azxhead

True Classic
If any of you have removed the door handles, you may be familiar with some of the problems that can happen. Broken pushrod ends, bent linkages, and the dreaded broken pawl.

On my 78, the pushrod ends practically disintegrated on one side and on the other they were holding on quite robustly. I ended up snapping the ball off the pawl on the passenger side.



Here is my temporary fix - Being a former R/C Modeler, I still have a few ball-joints and swivel links for model aircraft. For this project, I used 2 DU-BRO part# 884 - HEAVY DUTY 4-40 BALL LINKS (maybe 5$ for both). For a permanent fix, I will use 6-32 Ball Links and Turnbuckles made by Traxxis. These are made for serious off-road RC trucks. When these parts are used, I will update the post

The old ball joint on the lock linkage in the door is held in kind of like a rivet, simply grind of the back side and it pops right out. Then install the new DU-BRO part, remember which way it faces.



On the pawl, grind down the remnants of the old ball to make a flat surface, then drill and tap a 4-40 hole where the old ball would be. Thread the new ball in securely (when permanent, I will use Loctite) and reattach it to the door handle. Grind the protruding shaft to leave a flat surface.



Using the old pushrod as a guide for length, use a piece of 4-40 threaded rod that is about 4.75" long and thread on the plastic ball cups.



Then put it in and test...

locked...


unlocked


Hope this helps someone in the future - Please feel free to make suggestions to make this work even better. This was just a spur of moment idea. I have an idea for those who just want to repair the pawl and use the existing pushrods. Use 8-32 Swivel Ball Links at the pawl and thread in the 4mm - .07 shaft. I ordered these parts and will post a few pics when they are fitted.
 
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ingenuity: requirement for happy Xxxing
Well done!! I hope I never have to do it. (I never lock my car so I probably won't have to!)
 
Clean and perfect job!

Congrats!

I did years ago same but.. on archaic way, just I cross the plastic tab with a little screw, but your job is neat and this is the way to be should do.

Regards
 
Thanks for posting your hard work!

Reminds me of something a crib-mate of mine stated last year...

"A lesson learned is always preceded by a mistake" - Ptacnik, 2012

In this case... preceded by a broken part!

I rarely lock my doors as well 'cause I usually don't even bring the top with me. If I do, I betcha I bust things up as you show here! HA! All good to know...
 
Thanks for the nice comments

Now I am working on solving a different problem in the same area. That is how the rubber stopper in the handle housing collapses to the point that the handle does not sit level with the housing. The esthetic part is only one reason. The real reason is that this condition causes the pawl to sit rather heavily on the back side of the housing and this causes A LOT of friction. I have a few ideas in mind and will post the pics later.
 
Brilliant!!!

I broke my pawl last year and fortunately was able to source a replacement from a forum member here. But I REALLY like what you've done here -- it's a a very good solution. I am also a prior R/C modeler and am familiar with the DuBro linkages you used. They just might be more durable than the original! Nice job.
 
Regarding Durability...

IMHO, the best part about modification is that the ball link parts are strong enough and secure enough that it will not release accidentally, and it's not going to break if/when you need remove the handle for any reason. And if anything does break, the parts are readily available from most hobby shops and are inexpensive.

In the original design, the idea of having such a tight fit on such a fragile part boggles my mind. It's odd to me that the plastic part is stronger than the metal part. Go Figure

After making a slight adjustment (adding a self adhesive rubber bumper stop) to how the handle retracts back into the housing, I was pleasantly surprised by how silky smooth and strong it is. I was concerned that the 4-40 rod would have too much flex, but it actually has no flex at all. There is probably no need to use 6/32 parts other than the fact that the ball sockets will have a better fit in the linkage arm. We'll see.

Thanks for the kind words

T
 
Good idea. I will need to remember that.

Two decades ago I had the same problem. What I did was find a small button head phillips machine screw the same diameter as the original ball. Drilled out the post on the pawl and threaded the button head screw in with Locktite. Snapped the linkage back on and its been that way for two decades no problem.
 
Imaginative

No problem can resist to an imaginative X owner ...
Great solution and clean, I like it:worship:

Thanks for sharing
 
UPDATE!

Solution for the broken pawl only - and for broken pawl with both pushrod ends damaged.

If you want to use your original rod make an assembly that looks like this using Traxxas part # 5437. It's a 3mm hole but can easily be tapped to accept the 4mm/.07shaft. It helpful to note the exact distance of the pushrod before taking off one of the old ends.





After the shaft is made, use a 3/4" 4-40 cap screw and one 4-40 lock nut to make this.



Then, screw this assembly into the previously drilled and tapped pawl (that is not installed on the lock). Then, file or grind off the excess protruding through the pawl, to leave a flat surface.

Now, remove the shaft from the pawl and attach it to the lock. Make sure its clean and lubricated

The next part is tricky but not hard. Snap the old rod end on the linkage in the door and then while holding the door handle close to the door, line up the upper end attach it to the pawl. Then the handle can go into the door.



to test... manually close the door latch until it clicks twice. Operate the lock mechanism and make sure that when the handle pulled, the pawl does not engage the lever. Then unlock the door and make sure the pawl does engage the lever. If all works well you can then resecure the handle in the car.

Note: Removing the door latch is a chore, and there is a good chance of breaking other plastic pieces. So, if the old shaft is in good shape, use the other method. I suppose the work on the linkage could be done with it in the door, but I didn't try.


Anyway, for those that have two broken plastic ends, use 8-32 threaded rod and make a shaft as shown in the picture above - using the old rod as guide for length.

Prepare one end for the pawl as shown above.

Remove the linkage and remove the old ball end as detailed earlier. Then attach one end of the new shaft as shown...



Reinstall the linkage and then attach the upper end to the pawl as detailed above.

Then test for operation as detailed above.

here are pics of this finished assembly...

unlocked


locked
 
Looks like a nice fix... I just used a mini blow torch to heat up the plastic and made sure not to break the ends when installing or removing....I use this same technique removing the clips that hold the door panels in place:)
 
It's not that the plastic is stronger than the metal

The plastic was a lot more pliable when it was new. As it ages the plastic gets hard and doesn't flex anymore. Great job with the R/C parts; I did the exact same thing a few years ago and posted, but no pics. This should definately have a home in the Wiki.

IMHO, the best part about modification is that the ball link parts are strong enough and secure enough that it will not release accidentally, and it's not going to break if/when you need remove the handle for any reason. And if anything does break, the parts are readily available from most hobby shops and are inexpensive.

In the original design, the idea of having such a tight fit on such a fragile part boggles my mind. It's odd to me that the plastic part is stronger than the metal part. Go Figure

After making a slight adjustment (adding a self adhesive rubber bumper stop) to how the handle retracts back into the housing, I was pleasantly surprised by how silky smooth and strong it is. I was concerned that the 4-40 rod would have too much flex, but it actually has no flex at all. There is probably no need to use 6/32 parts other than the fact that the ball sockets will have a better fit in the linkage arm. We'll see.

Thanks for the kind words

T
 
Absolutely TOP marks.......!

....for the step-by-step procedure on this fix! :worship:

Very clear description of parts needed for the job, together with BRILLIANTLY clear pics of the whole operation!
Thanks heaps for this, mate!! Very well done!

cheers, Ian - NZ
 
One more Thing while we are here....

While working with the locks, I have few handles where the pawl rubs very heavily against the black plastic housing. The cause of this is a little rubber bumper that is fatigued. You can turn it 90 degrees and see a slight improvement but not much.

The more permanent fix for this is pretty simple if the handles are already out of the car.

I bought these at True Value for 1.80 each. They are call GM License Plate Bumpers.


Here is one compared to the original...


Installation is not difficult if the handles are out of the car. Remove the old one, set the new one in place and then use the pressure of the handle to hold it in position while using needle nose pliers and a small flat screwdriver to seat it.

Here are before and after pics...
before

after


The esthetic reason alone is enough to do it, but the difference it makes on how smoothly the lock works is an even better reason.

Edit: on the second handle I used a very small amount of vegetable oil and it was much easier to get it to seat.

Next up, get busy with some nev-r-dull on these handles!!!
 
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Great idea also on the GM license plate bumpers!

Ricardo makes some replacement rubber parts for the door handles as well. He can comment on the formula, but I think he uses a fairly hard urethane rubber mix to fabricate them.

The door handle seems to place a lot of pressure on that little rubber part (which is why so many of them compress or break over time).

Pls check back in a few weeks or months on the tru-value parts to let us know how well they hold up.
 
One more Thing while we are here....

While working with the locks, I have few handles where the pawl rubs very heavily against the black plastic housing. The cause of this is a little rubber bumper that is fatigued. You can turn it 90 degrees and see a slight improvement but not much.

The more permanent fix for this is pretty simple if the handles are already out of the car.

I bought these at True Value for 1.80 each. They are call GM License Plate Bumpers.


Here is one compared to the original...


Installation is not difficult if the handles are out of the car. Remove the old one, set the new one in place and then use the pressure of the handle to hold it in position while using needle nose pliers and a small flat screwdriver to seat it.

Here are before and after pics...
before

after


The esthetic reason alone is enough to do it, but the difference it makes on how smoothly the lock works is an even better reason.

Edit: on the second handle I used a very small amount of vegetable oil and it was much easier to get it to seat.

Next up, get busy with some nev-r-dull on these handles!!!
Because photobucket has made a fair amount of these photos indistinguisable, do these look like the GM license plate bumpers mentioned in the blurry photo? Also, any chance all these photos can be made available at a different location?

 
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Found these at the local hardware store today - $1.29 each. Will try them out when the locksmith gives back my handle. I believe they were called GM (or Chevy) license bumpers, all models.

BBFCCCDB-5EFA-49DB-9A67-7B8DA4F3AEF0.jpeg
 
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Update: these work, although the base needs a trim to fit in the hole. They may also sit a tad higher in the cradle than the original, but just marginally.
 
Good find and good pic. Ricardo made these as well (I have them in an envelope somewhere) to level the handles.
 
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