Replacing outer door handle

[Erik S. Klein]

Is there a worse task anywhere else on the car? Replacing the exterior door handle is crazy!

That damn thing has to be the most inaccessible tricky little POS on the entire car.

How do you even get to the bolts? Once you do, how do you get the latch armature disengaged and reengaged?

How do you keep from dropping anything and everything into the door never to be seen (but forever to be heard) again?!

Where can I find the guy who came up with this little bit of torture so I can share some "thoughts" with him?

And while I'm at it, does anyone have any hints for a desperate (and frustrated) noob?

Thanks,

 

[Mac]

The "best" answer is GM never figured we'd still be driving these things 30 years later!!

While you're in there, remember to lube your window mechanisms...

-Mac

 

[Artsvette73]

Imagine the guy on the assembly line doing it everyday. Find him and he should have together in no time. Do you have the glass out?

 

[bossvette]

Erik
I have found that sometimes taking more stuff off gives you better access to what you want to work on. The handles were most likely the first thing assembled in the door, then the window mechanism. They had to get it in there somehow. I havent had to replace the door handles yet but have done the power windows on mine. you need to hold the window in the up position some say use tape, but I never had much luck with tape. I use two blocks of wood and a C clamp, just dont tighten it so tight you break the glass :L
then the window mechanism can be removed thru the access hole which should give you better access to the door handle.

 

[Erik S. Klein]

Well, here's what I found out:

1. Magnetic kids toys will work to fetch lost nuts and spring clips from the inside of the door.
2. Tie a string to the splash-guard once it's unscrewed. Why? Because it's not magnetic!
3. GM did not intend for human hands to work on the doors of C3 Corvettes. Period.
4. There simply isn't a tool on the planet that will allow you to re-thread the outer nut on the outer bolt besides human hands (see #3.)
5. In order to release the latch armature from the door handle you absolutely have to unscrew the door latch from the door frame. Only when it's floating freely within the door can you manipulate the armature off of the door handle.
6. Replacement parts (even from GM) aren't exactly like the originals. You may have to adjust the armature (it screws in and out) to get the door to work. In order to do this you have to take the entire mechanism apart of course.

In any case, I've managed to get the outer door handle installed on my passenger side and it even works properly. The only issue is that I simply can't get the nuts back on. I'm pretty sure my 5 year olds hands are too big to get in there and do that and I know I can't talk the 3 year old through it. My hands barely got the damn things off and I simply don't have the room to turn them to catch the threads. I also don't own tools capable of getting in there to do it nor do Snap-On or Sears and I'm getting sick and tired of dropping the nut, fishing it out and trying again only to drop the nut and fish it out again.

I think I've calmed down enough to give it another go.

The worst part is that I have to do the damn driver's side next!

 

[Erik S. Klein]

What a day.

Well, the door handles are both back on, thanks to my wife and her small hands. Even she had a hard time getting everything together but in the end she succeeded where I simply could not.

Once we finished with the door handles and I got the door panels back on the car I polished the car and all of the brightwork and got the first coat of wax on her.

Between tomorrow and Monday I've got tons more to do, but we're getting closer to the Santa Clara Corvettes Corvette Spectacular next Sunday and my car might actually be presentable when I go.

 

[Mac]

You're sounding happier already. Glad to have your Vette back, I guess?

-Mac

 

[bossvette]

be sure to take some pictures so we can see the results Erik, good luck at the show.

 

[chuck]

Remove the door latch and it's not a problem getting to the nuts.

 

[Dad]

The only way!!!

Remove the door latch and it's not a problem getting to the nuts.

Chuck has the answer and then you can flush out all the crap and grease in the latch mechanism while they are out. The time you save will cover the removal and cleaning of the latch. Did my '72 this year and the first one took a day and the second took just over 2 hours. Had to shut the door on the garage so the neighbors couldn't hear me.

 

[Mac]

Remove the door latch and it's not a problem getting to the nuts.

That's good to know. Maybe too late for Erik but I haven't done mine yet. My hands are bigger than Erik's so I wasn't looking forward to it. Maybe there is hope...

-Mac

 

[Erik S. Klein]

You're sounding happier already. Glad to have your Vette back, I guess?

Absolutely!

be sure to take some pictures so we can see the results Erik, good luck at the show.

Yeah, I'm still working on the car (did the wheels and tires today along with some of the interior and engine bay. The latter is just not going to look good unless I pull the motor and do some real work, but for now at least the chrome shines and the worst of the gunk is gone.

Remove the door latch and it's not a problem getting to the nuts.

It didn't look like that would be the case, but then again maybe with all of the stuff out of there i'd have space. If there's ever a next time. . .

 

[TAZ 76]

My fix for the hard to work on handles.

 

[Erik S. Klein]

My fix for the hard to work on handles.

So how do you get into the car when the windows are up, etc? How do you lock it?

 

[TAZ 76]

I installed actuators (poppers) to the latch to unlatch the door, and there is a spring plunger to push the door open from the latch. It works from a remote. There is also a hidden switch if the remote battery goes dead. Also added cables from the car's battery to the outside rear of the car just in case the car's batt goes dead. I removed all of the lock actuators, linkages, ect. from both doors, because there is no need to ever lock it again (just close the door

 

[bossvette]

Looks like a page from the customs/street rodders book, I like it. The first time I saw a shaved door was when I was 16 it was on a 50 merc and the "hidden switch" was a wire under the rocker panel

 

[TAZ 76]

I wish I could get a wire or mechanical backup for the poppers, but my backup switch is just a button fed directly from battery to the popper. If both poppers fail at once I'm in trouble. (luckily I almost never roll the windows up).

 

[Rookie Vette owner]

First! Yep this is an old post, and boy am I glad it was here. A special thanks to Eric & Chuck who went down this path a few years back. By unbolting the latch assembly and raising it and the door handle, you can get at the clip on the end of the rod and you can get the door handle out relatively easy

 

[Rookie Vette owner]

Cont. Sorry glitch!! hit wrong button and submitted too soon!

First! Yep this is an old post, and boy am I glad it was here. A special thanks to Eric & Chuck who went down this path a few years back. By unbolting the latch assembly and raising it and the door handle, you can get at the clip on the end of the rod (from the outside) and you can get the door handle out relatively easy. Then you can lower the latch and remove it through the lower access panel. Does anyone have a good suggestion for regreasing the latch mechanism after cleaning? Will spray Lithium grease be enough or should I apply a lithium paste as that appears to be what was already on it from the factory. Thanks again, and (even though I know it's going to cost me) I've got the wife standing by with the little hands when it's time to bolt it all back together.hnoes

 

[Erik S. Klein]

I'd go with the paste if you can, just because it's what was there.