Door Handles

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treue
Posts: 141
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2002 8:49 am
Location: Oklahoma

Door Handles

Post by treue »

Friends,

I am having trouble with both door handles on Federico (9129). During installation during restoration and, I think, during previous maintenance activity, the outside fascia became bent at the front and rear ends:
9129 Left Door Handle 1, 6-30-14.JPG
9129 Left Door Handle 1, 6-30-14.JPG (90.46 KiB) Viewed 4174 times
My questions:

1. How can this be repaired, given that they are likely zinc or aluminum castings? Bend the wings too far and the material may crack rather than just bend.

2. How can this be prevented in the future? I wonder if a shim or gasket was omitted during re-assembly allowing the fascia to be pulled too far into its hole in the door when the mounting screws were tightened. The gasket between the fascia and the door has been distorted and is uneven in appearance.

PS: Federico is only a couple of months away from completion. I will post pictures when the blest event occurs.


Tom
Tom Treue
67 330GT 2+2, No. 9129 (former owner)
cory
Posts: 227
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 7:34 pm

Re: Door Handles

Post by cory »

Hi
Mine were also bent from previous over tightening. I, very carefully, brought them back to form and then installed a spacer between each mounting hole and casting. There is also a rubber gasket that goes between your bent portion and the door.
Cory
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treue
Posts: 141
Joined: Mon Sep 16, 2002 8:49 am
Location: Oklahoma

Re: Door Handles

Post by treue »

Thanks for the response, Cory.

If you look at where my handle meets the door skin, about a third of the way from the left end of the door handle, you can see some of the gasket bulging out which is one of the symptoms of the problem. Your gasket seems to be nicely hidden underneath the fascia.

Tom
Tom Treue
67 330GT 2+2, No. 9129 (former owner)
Darren C
Posts: 123
Joined: Fri Sep 06, 2013 3:56 pm
Location: Chichester UK

Re: Door Handles

Post by Darren C »

Hi Tom,

The handles are Mazak, if you try and bend them off the car you will most probably break the casting. Cory is right, your's look over tightened pulling them against the door skin and bending them out of shape. I stripped two cars down that were being parted out, both had packing washers between handle and door skin.
Maybe you could see how straight they are when released from the door and shim them with washers to regain some straightness when you put them back. I'd almost try a small spacer behind the centre of the handle so the two outer fixings gently pull in the ends too.

Go easy with them and you should be able to improve the shape.
330GT 2+2 4HL 6727
Small things make perfection, but perfection is no small thing.
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