Please Mr. Willcox............
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
Please Mr. Willcox............
Please Mr. Willcox, tell me that I don't have to buy a complete left hand door handle for my 1974 coupe. This bracket has broken off and I'm guessing that the part bottom right in the second photo pivots on it. I've looked at the AIM and my Haynes manual, but they are both very vague in this area.
Please tell me that I don't have to buy a complete door handle assembly just because one tiny part has broken off. And is there a good drawing or photo that explains how that clip and spring are supposed to fit?
By the way, is this rod supposed to be bent this much?
Thankfully the part is small and light so air freight won't be too much.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Please tell me that I don't have to buy a complete door handle assembly just because one tiny part has broken off. And is there a good drawing or photo that explains how that clip and spring are supposed to fit?
By the way, is this rod supposed to be bent this much?
Thankfully the part is small and light so air freight won't be too much.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 9,272
Likes: 17
dont you think it would be better to contact a vender by e-mail or at the very least look at the picture tech on his web site which is excellent, btw, and see if that has a separate part number
Last edited by oldalaskaman; May 2, 2012 at 09:48 AM.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 577
Likes: 6
That is a very important part of that linkage and cannot be repaired with an epoxy. I believe it can be repaired though as long as it's not a cheap pot metal and I cannot remember if it is or not. Someone skilled at welding can probably get that ear back in place and then you can re-drill the hole through. Outside of that you're looking at replacing it.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 577
Likes: 6
That is a very thin piece. The tiniest force one way or the other and it'll snap right off again. Epoxy does work wonders in many ways but epoxy works best when there is more surface area.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 11,360
Likes: 382
From: Plano TX
Pretty sure it's pot metal.
Might be possible to JB-weld. You'd have to take a thin strip of sheet metal and and JB it to the outside of the part, along the edge. Go about an inch or so beyond the break. That will give you more surface area. If you just JB the actual break it won't hold.
Might be possible to JB-weld. You'd have to take a thin strip of sheet metal and and JB it to the outside of the part, along the edge. Go about an inch or so beyond the break. That will give you more surface area. If you just JB the actual break it won't hold.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Aussie-
Hate to say it but yes, that handle is pot metal and the only way to permanently repair this is to replace the handle. The job to replace would make epoxy not my choice.
Willcox
Hate to say it but yes, that handle is pot metal and the only way to permanently repair this is to replace the handle. The job to replace would make epoxy not my choice.
Willcox
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 82
From: Brampton Ont.
Aussie:
Really sorry to hear about the broken end piece.
If I may however ask a favour? The spring I see in the picture where it installs to the bracket and end piece that broke. Would you be able to take a better picture of it since mine broke several years ago (can't find it)and I need to make a replacement. For some reason I can't remember how it's wound up or the ends bent over.
Thanks
Really sorry to hear about the broken end piece.
If I may however ask a favour? The spring I see in the picture where it installs to the bracket and end piece that broke. Would you be able to take a better picture of it since mine broke several years ago (can't find it)and I need to make a replacement. For some reason I can't remember how it's wound up or the ends bent over.
Thanks
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
but I've seen one before and I don't remember it being that bent. Plus the dogleg end that attaches to the lever is so far bent that it is not parallel with the bracket. i.e., the small part that goes through the hole is not parallel with the hole.Thank you.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
Aussie:
Really sorry to hear about the broken end piece.
If I may however ask a favour? The spring I see in the picture where it installs to the bracket and end piece that broke. Would you be able to take a better picture of it since mine broke several years ago (can't find it)and I need to make a replacement. For some reason I can't remember how it's wound up or the ends bent over.
Thanks
Really sorry to hear about the broken end piece.
If I may however ask a favour? The spring I see in the picture where it installs to the bracket and end piece that broke. Would you be able to take a better picture of it since mine broke several years ago (can't find it)and I need to make a replacement. For some reason I can't remember how it's wound up or the ends bent over.
Thanks
Will do.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 3,223
Likes: 666
From: Northeast
Looks like the vendors are now selling Trim Parts for @$65.
As far as the rod go to Zip-Corvette.com and look at #DR346, there is also a tech pic on the bottom right:
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...GR-SR&CTitle=&
See if it is similar. I cant imagine anyone bending the one you have so should be ok. If the door handle previously worked then don't spin that barrel on the rod. That is used to make any adjustments.
Good luck.
As far as the rod go to Zip-Corvette.com and look at #DR346, there is also a tech pic on the bottom right:
http://www.zip-corvette.com/ProductD...GR-SR&CTitle=&
See if it is similar. I cant imagine anyone bending the one you have so should be ok. If the door handle previously worked then don't spin that barrel on the rod. That is used to make any adjustments.
Good luck.
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 82
From: Brampton Ont.
Nope, don't need more pictures, those are fine. I always thought the spring without tension was 180 degress rather then 360 as it seems in your phots. Unless that spring has lost some of it's tension?
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
I doubt it.
Good, I'm glad they did the trick. I doubt if the spring would lose any tension, there's not much load on it. My problem now is to decide whether or not to try to fix the old door handle and keep it as a spare. I have ordered a new one and some other door parts from Willcox and ETA is late next week.
The trouble with living Down Under and owning a Corvette is the long lead time on ordering any parts for it. As Chev engines were used in many Holdens over the decades, I can buy a head gasket or set of rings over the counter here and have the car running the same or next day. I could probably pay LESS money by buying from a US vendor, but the air freight and time is the killer.
However, when it comes to Corvette specific parts such as door handles, you have to be lucky to find someone here who has one for sale. And then it's often second hand so how long will it last?
BTW, does anyone have a good drawing or even a photograph of the way the little springs and clips etc. are connected between the handle and the lock mechanism? It would be much appreciated.
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 1,944
Likes: 20
From: The only Corvettes in Highett Victoria
Tell me about it!!!!!
Trouble is, it keeps the car off the road until I get the new parts fitted. Just as well I have another.
I was showing the whole door lock assembly to a friend yesterday who owns a 1932 Ford and he was amazed at the complexity of the Corvette one. I wonder what a modern door lock assembly would look like?
Regards from Down Under.
aussiejohn
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4,255
Likes: 82
From: Brampton Ont.