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914World.com _ 914World Garage _ Rebuilding door handles?
Posted by: ConeDodger Jan 9 2018, 05:33 PM
Just did a search for door handle rebuild and no-joy. Anyone know of a thread?
Posted by: UROpartsman Jan 9 2018, 06:22 PM
Maybe these could help:
http://www.aircoolednut.com/erkson/personal/porsche914-73/door_handle_replacement.htm
http://914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=214567
Posted by: The Cabinetmaker Jan 9 2018, 06:50 PM
What exactly do you mean by"rebuild"? Are they broken, or just needed cleaning up and new plastic actuator?
Posted by: Elliot Cannon Jan 9 2018, 07:19 PM
The last five years or so, I have been totally removing the locks/door latches, inner and outer handles. I degrease them with carb. cleaner or whatever I have on hand at the time, re-lube them, replace the plastic part and re-install. These things can get gummed up pretty badly, hard to open and often break. Time to do it again just before route 66. 
Posted by: ConeDodger Jan 9 2018, 07:20 PM
What exactly do you mean by"rebuild"? Are they broken, or just needed cleaning up and new plastic actuator?
They are going to be rechromed after GT drilling so the have to come completely apart.
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Posted by: Larmo63 Jan 9 2018, 08:37 PM
Whilst on the subject of 914 door handles, have you ever really taken a good long look at one? They are actually a thing of beauty and no other Porsche sports a door handle quite like it. Very cool. I think they are very mid-century modern as the 914 is THE perfect mid-century sports car.
Posted by: Mueller Jan 9 2018, 08:41 PM
What exactly do you mean by"rebuild"? Are they broken, or just needed cleaning up and new plastic actuator?
They are going to be rechromed after GT drilling so the have to come completely apart.
I hope you can drill them more evenly spaced than the drunk that did those
Posted by: TargaToy Jan 9 2018, 09:03 PM
I hope you can drill them more evenly spaced than the drunk that did those
Posted by: ConeDodger Jan 9 2018, 10:32 PM
What exactly do you mean by"rebuild"? Are they broken, or just needed cleaning up and new plastic actuator?
They are going to be rechromed after GT drilling so the have to come completely apart.
I hope you can drill them more evenly spaced than the drunk that did those
Oh I agree! When I posted that, I couldn’t find this picture. My friend Rex is a machine shop manager and a Datsun guy. We work on projects together. Right now it’s coilovers for his 510. Rex is going to drill them. It should be very accurate. Just for giggles, we decided to weigh them before and after!
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Posted by: Elliot Cannon Jan 9 2018, 11:17 PM
Whilst on the subject of 914 door handles, have you ever really taken a good long look at one? They are actually a thing of beauty and no other Porsche sports a door handle quite like it. Very cool. I think they are very mid-century modern as the 914 is THE perfect mid-century sports car.
Mid-century?? Actually THIS is a mid-century sports car.
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Posted by: ConeDodger Jan 10 2018, 09:31 AM
Yes, that’s all very interesting, but how do you get the damned door handle halves apart you tards! 
Posted by: The Cabinetmaker Jan 10 2018, 10:18 AM
Drill out the rivet? Better find a replacement rivet first
Posted by: campbellcj Jan 10 2018, 11:19 AM
They are going to be rechromed after GT drilling so the have to come completely apart.
Did you drill those yourself or source them someplace? I have been interested in a set but don't want to deal with the tools and replating.
Posted by: bbrock Jan 10 2018, 11:26 AM
I was able to take one apart and save the rivet by using pliers around one end to smash the peened end back down to where it would fit through the hole. I've done it exactly one time so don't know how repeatable it is, and it took some time. I think a pair of http://hbrcnet.org/Tools.htm would make it easy, but who has a pair of those lying around? If you can find proper replacement rivets, that would be the way to go. I couldn't, so wanted to salvage the existing rivet if I could. But the rivets themselves are soft and the peened edge can easily be ground off with a 2" roloc disc on an angle grinder. Just did that last night on a handle I was using for spare parts.
BTW, those GT handles remind me of the old backpacking joke of drilling holes in your toothbrush handle to save weight.
Posted by: Andyrew Jan 10 2018, 11:31 AM
Doesnt Paul URY rebuild them?
Posted by: bbrock Jan 10 2018, 11:58 AM
Doesnt Paul URY rebuild them?
Yes, and here's what he said on another thread about sourcing new pins or reusing the old ones. http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?s=&showtopic=313066&view=findpost&p=2510567
And his method would even shave MORE weight off that handle!
Posted by: scallyk9 Jan 10 2018, 01:11 PM
I was able to take one apart and save the rivet by using pliers around one end to smash the peened end back down to where it would fit through the hole. I've done it exactly one time so don't know how repeatable it is, and it took some time. I think a pair of http://hbrcnet.org/Tools.htm would make it easy, but who has a pair of those lying around? If you can find proper replacement rivets, that would be the way to go. I couldn't, so wanted to salvage the existing rivet if I could. But the rivets themselves are soft and the peened edge can easily be ground off with a 2" roloc disc on an angle grinder. Just did that last night on a handle I was using for spare parts.
BTW, those GT handles remind me of the old backpacking joke of drilling holes in your toothbrush handle to save weight.
There's another solution to the rivet. AA does have a long shank/short threaded allen bolt with nylock nut packaged just for this purpose. I wasn't clever enough to remove the rivet so that it would be re-useable, and this fit perfectly.
Posted by: URY914 Jan 10 2018, 07:12 PM
Doesnt Paul URY rebuild them?
I can rebuild them. The pin is reusable even after filing down one end of it. It's best to reuse the pin because it fits very tight.
BTW, in my opinion after rebuilding a few dozen I'll have to tell you they are a shitty design. They can break several different ways and have several weak points.
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