Door Handle Spring Install...

[kdlp]

The instructions that came with this door handle spring are a joke. They say "Compress the spring just enough to enter both ends into the door handle" Of course they don't tell you where in the door handle.

I tried to force it outboard of the handle (hinge side) and toward the back and the spring snapped in half.

This seemed pretty simple at first go.. but now I just don't get it...

kdlp
(Kelly)

 

[Johan]

Well I had exactly the same problem... Just looked at the spring after reading the instructions and felt like a dumbass... Luckily, my brother in law found out the obvious(?) way to insert the spring.

The spring is V-shaped, and "compressing" means flatting it out (opening it to a I-shape). Compress it, and then with the spring parallell to the car enter it on the "outide" of the door handle.

The thing is though, that the spring is to weak, and it won't "cure" your sagging door handles like it says in the ad, atleast it didn't help me. I still have the sagging handles plus an extra piece of junk inside there...

 

[woobie1966]

i was looking into this cure and was told by several people not to go this route. I was told to go the more expensive way and replace the worn parts
i am in the process of having this done (door apart, replacing the inner door latch, spring etc... )
it is definitely more expensive, would be less to do it yourself but i dont have time or room, but i want it "right"
good luck
mike

 

[Eric]

I folded mine in half to install and fortunately it didn't snap (sorry Kelly) but the flat method does make more sense. How can something that appears so simple be such a pain in the keester.

-Eric

 

[Chas]

I snapped mine too....

then i got another and did it right.....its still working fine, but everytime i use it i think of it not being the way it was meant to be.....i have a new handle for it and took off the inside skin....now i dont see how i can replace it with out hands the size of my babies and special tools from hell....it looks like a real pita to get to....guess i will have to bite the bullit when the springs go....good luck...

 

[yakatak76]

if you take the latch mechanism off the inside of the door, (two or three screws i think) and pull it out and clean it up as long as you have it off, it make the job much easier. i have bigger hands and my dropping that mechanism out of the way makes the job simple.

 

[Ludigdrums]

I just did this the other day, and it went real well. I bought mine from Corvette Central and it came with pretty good instructions. I'm not at home right now, but I will scan them and attach it tomorrow. As it turns out, I already had a previous spring in there which confused me at first because I never saw the original spring. Anyhow, I pried the old one out with a little screw driver.

The way to do it is press the handle in the fully down position. Meaning, the way it is probably sagging already. Then, look to the left of the outside of the handle. You'll see a spring. You want to only compress the spring as much as you have to in order to slip it over the old spring (this way, it will still remain springy <--nice word, heh).

Hope that was clear enough!

Good luck.

- Jeremy