Ok....I pulled the pass side door handle off and got it replaced with the new one. The drivers side is a different story. It won't come out. When changing the pass side it looks like the square shaft on the handle just fits into a shallow pocket inside the door so I don't know why the drivers side won't come out. Is there something special about the drivers side that I'm not doing??? These are not the stock handles. I have held the inside handle in the open position and in the lock position but the outside handle will not budge. I had the better half hold the inside handle in the open position while I pulled on the outside handle until the wife said "your going to break it' so I stopped. What am I not do right???

 

I give up. I have tried everything and the door handle will not come out. Looks like $60 plus shipping for some wall art. The old handles look like crap but it is what it is. Thanks for all the input guys.

 

Don't let your frustrations get the best of you. It has to come apart somehow, the handles and latches are not one piece. Take a step back, relax, revisit the issue later on. It's not a critical component that needs immediate replacement, so just enjoy the truck, and try it at a later date. Many times when I get frustrated from something not going right, that is what I do. And often I find the situation is easier to deal with.
Just wondering, is the shaft of the passenger handle have any grooves? Can you post a picture? I know on my '46 the handle shaft has a section that's notched, and sometimes they get stuck in the square latch hole. Wondering if you are encountering a similar situation.

 

Gary,

The truck in going in for all the interior on Monday. I wanted to get the door handles swapped out before then. I didn't want to have to remove the new door panel once it's put on. The pass side door handle is just a square shaft. Someone posted a pic of the drivers side handle and it had two notches. I have tried every ones suggestions and nothing seems to work.

 

I couldn't stand not knowing so after work today I got the grinder out and ground off the tack welds where someone had cut a section open before. You won't believe what I found. The square bar on the door handle had been welded to the latch assembly at the back square hole. What the hell was someone thinking. To get this out is probably going to tear up the latch assemble but for now I'm going to leave the old door handles on. At least I feel better knowing why I couldn't get the door handle out.

 

That kind of stuff is why shiny paint scares me. Body shop guys who "fix up" old cars tend to be notorious hacks on things they can cover up. Sad part is, the wore out square shaft is easy to weld up and grind back square again.

 

The problem is... (as we unfortunately know) it seems to be easier yet just to stick things together with a blob of weld and let the next guy worry about it. I bet it took all of 5 minutes to 'fix' it.....

 

Reminded me of a time I had a tourist come to my shop with the harmonic balancer fell off his Jeep wagoneer. The end of the crank was ruined. I offered to weld it on, no guarantees. Got a bolt and the big thick washer, lined it up and sucked it all back together. Used some 7018 and welded the bolt head to the washer and the washer to the harmonic balancer. He came through 2 years later and said he was still driving it to work everyday.

 

I went ahead and got the old handle off but damaged the latch I the process. The new door handle is on but doesn't function very well as the square hole in the latch was damaged. I am using the inside handle to open the door which is fine for now but I'll be looking for another latch later on. Truck is currently in getting all new interior.

 

Ill let you know on the latch. I have a pile of '35-37 to get rid of too. Please, you or anyone else, just e-mail or message me if you need something.

'36 pickup for sale too.

 

Well, my 37 pickup has been in the shop a little over a month now getting all new upholstery. I'm hoping to hear soon that it's finished. Can't wait to have my Hot Rod back in my garage and get out to some cruise-ins once again.

 

Got my 37 back last night from the upholster. Man oh man. Interior really changes a Hot Rod. The seat is a little more forward and a little higher. Makes it a little tighter on the fit but it feels good. It also made it really quite inside and no more door rattles. I'm diggin it. Still need to find a black or grey leather steering wheel cover (17") that has the laces. Can't seem to find what I want.

 

Nice! It looks really comfy in there.

I got a leather stitch up type from Wheelskins, You may have to call them to order one for the thin wheel.
http://wheelskins.com/contact-us

 

Yeah...it's tight and comfy. Thanks for the link.

 

Just finished tearing apart two door latches that I had to make one good one for the drivers side. #1, #2, & #3 in the pics where removed, cleaned, greased, and reworked to make a good door latch that is now installed on my 37 and working just great. I had to make a grove in the square shaft of the new door handle which was easily done on the bench grinder. This grove allows the door handle shaft to rotate in the first square opening it passes through. The arrow points to the part of the latch assembly that someone had cut off with a torch. I have no reason why they would have done that but I'm now a happy camper now with the end results.