Can somebody walk me through how you put on the lever handles onto the doors.
I took them off when I was replacing the door panels.
the door panels are back on and the door handle nut is properly sticking through the hole..
Horace from Vintage sent me 2 new lever handle kits..they come with the lever...the little metal bit and the plastic lever top...
So...treat me like a 5 yr old...because even Horace told me they were tricky to get on....so what's the "trick?"
Thanks in advance.
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So you have the toothed shaft with a groove around it sticking out and handle is like below?
Put door panel on, put the black plastic trim ring over the shaft (OEM used a big spring behind it), push on the handle to angle you want it, then insert the pin in hole in handle so that it holds handle on via the groove in the shaft. If new door panels are too thick it might be problem pushing handle in far enough.
Your pin may simply be a bit too long.
I'm not familiar with this handle. Can you tap in further with a mallet and very small finishing nail as a set?
If it's like mine; Press hard against the door panel behind the plastic piece the ends up covering the pin. Yoiu are pressing the panel "out" from inside the car---towards the fiberglass door. Pressing will make a big enough space to allow you to stick that pin in or get it out. I use a Punch that is not much larger around than a lage paper clip. It fits where that pin goes. Or as was suggested, a nail will do as well.
Don't bugger up that plastic part---if you do, turn it so it shows the good part. (ask me how I know!)
Good luck with it.
How thick is the new door panel backing? You might have to sand it thinner on the back around the handle.
Hey Mark,
You stated that Horace sent you a new set. Is there a chance that they simply don't fit? Have you tried to put back on one of the old ones? Have you taken the door panel off and tried to line up the handle without any tension on it? Does the handle line up / slide on the splines okay without the door panel?
Look at the end of the spline sticking out of / off of the door. Is it symmetrical? Or does it have any one side which should 'key into' another part of the handle. Look in the handle end. Is there anything in there which needs to 'line up with' anything on the spline end?
Worst case, walk away for a bit. Take a drive.
T
Ted
I had to make my with by cutting a nail. It was too long so took a little more off. Horace had sent ,e some too during this time and they were longer than the nail I used. I just left the nail in after that and never had another issue. Try making it shorter...
I just pulled the door panels off my car and much to my surprise Henry drilled and tapped small alen head screws through the handle that made it real easy to put on and take off. Very good idea for future install...not to mention it stops a lot of four letter words.
Mark, I had to replace both original handles on my 2013 VS. I knew they were, uh, 'lightly constructed' so took extra care when using them, but after a few months they still adopted peculiar, although not unattractive, curlicue shapes that were inconsistent with the original design.
I found a pair of replacements at our local VDub aftermarket emporium in those all too familiar unlabeled plastic bags, indicating an ancestry that hadn't been fully documented. The level of finish belied origins far from German shores. But they were still different from the VS originals - these were about twice as heavy, but still cost only $12 retail. (I can imagine what the wholesale cost on the VS parts must have been.)
Long story longer, the splines didn't quite mesh with the splines on the door hardware - they were a bit loose. They fit well enough to work, but wrapping a few turns of teflon plumbers tape around the splines helped snug things up.
The point is, in this world of low-dollar offshore parts, quality control is nonexistent and the fit of these things can be all over the map. You may have the opposite situation of what I had. The splines on the handle may be too tight to slide home on the door fitting enough to allow the pin to align with the groove it needs to fit through.
The only fix would be to try another handle from a different source and hope for better Karma this time around. I'd suggest some meditation and thinking pure thoughts before seeking the new handles.
Madness, hell! It's a freakin' religion.
May God be with you.
I just pulled the door panels off my car and much to my surprise Henry drilled and tapped small alen head screws through the handle that made it real easy to put on and take off. Very good idea for future install...not to mention it stops a lot of four letter words.
Henry has a lot of small details incorporated into his cars that add up to a lot.
I wonder if the hole in the new handle doesn't line up with slot door piece. Like others said "MADE IN CHINA" quality. Maybe a swipe with a file on the door piece would clean end up enough to fit. Test with panel off.
Carey did the same with the NOS set of handles I got from him...allen head screws through the handle...nice snug fit
Thanks for all your replies.
Can Carey or Sacto Mitch send me a pic of the screw holes and let me know what size threads/drill they used.
Thanks again.
The door handles are so poorly made they have no tinsel strength whatsoever. I bought originals on ebay and no longer have problems with bending. They are a bitch to get on however.
tinsel strength
Ever try to get that stuff OFF your tree?
NOW you unnerstand!
Wicked strong stuff!
