The Restoration of PRRROWL
TIGER # B382000221
An Article by John Crawley
March, 2001
Page 22
UPHOLSTERY / INTERIOR (cont.)
Interior Door Handles & Window Winders
I bought a bunch of old Alpine parts which included 3 interior door handles. Each of these handles was broken in an identical manner. The hole that the retaining pin goes through had broken away. Welding them was not practical, as it is hard to do and would require re-chroming. Here is the Tip on how to fix them.
- Obtain a thin wall, brass tube, 19/32 in. I.D., from a hobby shop. This will just slip over the base of the handle.
- Cut a section of the tube 1/16th in. Ionger than the base. Use a small brake line/pipe-cutting tool for a clean edge.
- Take a piece of 3/8th in. square steel bar stock, about 6 in. Iong, and grind the edges off to a 45 degree angle. Lightly cover the bar stock with heavy grease. This should just press into the hole in the handle. (You can use an old door handle shaft instead.)
- Next pack the damaged area around the bar stock with two part, epoxy metal repair such as "JB Weld ".
- Slip the brass ring over the base of the handle. Fill any additional area between the ring and the bar with "JB Weld". Wipe off excess.
- Let this cure and then remove the bar.
- File the end of the brass ring and excess epoxy down to the level of the original casting.
- Use a press drill and re-drill the holes for the retaining pin.
This finishes the handle but the hole in the chrome cup that the handle base fits through, (Escutcheon crown Part no. 2220885) will now be too small. Some of these cups are cast pot metal and care must be used not to crack them. File the hole out to 21/32nd of an inch, just large enough for the repaired handle base to fit through. The interior lip of the chrome cup will now be gone but this does not affect the finished appearance or the operation.
This fix works for window winders as well as for door handles.
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