The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors door Handles

I tried searching, but didn't get anything close to my question and I don't have the patience to search through a million posts, sorry.

Anyway, the driver side door lock on my 1953 Chev 1/2 ton only locks completely one out of four 'door-slams'.

I first thought, 'it's the new rubber door seals, or this & that'. BTW, the right door locks every time. So, one thing I notice is the left door handle hanging down about 5 or 7°.

Now, before going to town and slamming the door 5 times to get one good lock, I rolled down the window, lifted the door handle up to be leveled and closed the door and it latches every time.

Question: what holds the door handle up, only the spring in the locking mechanism or does the handle itself have a spring?

Any smart fix for this problem?

Thanks, Joerg

There’s a replacement spring available for saggy door handles. You’ll need to remove the latch to replace it. Available from most of the usual vendors. Here’s one

Thanks Kevin, that should fix it!

Hello all & Kevin,

I am in the process to install replacement springs in my left hand door latch. Do I need to remove the rear window channel to get the lock out? Or is there a way to turn the latch to get it out off the narrow spot?

I don’t think you would have to take the window channel out .I think the door handle on the outside comes off by taking the two screws off that are behind the handle .not sure how accessible the screws are from under the door panel . My truck has the newer handles so my imfo is from google.

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The service manual says you need to remove the rear run channel and the guide that's held to the door with a screw near the bottom in order to remove the latch assembly. This would be for a 47-51, but the 1952 (pushbutton door handles) supplement to the shop manual says the same thing. I haven't tried without the run channel out, but it MAY be possible to get the latch assembly our without removing it.

Thanks, all, yes, I do feel the channel has to come out and I will try in 1/2 hr and let you know.

Oyoyoy, that is one rotten job again. Do I have to remove the whole window & track to get that darn lock out. my 1948 to 1953 Chevrolet Truck Manual certainly isn't too clear on things.

It says to remove the upper channel and then the support guide after rolling the window closed. You might be able to just remove the screws holding the channel guide at the bottom and pull the channel away from the door edge and latch and get the assembly out with the window up. You will likely need to remove the lower hinge access panel also to get the channel support back in place after you're done with the latch replacement.

I am trying to figure out how to remove the channel. I can't see any screw, bolt etc. from the door frame or inside the door.

These two screws on the back edge of the door. The top of the guide just slips behind the channel at the lower corner of the window opening.

OHkay, I only have two nice holes, I should be able to pull the channel out downwards, correct?

I also noticed that I have no connection between the key lock and the actual lock, no wonder I couldn't lock the door from outside with the key. Fully restored truck, haha.

Yes, those screws are the only thing holding that channel guide in. There might be some friction up at the window opening corner and there's a clip on the bottom of the guide to hold the channel in place. Reach in and give it a tug.

If it's original, there shouldn't be a key lock on the driver's side. The driver's side locks with the bar connecting it to the inside handle. Then you have to slide out the passenger door and lock that to secure the truck.

I looked at this briefly yesterday evening and this morning.

First, the drivers door has a key lock, No idea why, did the previous owner drill this and added the key-lock cylinder, but then realized this is not connectable to the actual door lock mechanics? I looked through the invoices from restoration and can't find a new driver side door, so I assume it is the original door.

Anyway, the window channel has the extension of the window gasket and I have the sad feeling that the guy rebuilding this truck set this into the metal channel with gasket adhesive.

I need to try to pry the gasket out to remove the channel. It looks loose at the top, at the transition from window gasket to the slider channel.

Kevin - I must have lost the skill to ad the pictures properly and need to read up on it, sorry. You edited the last post from me, thanks!

Joerg, Someone must have installed the key lock in the driver's door. They didn't come from the factory that way. But unless the latch mechanism is modified, it won't do anything. If there's a link between the key and the latch, you'd have to remove the key lock to get the latch out. If you're feeling ambitious, you could modify the door latch like Walter did HERE.

You may be right that someone use adhesive on the window channel. You may have to roll the window down and get the channel loose from the top. If you remove the inside window trim, that should give you access to slip a putty knife in between the channel and the door to loosen it up enough to get the lower guide out.

BTW, the only issue with your photo posting was that you used the IMG tags. If you see that your photo doesn't display in your posts and there are [IMG} photo location [/IMG} tags showing up, just delete them as long as there's a file shown in the Attachment Manager below in the full edit screen.

There is a small screw at the top of that glass channel. It is small and hard to see. It is a Phillips head.

Carl, it seems to me that there must be something holding this channel in and your suggestion of a small screw makes sense. Problem is, I can't find any screw. Would you have a more detailed location info?

Someone has said it before, when I looked through many threads about doors: 'we all hate the door issues' and I am starting to agree. 😰

The attached pic (stolen from the Classic Parts website, but listed for 51-55.1 trucks) has a hole near the upper end (arrow), but IIRC there was no screw there on my truck, just the two toward the bottom. There's no screw from the outside edge of the door that would go thru that hole, and screwing one in from the inside of the door would be very difficult. And I didn't install a screw there. There's an upset around that upper hole which is basically a standoff from the partial channel in the door. The fact that Classic Parts lists it as only fitting the trucks with wing windows surprises me. Not sure the earlier trucks would have the same channel.
The service manual doesn't differentiate between early or later (wing window) trucks on the door latch removal.

[on edit] The second pic is from a GM filmstrip that Brad Allen posted on his Flickr page. HERE
It shows a different style channel guide for the earlier trucks. And it does mention the third screw, accessible from inside the door assembly. So the mystery of the difference between early and later trucks is solved. The two lower screws are horizontal on early doors and vertical on later doors.

Eureka, we did it.

Sure as hell, there was a screw

in the channel

I was able to get the U-seal out, without massacring it too much, I hope.

Now I got the door lock out.

The new (chromed) spring will replace the door lock original, much weaker spring, correctly?

I did notice that the square from the door handle has a lot of play and I need to remedy that. What is the material, anyone knows?

Carl & Kevin, many thanks for your help!!!

The shaft on the door handles is steel, as is the latch mechanism. So if you're handy with a welder, you could build up the worn spots and file them down to the right profile. But unless there's a ton of play, I don't think I'd bother. Or you might be able to put some shim stock in along side the shaft. But getting that to stay in place might be tricky.

Good work. Perseverance pays off.

Now might be a good time to modify that latch to use the key lock.

[on edit] good work on the pics, too!

It seems to be hard to get the new, galvanized spring over the latch part.

It's usually hard to get that type of spring installed. After they go flying across the shop a couple times, you'll figure it out.

I feel that the material is ti thick to allow for a 1/4 turn. Tried many options, but no go. Didn't fly ones (maybe I am not trying?)

Have a lock at the picture with the red marked line

It should be able to make that 1/4 turn. What I've done with that type of spring (hood support) is grab that tang with a pair of vice grips to give you more leverage to wind it up and get the tang to it's proper position.

If you can't get it done, send it back. Improper fit is pretty common with repop parts. It does look a little thicker than the original. You might be able to unwind the original spring enough to take care of the door handle sag.

I thought that the door handle sag repair spring required partially disassembling the latch and putting it around the square hole where the outside handle inserts. I bought those, but decided not to install them to avoid dismantling the door latch. My door handles don't droop enough to worry about.

I found a new door lock and installed it, will see how that goes.

Report to follow.

Well, that is done. I had to pull the rear side of the window gasket up & out to remove that stupid little tin screw. I installed two screws from the rear of the door and loft that little screw out. I was able to re-insert the gasket down the channel with some massaging and window up/down to bring it down the channel. All good now. Had to go quickly to town with the truck, cause now other vehicle around for me to take at the moment and hear a 'clonk' inside the bottom of the door and realized that I left a 2 1/4 hitch ball laying in the door that I had used to knock the channel up. Small task to take that out and remove the 'clonk'.

Now the inside door blend has to be put on (the glorified cardboard door liner-junk that I will eventually change to something neither). Like changing below FFF to AAA!

I'm confused by your pictures.

One is an AD truck and the other is a TF truck.

Sorry, Otto, if I confused you, I shouldn't have. The FFF is my truck and the AAA is just an example of what I would like to finish the inside door cover with. The metal on metal should perhaps see a dampener in between, but this cardboard is not a finish!

Ok. I'm easil;y confused. I get where you're coming from regarding the cardboard. I've seen people use the cardboard as backing for padded/pleated vinyl.

You can get abs door panels that look like the cardboard but are more durable .take a look at either whitewolf speed shop or ls fabrication ,I think they are the same company and are in your neck of the woods Calgary.

Interesting stuff they have. My Idea is to make the panels from 20 gauge mild steel, roll the edges over and stabilizing groves in and powder coat it.