Ski

The body shop that has my friends car is having absolute hell trying to get the door handles back on. They printed up the Clarks Garage deal but they broke another one today. yes they took them off but the car is finished, the check list is complete, so it's just the handles and the door panels.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated, I may go out and give the shop a hand.

dime1622

I had to finally unbolt the window track from inside the car and pull it back to get another hand up underneath so I could snap the drop link on.

Door handles suck.

KuHL 951

I think Tom McGuinns writeup is the best. I've used his method twice now since tearing my bicep trying to do it the hard way. Give it a try, works great.

http://members.rennlist.com/tom86951/Lock%20Linkage.htm

Acetylene

Tore your bicep? Damn, that souns painful.

KuHL 951

Yes indeedy. I had my arm stuffed back in the door cavity trying to snap that freaking plastic piece onto the lock mechanism with my thumb. It was an odd angle and I was really pushing hard. I felt a pop in what I thought was my shoulder and my arm felt like someone drove a spike through it. The next day I woke up to this and it got worse looking from there. It's been over a year now and I can now twist the tops off of a beer bottle again I felt like a fool when Tom posted his simple and effective method. Wrenching on cars or even shifting was sheer torment for about 3 months.

ehall

Snap the white piece in first, THEN snap in the lower piece. It takes patience and small fingers but it sure as hell isn't brain surgery.

ehall

I have large fingers so I was in need of extra patience.

rcatherton

The door handles can be installed from the outside using a long thin screwdriver to push the plastic pieces on. It does take some skill. If you have messed with the pickup switch for the door locks, I would advise checking the timing of the electrics with the key to make sure they function correctly before installing the handles.

Matt Sheppard

I swear, It's like Yoga with metal getting these things into place. Some things on these cars are really well thought through and I have such respect for the engineers who designed this car. But WTF was the guy who put these handles together thinking. I know the early handles were VW rabbit handles but with the 85 redesign, couldnt they have made something more, . . . elegant.

Yes. I use the long mid sized flathead screwdriver from the outside to pop the plastic arms on. I have always wondered how the avg. body shop tech who were only vaguely familiar with the 924 series would do if you gave him these handles and asked them to fit them. I have spent a few full days of my life total contorting these things into function and I still wonder if there isnt some secret trick to getting them fitted.

ehall

It's not one damned bit easier with later model 968 handles. I forgot to add the screw driver comment to my post, but I assumed that they would have read that in Clark's.

Ski

Thanks for tips gentlemen. I'll go by there this morning as I have to go pick my boat up from the place making me a new cover and they're only a few miles apart.

I'll take some long screwdrivers that I have and see if I can't give them a hand.