I did a search and the info indicates that this is a pain in the neck to do. SO there may not be any easy answers... but... I can't even find the clip or pin to remove it.... This is a 53, I understand the later models had set screws...

Is the clip between the rubber and the door panel I
OR
Between the chrome ring and the handle itself? II

AND how do you get it out?
Search says you can buy a removal tool at auto parts store.. but I can't even find the clip/pin to remove...:-



As always, thanks in advance...

 

Just went thru this on my 54. The clip is right at the back of the handle, befor the chrome and rubber piece.
I bought a tool that was crap.
If you scrunch your head close to the door, press back the trim piece, and look down, you will see what appears to be the clip. Now, you can take a picki tool, curved, and pull down on the edge of the clip. What you are doing is pulling the clip out of the notch in the handle post. At the smae time, apply outward presure on the handle, It should pop off.

I will try and post a pictue for you later. Once you see how it is constructed, it helps to understand how it comes off.

Jim G 1098

 

LoL!!

Yeah ,Jim has the idea there..though I thought the clip was behind the chrome trim.
Hey Jim!, that retired life on the easternshore must be taking to ya...been awhile since heard of the "scrunching" technique..LoL!
How's the Firetruck project coming along?? ..Sorry , didn't mean to Hijack....
Steve..try the " pick-tool" method,..you will feel like a dentist when you finally get the clip off...it is much easier and costs alot less!

 

Hey Mertz,

Dentist is right. Nice to here from you. Fire truck is almost all torn down. Work on it now and then- coming along good. Still liking it. I am going to try a pictue of the handle and clip.

Jim G 1098

 

I looked at my parts truck, and it doesn't have any handles, but I can see the groove in the shaft which makes sense... however... I still can't SEE the pin/clip. On one of the handles (window I believe) I CAN see a very thin groove, but nothing in it that I can see. And it's a fairly large diameter compared to the shaft on the parts truck?????

Still confused.

 

Steve, let me try and describe what your looking at...

ththe door handle and window crank shafts are pretty much the same...
You will notice the shaft has a spline out on the end of it, then it has a small groove just inside of that, The handle (or window crank handle) will slide over the shaft,and if you were to look into the handle you would see the outer spline ( that which mates to the spline on the shaft). Now on either side of the handle has a slice cut into it that the clip will slip over..it's kind of a horse shoe shaped 'spring" type clip.
When installing the handle, you 1st install the clip on the handle, theen as it slides over the shaft the spring-clip willspread a little then fall into the groove on the shaft...removal is reverse order and is probably best done by " Braile" if you know what I mean. It's a soft touch "slight-movement" type of act that you will never forget once you find it..your actually grabbing the top "hoop" part of the clip and giving it a slight pull to remove it from the groove in both the handle AND the shaft.Sometimes helps to push and pull on the handle a little to free-up any dirt/corrosion that may be between the three parts...but once you get that pick-tool into the top hoop of the clip a flick of the wrist is all it takes..One more thing..you may have trouble finding the top of the hoop of the clip..if it's a window crank handle, just rotate the handle around untill you find it,and if it's the door handle...well, like Jim said..."your gonna have to scrunch your head in there" and " feel" for it.Good Luck!

 

OK... I'll give it a try, picked up some picks at NAPA today.
Haven't been able to 'see' the "hoop", but do understand the concept you are describing.

THANKS,
I'll let you know how I make out.

 

Yea!, Go for it..use the 90 degree pick end..reach in there, feel around for the top of the horseshoe.."twist" the tool 90 degress and
give it a good tug. If you have an extra handle and a clip..put them together and make a few trial runs removing the clip while it"s on the bench..I have no fear you will win this one.

 

It's been a while, but this may help. I recall that the clip needs to be pulled away from the way the handle points. So, if you handle is like most and points at about 2:00 o'clock, then the clip needs to be pulled at out at about an 8:00 o'clock angle. That's if it was installed like mine. Jag

 

Jag, Thanks, that's a good tip... at least it gives me a place to start trying to 'feel' for the loop. I know it can be done, I'm just frustrated that I haven't been able to "SEE" the stupid thing.

 

You won't be able to feel the top of the clip. It should be counter sunk, so you'll have to pick one of the ends out first. I just went out to my truck, and one of my extra doors and took pictures of it and me pulling the clip. They are in my gallery, in an album titled reference photos. Here are a few of the pictures.









Hope this helps....Joe

 

Joe,
THANKS.... I hope to give it a try some time tomorrow.
With all this help... I better be able to get it.

THANKS ALL
Hope to have good report tomorrow.

 

In my experience, these clips have a tendency to go flying when they slip off the shaft.

 

THANKS.... Round of frosties (root beer for me) to everyone.

As always, you guys were right on the mark. The pictures above helped a lot and NOW that I have it apart, I can see why I couldn't see the clips.
For those who try this in the future, it truly is just blindly poking around. The first one I did literally fell on the floor without me really even knowing it. The second one (window handle) was stubborn and I finally was able to grab the top of the clip with the pick.

Now to figure out how the window regulators come out....

Again, THANKS All.

 

The window regulators come out preety good also. I took my glass out, the vent window, and all the other stuff on the door.

JimG 1098