a better door launcher?

["Walter Coe" <Whalt@xxxx>]

While doing extensive work in my doors, I've come across perhaps a better
idea for installing door launchers than weighing the door down with
additional hardware. My idea is to install the actuator (or solenoid or
whatever) in the T-panel or one of the electrical compartments behind the
seats. From there run bicycle brake type cables up through the T-panel and
into the doors. Technically the same could also be done with the door lock
solenoids which would take a lot of weight out of the doors taking strain
off the torsion bars & door struts.

Similar types of cables are already used for the latches on the engine
compartment, front storage compartment, throttle cable & automatic
transmission kick down. It seems perfectly reasonable to me that the same
sort of thing can be used for door launchers as well as the door lock
solenoids. The locks would be a special case because that would take two
cables: one to lock and one to unlock since you can pull all you want, but
you can't push very hard with a cable.

I'm thinking, "What is the worst of the two evils? Installing a heavy
actuator in the door and readjusting the torsion bar to compensate for
it -OR- threading a lightweight cable through the roof & into the door."
The later would involve installing a new bell crank bracket that would
barely weigh any more than the OEM. And while you are at it, you could do
the same for the OEM door lock solenoid which could then lighten the door so
much that you might need to readjust the torsion bar only to take pressure
off of it.

What gave me this idea is that without the weight of the door panels
installed, the door opens with way too much force. I thought that a
previous owner had over-torqued the torsion bars, so we took the strut off
of a fully assembled door. It was so heavy without the strut that it rested
on the striker pins with weight to spare. According to accepted torsion bar
dogma, a properly adjusted torsion bar should lift the bottom of the door 4"
from the door sill. Well, mine doesn't even come close, yet with the strut
installed I have to hold the door as it opens or else it will open with too
much force. I must have very strong struts, but unfortunately they are of
the non-dampening variety. (I went off on a tangent.)

Anyway, comments anyone?

Walt Tampa, FL