Is there a How-To for the Exterior Door Handles?

[Nuclearbacon]

Just as I got home from the NCDMC meet, I go to get into my car at home, and i snap the driver door handle. Oops. At least I was home! (and didnt snap the passenger one too!)

Is there a how to I can read up on while I wait for parts to arrive? (I searched I swear:) ) Thanks!

[jawn101]

Just as I got home from the NCDMC meet, I go to get into my car at home, and i snap the driver door handle. Oops. At least I was home! (and didnt snap the passenger one too!)

Is there a how to I can read up on while I wait for parts to arrive? (I searched I swear:) ) Thanks!

Don't think there's a formal one, it's pretty easy. Remove the upper door trim inside. Reach in and disconnect the cable from the handle. Take a long socket (#10 I believe) and remove the 2 aeronuts holding the handle to the body. Reverse to install the new one. Make sure you clean out the area under the old handle first, there may be debris or even transferred rust particles that this is your best chance to remove.

Then do the lock and latch alignment procedure from the service bulletins.

[Nuclearbacon]

Thats great! Thank you! When it happened, definite pucker factor.

[jawn101]

If you haven't been inside the doors yet, take the time to wrap all the edges in duct tape before you reach in. You'll lose a lot of blood otherwise. Maybe you'll get lucky and a PO already did it. The doors are extremely frustrating. You may find it easier (this is up for debate, but is how I do all door work) to remove the seat and work with the door closed. That way you're not reaching overhead all the time. The seats come out with just 4 simple 13mm nuts from underneath.

[Dangermouse]

D . Take a long socket (#10 I believe) and remove the 2 aeronuts holding the handle to the body. Reverse to install the new one. .

Not to worry you, but this has been one of the most frustrating jobs I have done on my car. I had three helpers and none of us could get one of the nuts back on, a combination of big hands and "individual" door internals. I just couldn't get a standard long socket on (there was some part of the door internals blocking it) - I used one of those goose-neck attachments.

Get a magnetic retrieval tool also, if you don't have one, for getting the bits you drop into the door internals.

And this next part is very important - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, over tighten the nut. The threaded part just shears right off and you have ruined a $90 handle.

[jawn101]

Not to worry you, but this has been one of the most frustrating jobs I have done on my car. I had three helpers and none of us could get one of the nuts back on, a combination of big hands and "individual" door internals. I just couldn't get a standard long socket on (there was some part of the door internals blocking it) - I used one of those goose-neck attachments.

Get a magnetic retrieval tool also, if you don't have one, for getting the bits you drop into the door internals.

And this next part is very important - DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT, over tighten the nut. The threaded part just shears right off and you have ruined a $90 handle.

Smart man on the do not over-tighten advice.

If you have the original aeronuts and not just generic nyloc nuts, here's the trick I used: you will notice once they're out of the door that there is a slit longitudinally along the top of the nut, basically bisecting the hole into two halves. It should be a very slim opening. Jam the tip of a long, long slot screwdriver into that slit and you'll be able to position the nut and get your first thread started quite easily. Then switch to the socket and go to town.

Another alternative is to take some very thin packing foam (talking like the paper thin sheets that things come wrapped in some times) and wad some up in your socket so it overlaps the edges. This will tighten up the fit of the nut into the socket enough that you can maneuver it into position without dropping it. Get your first thread or two to bite, remove the socket, fish the foam back out and then tighten the rest of the way.

Working inside the doors is definitely an exercise in creativity, you'll find what works for you.... eventually. :)

Edit: here's what the aeronuts look like. I don't think that term is ever used anywhere else on any other car, so I thought I'd provide some more clarity....

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=19786&d=1370899695

[Dangermouse]

Unfortunately, not a smart man :(. Just experienced in this. I hadn't read the tip about the screwdriver and had wondered about the unusual shape of the nut.

[kings1527]

Smart man on the do not over-tighten advice.

If you have the original aeronuts and not just generic nyloc nuts, here's the trick I used: you will notice once they're out of the door that there is a slit longitudinally along the top of the nut, basically bisecting the hole into two halves. It should be a very slim opening. Jam the tip of a long, long slot screwdriver into that slit and you'll be able to position the nut and get your first thread started quite easily. Then switch to the socket and go to town.

Another alternative is to take some very thin packing foam (talking like the paper thin sheets that things come wrapped in some times) and wad some up in your socket so it overlaps the edges. This will tighten up the fit of the nut into the socket enough that you can maneuver it into position without dropping it. Get your first thread or two to bite, remove the socket, fish the foam back out and then tighten the rest of the way.

Working inside the doors is definitely an exercise in creativity, you'll find what works for you.... eventually. :)

Edit: here's what the aeronuts look like. I don't think that term is ever used anywhere else on any other car, so I thought I'd provide some more clarity....

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=19786&d=1370899695

This is an interesting coincidence. I'm replacing my drop glass and it looks like the two nuts that hold the glass holder to the window regulator are M6 aeronuts. The only other place I saw on the car so far that use aeronuts were the ones holding the catalytic converter to the crossover pipe. Of course, those are much larger.

I don't think I'll have time to find/order more M6 aeronuts since I only had one nut holding each holder to the regulator (and only one of those two was an original aeronut) so I'll go with nyloc nuts for my drop glass.

BTW, what's the purpose of the aeronut design?

[Dangermouse]

I had never seen them before but I have to believe they are designed for just what Jon notes, that you can attach them to the tip of a long thin (magnetized?) screwdriver for hard to reach areas.

[DMCMW Dave]

BTW, what's the purpose of the aeronut design?

Self locking threads, same idea as Nylocs but older. They are used on the exhaust manifold outlets because Nylon melts. Noi idea why they are in the door rather than nylocs, but they are.

[jawn101]

I dunno if my trick is a designed thing, more of a lucky happenstance :) It DOES work...

[SS Spoiler]

No need to take the seats out, just bend a coat hanger long enough to hold the door in position while you sit on the seat with your feet outside. And if [when] you drop a nut inside the door pop the door edge lights out to fish it out. Good luck.

Paul Cerny #2691
Kalispell, MT

[DeloreanJoshQ]

Couldn't you just put some masking tape inside a socket and push the nut into it so that it sticks and then slowly start threading the nut onto the stud without fear of it falling off? This is what I do for the bolts that hold the grab handle to the bracket in the door...

[jawn101]

Couldn't you just put some masking tape inside a socket and push the nut into it so that it sticks and then slowly start threading the nut onto the stud without fear of it falling off? This is what I do for the bolts that hold the grab handle to the bracket in the door...

Yeah, basically what I said above too - though I use foam to avoid gumming up the threads/my tools.

[Kenny_Z]

You can also use a piece of stiff vacuum tubing. Push the nut into one side and then snake the tubing around however needed. I use that to get the bolts back into place the last time I had the door apart.

[DashEight]

I recently replaced the door handles on my car. Everything went well up until I closed the driver’s door. I had taken the weather seal off the doors to replace with new ones and closed the door to test the handle. Big mistake. I now have the driver’s door shut and it will not open. I've spent a few hours or so on trying to get it to unlatch. I've moved on to other parts of the car to defuse the anger and rage that comes from this problem.
To make reassembling the handles into the door easier, I wrap the nut in an “outer shell” of single ply copy paper and stick it into the 10mm socket. The paper holds the nut snug in the socket. You can shove paper behind the nut in the socket so that it doesn’t sink too far back to grab some threads on the studs.
If anyone has tips on getting the driver’s door open. I’d appreciate it. As hard as I pull on the connecting rods is doesn’t seem to help. -Patrick

[DMCMW Dave]

I recently replaced the door handles on my car. Everything went well up until I closed the driver’s door. I had taken the weather seal off the doors to replace with new ones and closed the door to test the handle. Big mistake. I now have the driver’s door shut and it will not open. I've spent a few hours or so on trying to get it to unlatch. I've moved on to other parts of the car to defuse the anger and rage that comes from this problem.
To make reassembling the handles into the door easier, I wrap the nut in an “outer shell” of single ply copy paper and stick it into the 10mm socket. The paper holds the nut snug in the socket. You can shove paper behind the nut in the socket so that it doesn’t sink too far back to grab some threads on the studs.
If anyone has tips on getting the driver’s door open. I’d appreciate it. As hard as I pull on the connecting rods is doesn’t seem to help. -Patrick

It's probably locked. Make sure the rods are pulled to the unlocked position, and have an assistant PUSH on the door to release pressure on the latches as you pull the release rods.

[DashEight]

It's probably locked. Make sure the rods are pulled to the unlocked position, and have an assistant PUSH on the door to release pressure on the latches as you pull the release rods.

I'll have to go at it again when I have a helper handy. Having some one relieve the tension on the door latches inward is the only part that i believe i haven't tried. Thanks Dave!

[Nuclearbacon]

Door Handles arrived today from Garden Grove, Ca. Pretty!!!! they look really really nice! Might be able to install tonight, most likely, this weekend. I'll keep everyone posted, but GREAT advice! Thank you!

[kings1527]

Door Handles arrived today from Garden Grove, Ca. Pretty!!!! they look really really nice! Might be able to install tonight, most likely, this weekend. I'll keep everyone posted, but GREAT advice! Thank you!

Nice! Let us know how everything goes with the install! I'm thinking about grabbing a set.

[Tillsy]

I recall stuffing masking tape inside my socket so that the nuts would 1) not slide all the way in, and 2) be held a little by the stickiness. I don't recall having much difficulty with this job to be honest.

[Nuclearbacon]

Wow.. That was REALLY easy. I used a 1/4" drive set without the ratchet and a 10mm socket, but using the screwdriver handle. That way it was basically impossible to overtighten. The new handle is SOLID and really really nice, didn't install the second handle because it was cosmetically scratched when I received it, going to see if I can get it swapped. No wonder there isn't a how-to. Basically remove the door panel, and there it is! (I shoved a little electrical tape inside my socket, worked like a charm.) Took longer to snap the fir trees back!

Thank you everyone!

[Dangermouse]

Good job.

Now come do mine. ;)

[DashEight]

It's probably locked. Make sure the rods are pulled to the unlocked position, and have an assistant PUSH on the door to release pressure on the latches as you pull the release rods.

I was able to get the door open today after many different attempts to do so. You were correct Dave about it being the lock. I took some extra long hinged needle nose pliers and was able to pull the bottom lock rod to toward the rear of the car and she popped right open. Here is a picture. I then went about removing the remaining trim to clean out all the old adhesive the PO had spread in there to hold the door trim on. :wrenchin:

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j200/AE86Silver/20130616_193629_zpsa5ab4168-1_zps4d914d39.jpg (http://s80.photobucket.com/user/AE86Silver/media/20130616_193629_zpsa5ab4168-1_zps4d914d39.jpg.html)

[Marigolo]

Thanks to the info on this thread I was able to tackle the job in about an hour and a fifteen minutes for both doors (taking it easy, being very careful, etc). And considering I'm not THAT handy and that I didn't break anything else in the process, I consider it a total success.
Thanks!