32 Packard Rumble Seat Lid Handle Removal

[petri]

I am trying to remove the handle from my rumble seat lid on a 1932 Packard 900 Light Eight for rechroming. There are two screws that that can be removed from the front that attach the handle to the wood behind. But their removal does not free the handle. I have looked at the latch and the shaft and can find no other pins or keepers. There must be some trick but I don't see it. My door handles were very straight forward to remove; what's the problem wth the rumble seat? I imagine the same system was used on other Packards of that era.

Any help would be appreciated.

Howard

[petri]

Well here's the answer, take the two screws out of the escutcheon plate and the handle should pull out. Mine would not as it was stuck in the latch actuator. Neither Kroil nor tapping would free it from that part. I had to eventually cut it out of the latch and will now have to repair those cut parts. Even then in a vise It was very difficult to get the shaft out of the actuator piece. There didn't seem to be much rust in the hole (squarehole and square shaft) or on the shaft but apparently it was enough to make it very hard to remove. I cleaned it up on a wire wheel and did a little filing and it slides in and out of the actuator quite freely now.

Howard