Door handles

[orwin]

Getting ready to install new door handles - minor problems and a question. I bought repro door handles from Dennis Carpenter, very nice quality and made in USA to boot. They don't come with all the hardware for the "button retainer". I will need to use the old parts.

There is a difference in the new casting from the original. The original Ford castings have a rectangular recess where the tab on the button retainer fits in, which is not on the new ones. You can see this in the pictures. I'm planning on milling a small groove with a Dremel for this - that shouldn't be a problem.

The bigger issue is the gaskets. They really seem too small for the ridges to fit over the handles, and to add to the trouble they are made of some very slippery plastic that doesn't want to bend. They are just going to slide around on the body. I was thinking of first glueing them to the handles with 3M weatherstrip cement but don't think that will help much.

Has anyone come across this before? I could make my own gaskets out of sheet rubber but that may not come out well either.

Every detail is a challenge.

John

[jopizz]

I have noticed that about the gaskets. The original gaskets were made of soft rubber and could be stretched. I guess their definition of "exact reproduction" is different from mine.

John

[Tbird1044]

I have also noticed the gasket fit leaves a lot to be desired. I have not yet had the pleasure of trying to make them fit. I do have 2 sets of gaskets. The one I still have at the house seems to be pretty soft, so my plan is to use super glue to lock it in position on the door handles. Super glue sticks really well to rubber and metal. I'll also have to check if the slots are in my new handles for the button retainer. I'm pretty sure my handles were made in Taiwan. Can't check because the body shop has them for fit up.
Let us know how you make out with this and what you find works best.
Nyles

[Restifier52]

I struggled with them and finally gave up. I applied a small bead of black silicone to the mating surface of the handles, installed them and never looked back

[orwin]

Door handles and gaskets

OK - here is what I had to do to the repro door handles. I used a Dremel tool with a 1-1/2" metal abrasive disk to cut the slot. You can see the handle is clamped in a vise between a block of wood and a piece of aluminum. Be careful not to slip with the Dremel.

Without the slot, the button guide won't fit. These handles are supposedly made from "Original Ford Tooling", but something got missed. As far as the gaskets, I gave them a try and they actually worked better than I thought. Slippery plastic, but I was still able to work them into place.

John

[Tbird1044]

Any pictures of the handles installed with the gaskets?

Nyles