The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors Drooping outside door handle

How do I repair drooping outside door handle on my brothers 1950 Chevy 3100?
We bought the spring Eliminates Drooping Handle

But how do you install it?? do you have to remove the window regulator assembly to get the door latch out ?? I searched the forum but no one has explained how to replace it. The shop manual does not say how to other than to take off outside handle.

You'll have to remove the latch from the door

There is a metal runner in the way that you will have to remove/ or loosen to get the latch out
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There are two screws holding the metal runner in place, open the door and they will be in about the middle of the Door under the latch.


I have not made this repair but the spring goes here
...click...

New reproduction handles worked well for me. The quality was not bad compared to other reproduction items.

There still might be a possibility that your handles will still droop. If the latch square hole is worn and the handle square shaft is worn , you will still have a little droop and a little handle slop.

Thanks
Will try to fix it next week. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again

I read a thread about this very problem about 5 months ago and the simple fix was to just pull up the handle to a level position. I tried it and it worked beautifully! Try that first. Fast, cheap and simple.

I'm not sure what you mean ? When I pull up on the handle it just falls back down.

Apparently it is possible over time for the handle to rotate on the shaft & appear like it is drooping. If you pull it up slowly, so you don't break it, it should rotate so you can lift it past the level mark and then when it falls it will be horizontal. Of course if it is broken inside this is not the fix you are looking for. Worked for me though.

...and in case the handle is "pulled up" or rotated on the shaft, there is a chance it will eventually fall, or slip, back to low.
I've pulled handles out where the handle was "pulled up" to where it would be level and then someone drilled a hole and put a split pin in it.... Just another idea if needed.

Had a similar problem I was able to correct as follows.
The handle has a rod that extends into the door and into the latch mechanism. The end of the rod is finished into a square where it inserts into the latch. The female recepticle of the latch is also square to accept the rod. In my case the rods square end had worn to almost round and this allowed it to flop down. It would hardly turn the latch. I pulled the handle and built the end of the rod back up with weld and ground it down to square.
It now stays level and works the latch as it should.
good luck
Dave

Thanks for the info. but how difficult is it to remove and replace the handle on a 49?

2 clutch head screws,one in the door reveal and one tucked in behind the handle itself,you need to drop the handle right down to expose it.It should then wiggle out,it may be a little stuck.

Just to add to the droopy handle solution,my handles were new and still drooped.
Similar to pulling the handle(s) up and level,I didn't fancy trying this so I opted to remove the handle and shaft completely off the truck.
I then took the square shaft previously mentioned and clamped it in a vice,I then twisted it a little at a time 'til I got the handle(s) horizontal.
I've heard of some folks applying heat too but found this wasn't needed,just brute strength!

Like others mentioned if the inner door latch and handles square drives are excessively worn you might not achieve such a simple solution.

Thanks Jock!

okay I found the one under the handle but the one by the 'reveal' eludes me. I presume I will have to take the unit out from the inside, correct?

No,you wouldn't be able to remove the inner door assembly until you remove the outer door handle and square drive.
If you open the door,look at the area where the door seal is glued,about 2.5" higher than the actual exposed part of the inner door latch you'll see another clutch head screw the same size as the outer one.
I'll take a picture and post it up.

It's Right here.....

I hope this helps.....

I should have looked at the door edge before asking. Thanks again.