Joe in Canada Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Got back from a tour last night and then surprise surprise my locking door handle is broken and just spins. I have always been an advocate that it is not worth restoring original handles seeing the pot metal becomes brittle and breaks. Seeing I was not listening to myself and had the originals redone years ago and now can not get into my car seeing it was the keyed passenger side with the problem. Anyone have a suggestion how to get in leaving no tell tail marks on my car? Its a 1930 Cadillac and Buick is the same I believe. Thanks Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 (edited) Does it have screws on the outside? Usually, you can unscrew those and pull it straight out. Then maybe you could access the mechanism. Edited September 18, 2016 by keiser31 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 When my Grandfather broke the handle on his/my Pontiac in 1946 he was able crawl under the car and push the front floor board up enough to reach up and use the inside handle. You might be able to put a worm drive hose clamp around the pot metal part and get it to squeeze tight enough to turn the shaft. Last ditch attempt would be to break the pot metal off and use vise grips on the shaft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 (edited) If the handle spins on the shaft, can a person drill through the side of the handle and center shaft. And slide in a pin or nail through the handle and shaft? I have no 30 Cad handle to look at to see if that is a option. Might also be able to take a die grinder with a cut off wheel. cut off the handle at the base plate. This might allow you to slide out the center shaft, and then use a tool to reach in and turn the latch. Again, I do not have a handle to look at. Edited September 18, 2016 by Xander Wildeisen (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 Don't accept ANY help with breaking into the car from these guys. Better off scratching the paint. Bernie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 18, 2016 Share Posted September 18, 2016 My driver's door handle was fixed exactly that way in 1946 using a rivett. Not pretty but functional. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 This is the locking handle so I can not drill into the centre as it will be reused. The floor has a locking mechanism on the inside to hold it down. So I can not go through the floor. The screw to hold it in place is on the inside. I think I will drill a hole through the trunk then stick a rebar in and flip the drivers door toggle lock if I am lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 You may be able to turn the two floor locks on the main floor panel from underneath. They are a square drive on the top that rotates a tab. You could turn the tab from the bottom with a hammer and screwdriver. Bigger problems would be: 1) Have additional screws been driven through the floor pan? 2) What kind of snap down mats( if any) are on top of the floor pan and underneath the carpet? 3) Has the edge of the carpet been installed underneath the sill plates? It may come down to breaking the door glass. I have installed several on 31's and its not difficult. About $65 to have a piece of safety glass cut for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Can you open one of the other doors? Get a length of plastic packing strap (that crinkly blue stuff) and fold it in half, with a crease at the fold. You should be able to push the creased fold in around the top of the door and move it around until you can open the inner handle. If it has push-down locking buttons, you can hook one and pull it up. All older doors can be sprung slightly at the top to push the strap loop in. Once the door is open you can do what you need to inside or outside to extract the lock mechanism without damage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 (edited) I'm trying to recall how the inside door handles operated on the '31 sedan I had previously. ( pull up or push down to open?) The inside handles on my current convertible coupe as well as the single inside lock lever which is on the drivers door, must all be pushed down to open or unlock the door. That car has suicide doors, so it might be different. I'm thinking your handles are push down to open as well though. Edited September 19, 2016 by Guest (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Hmmm. You might be right. The other thing the towies used to do (in the same way, by springing the door top a half inch or so) was use a thin flat steel bar with a notch near the end. You could probably make something with a twist so you could hook the notch over the door handle and push it open. You would feed the flat in and rotate as you go up the twist. You could even get clever and make a way you could attach a plastic strap to it. You can manipulate the loop by push one end or the other. The crease determines which way the loop bends when you push or pull one side. Grab the handle in the loop and push with the bar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 If I was in that situation I would call one of the local paintless dent removal guys. They have a lot of neat tools to get into internal places. I bet one of them could trip a lock or raise a handle in a few minutes. They are good. Don't leave them out. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 I'm an idiot. Obviously, whether or not he can lift an interior handle to open the other door simply depends on which way the handles were oriented on the stems when installed. They could be either push down or pull up to open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted September 19, 2016 Author Share Posted September 19, 2016 15 hours ago, 31 Caddy said: 15 hours ago, 31 Caddy said: You may be able to turn the two floor locks on the main floor panel from underneath. They are a square drive on the top that rotates a tab. You could turn the tab from the bottom with a hammer and screwdriver. Bigger problems would be: 1) Have additional screws been driven through the floor pan? 2) What kind of snap down mats( if any) are on top of the floor pan and underneath the carpet? 3) Has the edge of the carpet been installed underneath the sill plates? It may come down to breaking the door glass. I have installed several on 31's and its not difficult. About $65 to have a piece of safety glass cut for it. Thanks for all the suggestion and I know with out seeing it is a longshot with out seeing it. The floor locks are over the frame so they are non excisable from below and the other boards are screwed from above. I was able to get at the lock by drilling a hole in the back seat rest through the trunk. Then with a length of rebar through the hole in the trunk push out the back seat and then flip the lock to open the door. The steal shaft that goes through the door to the lock has broken free of the handle. The pot metal handle just spins on the steal shaft now. I will have two new outside handles made as I have already had inside ones made now. If I had a sedan I guess I would have to take 31cadys advise and broke a window. No more original pot metal handles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xander Wildeisen Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 That is the first use of a home built "gopro style" rebar cam ever used. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Great job!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exhaust Posted September 19, 2016 Share Posted September 19, 2016 Why didn't you have your wife open it? She was still in the car... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted September 20, 2016 Author Share Posted September 20, 2016 1 hour ago, Exhaust said: Why didn't you have your wife open it? She was still in the car... She was sleeping and did not want to wake her up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted September 20, 2016 Share Posted September 20, 2016 2 hours ago, Exhaust said: 2 hours ago, Exhaust said: Why didn't you have your wife open it? She was still in the car... 40 minutes ago, Joe in Canada said: She was sleeping and did not want to wake her up. y'all made me laugh !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 Sent my two outside handles to Mike Butters to make me new ones. Big mistake when I had him do the inside ones that were seized but not the outside ones. Now I payee for the original ones to be chromed and now throwing them in the garbage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill pritchett Posted September 21, 2016 Share Posted September 21, 2016 Joe, did yo attend the Sentimental tour in Salisbury,NC this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted September 21, 2016 Author Share Posted September 21, 2016 6 hours ago, bill pritchett said: Joe, did yo attend the Sentimental tour in Salisbury,NC this year? Yes we were there had a great time. The banquet at the round house was an amazing atmosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill pritchett Posted September 24, 2016 Share Posted September 24, 2016 Hi, I thought that was you. I was the one with the 57 Chevrolet, India Ivory and Coronado Yellow. Hope you enjoyed the Glidden Tour. See you at Hershey possibly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted June 28, 2017 Author Share Posted June 28, 2017 (edited) Got my door handle back to-day, well I guess part of it anyway. He cast a new handle and was able to use the original lock tumbler and works so you can not tell it from an original handle. Mike Butters does beautiful work I must say. Never again will I use original handles if they need new chrome. All set for the Vintage Tour in Pa. and taking the closed car again with all the rain we have been having. Yes and I have my room booked for Hershey so we may see you there Bill. Edited June 28, 2017 by Joe in Canada (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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