1925 Buick Standard outside door handles

[J.H.Boland]

My 1925 Buick Standard coupe has T shaped outside door handles.Some other closed cars,including coupes, have a loop type handle. Can anyone on here enlighten me whether there may have been a production change mid season or are the T handles a restoration replacement for hard to find loop type handles.

 

Thanks.

Jim

[Leif Holmberg]

Nothing about closed cars door handles in the parts books 1925-1927 Std.and Master.Maybe just becuse those bodys was Fischer built?

Leif in Sweden.

[dibarlaw]

Jim:

 Just saying that the original1925-28 I sent the photos of has the loop handles.

Larry

[Hubert_25-25]

Jim,

     Always interesting to me how many items are missing from the parts books, especially for the lower production number cars, but I believe you should have the oval handles for your 25-28.  Here is a 25-28 that I found local to my house. 

The T handle 184591 from the master parts book listing at the bottom of this posting is what belongs on my 1925-25 touring.  The escutcheon is scalloped.  The 1926 and 27 T handle has an oval escutcheon, which is on your car.  The Masters have a similar but slightly larger handle.  I believe they saved the oval handles for the fancier closed coupes. 

Hugh

[J.H.Boland]

I guess I'll have to add a pair of the fancy handles to my "want list". If that coupe is still available for you to photograph,I'd still like to see it's right front seat.

 

Thanks Hugh.

 

Jim

[Mark Shaw]

I have a couple of loop handles, but I am not sure they are Buick.

[27donb]

Does anyone have a copy of a 1925 Buick sales brochure? 

 

Not all the information in brochures and advertisements is accurate, but it may be a better indicator as to what kind of handles your standard Buick should have. 

 

Here is a link to The Old Car Manual Project, and a copy of the 1925 Brochure:

 

www.oldcarbrochures.org/index.php/NA/Buick/1925-Buick/1925-Buick-Brochure

[J.H.Boland]

Thanks for the link to the brochure.It seems to show the loop style handle,as do most of the photos of other 25A28 cars. I will be on the lookout for that type of handle.

 

Jim

[Charlie G]

On my 1925  54C under restoration,  I had to disassemble the handle in order for the plating to be done.  It is the loop handle as pictured above.   One of the handles was rejected by the plating company due to deterioration of the pot metal with a large crack in the handle.  I would like to replace it, but wonder if a pot metal restorationist could repair it.  If not, I am looking for a usable handle.  

 

Charlie 

[27donb]

54 minutes ago, Charlie G said:

On my 1925  54C under restoration,  I had to disassemble the handle in order for the plating to be done.  It is the loop handle as pictured above.   One of the handles was rejected by the plating company due to deterioration of the pot metal with a large crack in the handle.  I would like to replace it, but wonder if a pot metal restorationist could repair it.  If not, I am looking for a usable handle.  

 

Charlie 

 

I wish someone reproduced them. 

 

It seems like almost everything else originally made in pot metal, is available in reproduction in a stronger more stable material. 

[Hubert_25-25]

Someone needs to start taking names, and then you need to get an original handle and escutcheon.  There is a lot of advice here about what foundry to use.  I got a price of $200 for 12 T handles.  The escutcheons were added into this, and at the end of the day, the handles and escutcheons came to $25 each as a raw casting in brass with return shipping.  You can pay more to get a better casting, and it is probably worth it, as I have a lot of filing to do on these before they can be plated, but we had a run of 22 handles done.  Shrink tubing was added to the square shaft just to give it a little more thickness so that they fit correctly incase there is a little casting shrinkage.  We had one foundry that was going to make these with almost zero flash and they were ~$75 a handle and escutcheon in bronze.   I would not replate any potmetal, and it is not worth looking for these old handles as most have disintegrated.    Hugh

 

  

[Rogethat]

Hugh,

 

     Has anyone taken your advice on the oval door handle about taking names and providing an original handle and escutcheon?  I am new to this forum but we need two of the oval exterior door handles.  If you can provide a foundry and phone number maybe I can contact them and see what the cost would be to make in brass.  I would also have to consider the shrink tubing you described. We have a cracked one that could possibly be sent to be cast if it could work?  Would also want the escutcheon done as well.

[J.H.Boland]

Count me in for a pair!

Jim

[Hubert_25-25]

See my photo above, as my handles are simpler than the oval handles used on the coupes.  I can give you some contacts and a feel for the pricing.

Hildebrand Designs (Brownfield Maine)  hildebrandesigns@fairpoint.net ,  (207-935-3729).  Does some really nice work.  When we were looking at doing 8 T handles and escutcheons, it worked out to $100 each door.  The castings were to be in bronze with a stainless square shaft and delivered aluminum oxide blasted.  Would require sanding, then buffing and off to the plater.  The other advantage of Hildebrand is that they will make a rubber mold of your part, and if you want to make more, additional handle and escutcheon sets are $50.  The expensive part is making the rubber mold.

What we went with was working thru  Gerald Peterson, and I believe he was working with Bergstrom Foundry in Aberdeen WA.  We received very raw castings like you see in the above picture.  We said we wanted "no finish work" and "knock the big tails off".  These are solid brass.  The price (handle and escutcheon) came to $25 per door.  These handles do require a fair amount of work to clean up as you can see from the casting photo above.    

You will have to decide as a group which option to choose, and someone else may provide the name of a foundry that they have been happy with.

Hugh

Edited September 7, 2017 by Hubert_25-25 (see edit history)

[Hubert_25-25]

Roger Pridemore ("Rogethat" above) had Hildebran castings reproduce the oval door handles used on the model 28 Buick cars.  l need to post a list of the cars these are correct for.   Much more correct than a T handle for these cars.  Handles are Silicon Bronze with a stainless shaft.  Beats pot metal.  PM Rogethat for pricing and shipping.    Hugh

 

[27donb]

14 minutes ago, Hubert_25-25 said:

Roger Pridemore ("Rogethat" above) had Hildebran castings reproduce the oval door handles used on the model 28 Buick cars.  l need to post a list of the cars these are correct for.   Much more correct than a T handle for these cars.  Handles are Silicon Bronze with a stainless shaft.  Beats pot metal.  PM Rogethat for pricing and shipping.    Hugh

 

 

I'm drooling over those... 

 

But I would need to buy a 25 to fit them! 

[Hubert_25-25]

These loop handles appear to be a Fischer Body thing as Leif states.  No listings in the parts books by numbers or photos, so you have to look at the photos in the sales catalogs, or the pictures of the models in the front of the parts books.  I do show that for 1925, they used these on the models 27 and 28 in the standard series.  On the Master for 1925, it looks like 54C, 51, 48,  and possibly 47 and 50??  My copy is not so good.  Sorry I don't have other years.  The Master parts are sometimes larger than the standard parts, so you may want to check dimensions if using for a Master.    Hugh

[hidden_hunter]

Those handles look very similar to the ones on my 22 cad which has a fisher body on it so possibly generic 

[garnetkid]

Just to add more for the record, these are original to my 25-45 McLaughlin.  They are steel main shaft with the handle part being made of solid nickel and the whole handle covered with hard "steering wheel" type rubber.  I used an epoxy steering wheel repair to restore them.  Only the ends of the nickel handle shows and it polishes up nicely .  The rear seat curtesy assist handles are made then same way.  Also including a picture of the inside door handle.

[27donb]

10 minutes ago, garnetkid said:

Just to add more for the record, these are original to my 25-45 McLaughlin.  They are steel main shaft with the handle part being made of solid nickel and the whole handle covered with hard "steering wheel" type rubber.  I used an epoxy steering wheel repair to restore them.  Only the ends of the nickel handle shows and it polishes up nicely .  The rear seat curtesy assist handles are made then same way.  Also including a picture of the inside door handle.

 

Beautiful details, so many differences on the McLaughlin. 

[Hubert_25-25]

John Hildebran is willing to accept emails or phone calls for ordering the handles and escutcheons as separate parts.  The spring and washer to hold them together are not included.   You could PM "Rogethat" and I am sure he will help you with what he used for these 2 remaining parts.  

 

     John's email is hildebrandesigns@fairpoint.net 

     His phone number is (207)935-3729 

     His address is 386 Center Conway Road, Brownfield, Maine 04010

     His website is Brass | Bronze | Hildebran Designs, Inc. - Home  

   

Please note that Roger paid for the mold, and it would be nice if you contacted him and shared a little in the cost of the mold making.  

costs are as follows:

1. Oval door handle each     $80.00

2. Escutcheon each              $20.00

3. Shipping uknown              Actual Cost

Hugh

[Terry Wiegand]

For what this is worth to you guys, my 1920 Model K-46 Coupe and my 1922 Model 48 Coupe both have the T-type door handles.  Both of these cars are Fisher bodied.  Both of these cars are original and the 1920 is HPOF certified.

 

Terry Wiegand

South Hutchinson, Kansas

Edited November 16, 2017 by Terry Wiegand
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO POST (see edit history)

[sligermachine]

2 duplicate a part fast and ez  i dip the part in house paint hang it on a wire let it dry in the sun dip let dry a couple times in a day house paint drys fast you need to make it 10% for aluminum  shrinkage  or 20% we get to that latter . pack it in sand and pore some aluminum

if any one is close to where i live we could pore some at my house  . its fun and ez .  brass  no different have both crucibles. kyle