32 Buick 57S inside door handle removal

[gehlhaar]

I am trying to remove the inside door handles and the inside window riser handles from my 1932 Buick 57S 4DR Sedan but cannot figure out how they are removed. My literature shows picture of removing the outside door handles but nothing about the inside door handles. I want to take the door panels off but need to be able to remove the inside handles. Can anyone give me some help, direction, hints on the removal of these handles.

Thanks for your assistance - Gert

[Guest outlaw car man]

The 32 guys will know for sure here, but my 33s have a pin in the handle that needs to be depressed, then it slips off.

See what the 32 group says, if it's the same, you have your info-

Press the escution thingy and see if you can see a little hole, that's where the pin is, push in the hole with a dental pick type thing to release. ( for 33 )

we'll get it-

BTW, damn nice selection of cars, King Midgets, good for you. I've had isettas , that mini world. Always wanted a Schmidt.

Here's a good scan, John Dillinger's car and an Isetta. ( Baby Face Nelson's car ?) HAAA

Sandy

[gehlhaar]

Thanks for your nice comments about my collection - it keeps me busy and poor. I hope that the 32 gang will speak up with some help. My handles all have a little cut in them when you push in the escution but I see no pin or anything to press to release handles. I have had a local upholstery shop check and they could not figure it out.

Thats a nice 33 Buick and Isetta ( always loved the little Isetta but never had one) I did have a Freeway once. Thanks for your help - Gert

[jscheib]

Gert,

I cannot recall exactly, but you need a small pointed "pick", to maove the pin. If some one does not have the exact detail, I will try to get it too you, but perhaps it will be after the holiday.

John

[v12lincoln]

I had the same problem and now that I have mine on they are very hard to remove. I have a 32 66s, Like the ones before me have said there is a small pin at the top of the cut in the handle that is spring loaded and hard to push with anything, But what you need to do is get a good sturdy dental pick with a slight curve at the end and slide it into the cut and try to push up what looks like nothing while wiggling the handle and pulling outward.

This has been one of the hardest handles I have ever tried to pull off, and if the pin is corroded it will be next to impossible. Sorry for the bad news but they are a bear to get off.

[Guest outlaw car man]

Gert-

You have to depress the pin EXACTLY at the right angle. It looks like a hole in there, but there is a small pin with a spring in the hole, UNLESS the pin is missing, but I doubt it cause it's on.

What happens, the pin is in a grove in the handle, to keep it in. It has to be depressed far enough to release.

Sometimes it just drops of , usually not. I farted around on one for 1/2 hour and gave up, the young guy doing my interior, came over with a pick and dropped it off. It's an angle thing-

Might drop some PB Power blaster in the hole, then try.

The angle will fool you, it;s more of a 45 deg push then straight on, that's the trick

Keep at it-

BTW, the car with the Isetta is a 1933 Essex Terraplane 8.

[gehlhaar]

Thanks to all for your tips and I will try some more tomorrow. I spent several hours on it yesterday but no luck but now that I know what I am looking for we will try again. We will let you know how it went.

[Bob Engle]

The problem everyone has is that you don't push in to release the pin. You need a small hook on the end of the tool so you can catch the end of the pin in the slot and then pull or pry it out and away from the shaft. I hope these pictures help you get the idea.

The problem is that the little pin gets corroded in its slot and does not move easily. Once you get one off, you will be able to see exactly what needs to be done. Let me know if you need further explaination.

Bob

[Guest outlaw car man]

There you go-

33 must be different, it has a spring behind the pin and a small ( very small) chip that holds the pin in place, so it won't fly out of there.

The pin is pushed in against the spring till it becomes flush with the inside of the handle and thus out of the groove on the door shaft.

At this point it slides off.

In reverse, when you put it on, the door handle holds the pin in place ( depresses it) untill it hits the groove in the shaft and boing pops back in.

There ( remember I'm talking 33 here ) is a grove in the handles where the dental tool ( or such ) goes in, then about a BACKWARDS 45 deg to depress the spring.

I ran some power blaster in on the pins till I could feel it springing in & out.

Very frustrating, then all of a sudden it drops out.

If I can do it anyone can do it !!!!!!!!!!

Sandy

[gehlhaar]

I want to thank the following persons for helping me with my door handle removal problem - Sandy, John, V12Lincoln, Bob Engle and again Sandy.

With your help I finally figured out how to removed the inside handles and I think this must have been engineered in Germany - wow what a mechanism just to keep a handle on.

I have attached some pictures of the project:

1. Handles on the Door

2. Tools used top one was too short so I made the second one

3. Handles off the door

4. Both handles and tools

5. Handle and tool in slot to remove handle

6. Handle showing the spring loaded tab

7. Shot of the spring loaded tab in handle.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of the 32 Buick Group and many thanks for your assistance.

[Guest outlaw car man]

COOOL, bottom line you got it.

Next .... bring it on.

BTW, 61 VW too. My buddy & I drove a 57 (with semiphores) VW over Loveland pass in the winter of 67 something. 14,000 feet and snow, to meet up with a couple gals at a party in Vail. Probably worth it, don't remember, wiped off the inside of the windshield, all the way. HHHHAAAAHAHA.

Sandy

[Bob Engle]

One last comment on this removal process. It's best to put tape on the escutchion so you don't scratch it in this process of removing the handles.

Bob

[gehlhaar]

That is a very good point Bob Engle but it still does not avoid a dent which I later had to tool out with a small body hammer and soft backing and it worked fine.

[gehlhaar]

COOOL, bottom line you got it.

Next .... bring it on.

BTW, 61 VW too. My buddy & I drove a 57 (with semiphores) VW over Loveland pass in the winter of 67 something. 14,000 feet and snow, to meet up with a couple gals at a party in Vail. Probably worth it, don't remember, wiped off the inside of the windshield, all the way. HHHHAAAAHAHA.

Sandy

That trip sounds like a similar one I had with my 1959 Porsche A Coupe. I left my brothers house in Seattle, CA just after Christmas time in 1963 and when I hit the Freeway it had not been cleared but I decided that I needed to get back to CA fast. So I took this little car and plowed the freeway and all was well but after a few miles one of the heat duct hoses came off and all of a sudden the car was filling up with snow comming through the heater ducts. I shut off the heater which was marginal anyway and continued on until I could not see anymore. I did make to a town where I plugged the heater duct and was able to continue on.

[gehlhaar]

Thanks for everyone's help with the removal of the inside door handles. Got the job done on both front doors and everything looks good and works well again. Sure glad we have this forum and people are willing to share their expertise and information.