if you were out and about and either your battery goes dead, or manage to lock your keys inside......how do you thing you are going to get into your car?

the idea here was to cut a small notch in the bottom that would enable you to pop it off in the event of any of these problems. keyless entry should be keyless. my gf's lexus has covers that pop off to grant you access to the lock in the event of the battery dying in either the car or the remote.

Originally Posted by CamaroScotty

But this is what I'd do - buy the passenger side and flip it

this is what i did. dave actually got me the part number. i have it in my posession and will be working on it this weekend. it looks like my buddy talked to a guy in the body shop and he now knows how to take the door handle off to get at the cover. i will try and get it figured out and ill update this thread once i know more.

Originally Posted by Skyman 08

On my Yellow car I have never even noticed that there was a keyhole on the drivers side...
have you thought about just painting it black?

yeah, i could paint it black or buy the cover shown in a previous post, but it would flow so much smoother if i was able to use the cover from the passenger side. the devil's in the details i guess...

[Sir Nuke]

adub4185, please post some pictures of the job in process and the finished product.

[Ph4r]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I am looking to do this and haven't found the parts anywhere yet.