well guys here's my first installment of Pj's how to install flush door handles.
the door handle mod for those who still want to be DOT approved and able to race, without having the hideous stock handles given to us by GM.
IMO, even painting the handles doesn't make them look much better....
so here ya go.
parts you need:
obtain suitable replacement flush handles from another car.
I chose 99-04 grand am/ 99-05 alero rear door handles. Heres what they look like.
these are the WRONG handles to use... they are not long enough to fill the hole completely that is left behind. Pictures below....
My next handle I'm going to try and that I think will work is from a 99-05 grand prix rear door handles. They look like the proper length to fill the hole left behind completely.
Process:
1) Remove the interior door panel before hand, so you can easily access the backside of the handle quickly when necessary.
2)Cover the car with a cloth or blanket to protect the glass from molten hot shards of metal burning into it and becoming a permanent obstruction.
3) Using a rotary tool or similar, carefully cut out around the indent of the original door handle. The skin of the car is thick, but not very tough.(hint: cutting off the stock handle makes it a LOT easier to manuever around the indent.
4) next, remove the handle and sheet metal carefully from the hole (dont scratch the paint!) and remove the hole from the door handle actuator rod.
IMPORTANT NOTE: be sure to keep the tiny green peice that acts as a bushing between the stock handle and the rod... it needs to be used on the new handle.
5) hook the handle up to the door handle actuator rod, be sure to install the green peice in the new handle before you do so.
6) carefully position the handle in the hole.
7) open the door, and attach the backing plate to the door handle and tighten in place with a small ratchet. ( should be 10mm or similar)
8) repeat for other side, or step back and enjoy a job well done!
here are the grand am / alero handles in the door
as you can see they look similar in size to the stock handles, but in actuality they are TOO SHORT lengthwise. So I WOULD'NT suggest using these handles unless you feel like welding in some sheet metal to fill up the gap.
I strongly believe that 99-05 grand PRIX REAR door handles will work and fill the hole completely, although I haven't tried it yet.
I'll post the part numbers for the grand prix rear door handles as well as the result as soon as I find them and get them....
comments welcome
Uh oh, they don't fit silly bear
Keep us updated knuckle head
Wow Peej , good work . Paint them and fill that whole .
I BETTER SEE THEM SATURDAY.
looks good come to my hose and do mine
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Jersey Jay 1.8T wrote:looks like someone forgot to measure twice, cut once
he didnt forget he just likes trial and error
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yea trial and error is more fun =P
besides, I couldn't have cut any less on the doors that indented area must be removed in order for the handles to sit flush
I'm sure the grand prix handles will fill the gap nicely
if not, time to break out the mig welder
Could we get a pic farther away? I'd reallly like to see this! When I grab a 3rd gen next year, this will likely be my first mod!
89Sunbird wrote:Could we get a pic farther away? I'd reallly like to see this! When I grab a 3rd gen next year, this will likely be my first mod!
common do it to the bird for practice dave
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you are brave. looks great man. so what tool did you use to cut around the handle?
i was thinking, if we/you cut just 1/4" less on the right side of the handle as shown in this picture circled, maybe you/we could bend that part out almost flat. then mount the handle. the handle will cover that piece. there may be no hole now. just a thought. i believe you could take you handle off and bend that little bit of metal out and fill that hole better. like i said, just a thought. great job man.
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Quote:
h=IZN TRBL Online
Today 9:37 AM
you are brave. looks great man. so what tool did you use to cut around the handle?
i was thinking, if we/you cut just 1/4" less on the right side of the handle as shown in this picture circled, maybe you/we could bend that part out almost flat. then mount the handle. the handle will cover that piece. there may be no hole now. just a thought. i believe you could take you handle off and bend that little bit of metal out and fill that hole better. like i said, just a thought. great job man.
That could work
but I really didn't want to have to deal with bending any metal. Its a very tight area to work in as it is, also bending the metal could flake off the paint or otherwise damage it due to the change in shape.
I'll get some pics from far away today. It actually doesn't look too bad from far away lol
i believe you could just take the handle off and put a rag around the area and use plyers to bend it out just a bit. i dont know though. just trying to help. i would love to do this also.
so, what tool did you use to cut?
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What about the rear Neon handles? Let us know which ones fit, I
hate mine!
Jay
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I used my trusty dremel rotary tool
with the disc type wheels on it. They break a lot tho, so I'd suggest getting the carbon carbide ones or whatever that'll stand up to sheet metal a little bit better.
here's some pictures from far away
as you can see these look DAMN good even unpainted compared to stock handles
the handle isn't in all the way because of the improper fit I didn't kill myself getting it on completely
but it will sit perfectly flat with the curvature of the door... if only it fit in the hole completely.
I'd bend up material in the front to fill the gap, but there isn't any there anymore =P
I just need to find me some grand prix handles and try those instead
Yeah, paint it, and get the bottom flush and front hole filled, and it should look spectacular!!!
how bout cutting the pocket from the ga to go with those handles
that way you can cut trim and weld in the ga's door handle pocket
looks cool
I really appreciate all the suggestions, and a lot of them I will try out if I can't get the grand prix handles to work
but basically I wanted this to be an almost bolt on type modification.
1) cut out hole and old handle
2) insert new handle bam done
I'm going to try the grand prix handles first, which I think will work extremely well, and let me escape having to use a welder or get more parts from a donor car (i got the handles on ebay and gmpartsdirect)
I should be going to the junk yard tomorrow to hopefully score a set, if not I've already emailed GM parts direct and they should be getting back to me soon with part numbers for the handles so I can order them up.
I'll keep this post updated, don't worry guys... and plenty of pictures too.
Here are the part numbers for Grand Prix rear exterior door handles... which should be perfect for fitting our doors.
10251756 passenger rear outside door handle
10251757 driver rear outside door handle
both need to be painted to match the car
you can order them on
GM parts direct
I'll be ordering mine this week and I will be updating as progress is made
Cool man, good luck with it. I don't think anyone reads posts, they're all saying fill the hole up!?
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Words that you can't use in modding: Finished, Perfect, Cheap.
I have wanted to do the Grand Prix rear door handles for a while now, just haven't had the money. Try them and let me know how it goes.
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Are you still driving with gaps around the door handles or what?
UPDATE!!!
Jay
im glad someone gave this thread CPR and bringing it back to life. i keep thinking about it.
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yea still running around with gaps =\
I kind of got side tracked with a lot of crap goin on at home, getting my other car registered insured and stuff and its been a little hectic
basically
the theory is sound, I just haven't found a door handle that works with the stock door rods and fills the hole completely
the alero handles look the best, and get the closest
the grand prix handles are extremely long and kind of look disproportionate to the rest of the door and car
plus, they don't work with the rods perfectly.
I will try something with the grand prix handles and take some pictures, but I'm sure you'll all agree it doesn't look good
basically my plan of attack is to have the lock cylinders shaved, and the door bodywork done so that the alero handles fit, and will actually sit flush. basically...
the way I have it (and in my easy theory would be) is like this:
I want it to sit like this:
In the first picture you can see that the handle actually still sticks out a little bit from the body... I want it to sit completely flush with the door.
So I need a body shop to mess with the door skin and basically just do it for me... =\ so much for that idea
I'll post pics of when its finished in this thread... I was thinking of getting the locks shaved while I'm at it (keyless entry)
