Bent door pull bolt removal
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 276
Likes: 5
From: Aptos, CA
Bent door pull bolt removal
The door pull handle on my 1969 finally gave up the ghost leaving the Phillips head bolts still in place on the door panel. I cannot remove the lower bolt because the bolt shaft is bent about 45 degrees just beyond the tapped bracket that the bolt threads into.
Has anyone ever encountered bent door pull bolts before? Seems odd, but this is an old car so who knows how it happened.
Anyway I can't install a new door pull, or remove the door panel for other work, until I remove this bolt. I can barely fit a screwdriver between the door panel the the window glass so I might be able to carefully hammer the bolt straight enough to remove it, but I'd appreciate some other clever ideas that might help to remove it.
Thanks!
Has anyone ever encountered bent door pull bolts before? Seems odd, but this is an old car so who knows how it happened.
Anyway I can't install a new door pull, or remove the door panel for other work, until I remove this bolt. I can barely fit a screwdriver between the door panel the the window glass so I might be able to carefully hammer the bolt straight enough to remove it, but I'd appreciate some other clever ideas that might help to remove it.
Thanks!
Drifting
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,263
Likes: 512
From: perth Aus w.a
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (stock)
C3 of Year Winner (stock) 2019
Can you use a hacksaw blade to cut of the bent part ,just wrap some tape on the end of the blade so you don't cut your hands 
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 276
Likes: 5
From: Aptos, CA
Makes me wonder how the bend ever occurred. Maybe a minor crash with a previous owner. Who knows!
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 4,057
Likes: 421
From: BC
Since your door pull is toast you might try cutting the lower part of it away and drilling the head off the phillips fastener. There is a metal reinforcement plate bonded inside the plastic with a hole in it for the fastener. If you cut the door pull and trim the plastic back you should have a straight shot at the phillips head with a drill bit and with the phillips head the bit should center itself. Or you might be able to get at the phillips head with a screwdriver with the plastic trimmed away.
Last edited by CanadaGrant; Aug 18, 2019 at 11:08 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 7,123
Likes: 433
From: Gladstone MO
C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
I'm with CanadaGrant I'd look at drilling the head off the bolt- once you get the head drilled off, then you can remove the inner door trim and work the bolt as needed with no hassle.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 276
Likes: 5
From: Aptos, CA
I chose to use progressively larger drill bits to drill the bolt head off. Then I removed the door frame cover (the one with the hex screws) and used a pair of vise grips to gradually thread the bolt end from the hole.
Unfortunately in the process I must have popped the door opening linkage clip off of the door opening rod...so now I have to take the door panel off again to reattach. The work never ends...
Unfortunately in the process I must have popped the door opening linkage clip off of the door opening rod...so now I have to take the door panel off again to reattach. The work never ends...
Last edited by Turbotrad; Aug 22, 2019 at 11:07 AM.
