Apparently I was too eager to get out of the car and snapped my plastic VS door handle. Vintage Motorcars is already sending the replacement, but I thought I’d get a head start on my plan to fix it.
Are my search skills lacking, or am I the first to replace a door handle? I would sure welcome some tips. Thanks in advance.
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Make sure you've got a pair of needle-nosed pliers. I went to re-install my door handle and after an hour of screaming "F#*@!%g S&%t", I finally dug through boxes of miscellaneous tools and found those pliers. I then completed the installation after only another 10 minutes of screaming the same obscenities. WARNING, though: Don't drop the itty-bitty little pin! If you do, you'll never find it and then you're really F#*@ed!
Ryan, I think the reason there are so few YouTube videos on removing the interior door handle is that it's pretty straightforward.
Just push the plastic trim ring in against the door panel (there's a spring behind the panel holding it in place). You'll then see the little pin that holds the handle onto a splined shaft.
Use a punch or nail that's a little skinnier than the pin to gently push the pin out. It shouldn't take much force. The handle should just slide off easily.
Both handles on my 2013 VS literally bent in my hand from normal use. I was able to find OK quality replacements at Bugformance for $12, but much better ones are available from places like Stoddard and Sierra Madre. I'm sure the ones you're getting from Greg will be fine. I sometimes wonder just how little VS must have paid for what came stock on the car if I could find better quality for $12 retail.
But none of this stuff is as good as 1968 OEM, so use the handles gently, and resist the temptation to use them as door pulls when closing the door or as panic handles when sliding sideways on dirt roads.
Cheers!
You'll get a handle on it.
Ryan,
many of the repo handles are aluminum and will typically easily bend/ snap.
Years back I installed some used original OE German VW cast handles, and they are solid/ bulletproof. Hard to find in good condition locally. I called Wagen Werks ( Victorville, Ca) and for 14$ a pop, I got great original ones... chrome was good enough after a little polish.
https://www.wagen-werks.com/do...g-1956-to-1966-used/
Piece of cake just like Sacto Mitch described,except I have never seen a spring behind the door panel and I've removed dozens of them.
Spring is OEM on a Beetle. Here's today's simple fix to get the pin into the handle. Use a length of coat hanger with the same wire diameter as the pin. With a wire cutter gently make a mark on the coat hanger the same length as the pin. Slide the plastic grommet and handle onto the splined shaft making sure you have the handle at the correct position, while pushing the handle inward against the door panel, insert the coat hanger into the handle hole and wiggle it until it breaks off...Your pin is now installed and a lot easier than trying to get it into that holes with a long nose pliers.
Mitch wrote: "Just push the plastic trim ring in against the door panel (there's a spring behind the panel holding it in place)."
Wait....... You VS guys have springs behind your door handles??????????????
Us lowly CMC dudes stand (or sit) in awe.
You VS guys get all the perks.
You know, maybe I've just been assuming there's a spring back there.
I've never had the door cards off and my old BMW had a wire spring there. But now I see that a pair of those springs is, like, $10 and there's no way Kirk would have wasted that kind of money on springs when a wadded up tortilla would have served just as well.
I'm starting to think I don't want to know what's behind my door cards.
I drive a CMC.
It’s best not to even ask.
Sacto Mitch posted:
You know, maybe I've just been assuming there's a spring back there.
I've never had the door cards off and my old BMW had a wire spring there. But now I see that a pair of those springs is, like, $10 and there's no way Kirk would have wasted that kind of money on springs when a wadded up tortilla would have served just as well.
I'm starting to think I don't want to know what's behind my door cards.
Maxi-Pads: You know your Speedie leaks when it's in the rain! Kirk was just thinking ahead.
Sacto Mitch posted:I'm starting to think I don't want to know what's behind my door cards.
No need to be afraid Mitch. The only thing behind the door card is the door.
I picked up a couple nicely plated cast handles from Stoddard for a car I am building. They were reasonably priced and decent quality. As far as the install goes, if you know which end of a screwdriver goes in your hand (although you will not need one) you should be fine.
I always hated the VW design for the door handles. Most of the time they go on easy and stay on, except when they don’t...
When you think about it....that observation REALLY covers a lot of things!
Cole Thompson- posted:I always hated the VW design for the door handles. Most of the time they go on easy and stay on, except when they don’t...
This cannot be. The design of the door handles cannot be improved upon. After all, it was the Sainted German Engineers who designed it!
Best advice you will get on this subject. As every already stated it very simple. Even you can do it Ryan. Here is how to avoid ever doing it again. Scour the internet, eBay, etc and find real Porsche handles. The handles on my VS bent and broke within 3 months of buying the car “new.” They authentic handles are in varying degrees of condition but can be restored.
Bunch of wimps. Who needs to close their door when driving their car. Corners need to be a challenge!
Ryan, kudos to you for making it this long without bending your door handles! The ones VS installed back in the day were made from (what I can only imagine to be) aluminum foil.
You’ll be fine with all of the techniques outlined above. Even without the use of this forum, the first handle would take you 10 min to change; after putzing about to see how it’s held on. After that, you’ll spend a longer time looking for that small pin (if you unfortunately drop it) than it will take to install the handle.
I've already spent a longer time, just looking for that damn spring...
Purchase the handles from a WV resto supplier. There's a lot of handles on the market that are stamped and chromed tin.
Will someone post a picture of the door handle being spoken of. My speedster has one long handle on each door that are made of chrome plated pot metal. Is this the handle being talked about?
Jimmy V. posted:Will someone post a picture of the door handle being spoken of. My speedster has one long handle on each door that are made of chrome plated pot metal. Is this the handle being talked about?
Yes.
Yeah, Jim. The Pot Metal ones are a little more substantial than the el Cheapo stamped versions.
I put a magnet on the set I sourced from VSP. It didn't stick. I'll be looking into the vintage VW parts option. Thanks for the heads up.
Yesterday I had to take the driver's door apart to install a new mirror. The one that came with the car was rusted beyond polishing.
Mitch, as Troy stated, there's no spring behind the handle, and I found no wadded-up newspapers or feminine products (thankfully!).
With all of the things wrong with Whitecloud, the interior handles have held up admirably but it may be because I shut my door (90% of use is this door) using the door (I grab it outside) and don't use the handle to shut it.
I had to use a pin-punch and light taps of a small hammer to move the pin in the handle and found it's much easier to do this with the upper trim piece (where the "windows" plug into) so you have better access. My pins didn't come out, they just moved far enough to allow the handle to slide off the shaft.
Ryan, you can probably handle this while standing on your head with both hands tied behind your back, easy, peasy!
I realize this is water over the dam... I just removed the door top rail and the door card screws then carefully rotate the door card 90 degrees to access the mirror nuts ~
Look at me, wrenching like the big boys! 🔧
Greg shipped a new pin with it. Thanks for all the help.
It’s this community that gives me the confidence to drive this car.
Ahh Ha! Notching out the plastic trim washer allows for the pin clearance well I'll be....
Ryan in NorCal posted:Look at me, wrenching like the big boys! 🔧
Greg shipped a new pin with it. Thanks for all the help.
It’s this community that gives me the confidence to drive this car.
I think you may have caught the handle with the cuff of your pants whilst jumping into the car without opening the door.
Ryan;
Do you have door top 356 pull handles?
Since you appear to have had the more robust cast door handles and still broke it, then the door pull handle might be just what you need.
After all, das German Designers would not have added das pull handle if they hadn’t had a bunch of overly beefy drivers breaking off the door handles, right?
Available from Vintage and Beck. They’re pretty, too.
mppickett posted:Bunch of wimps. Who needs to close their door when driving their car. Corners need to be a challenge!
I have had that happen to me, scary stuff, I would not wish it on anybody. Got that door latch changed in a jiffy.
