1973 Buick Riviera door handle install

[Lildevil]

Does anyone know how to remove a 1973 Riviera door panel so that I can install a new door handle ?

[keiser31]

If it looks like this one, you will have to remove the door handle escutcheon the two exposed screws and the door lock knob. Then there should be clips around the perimeter on the sides and bottom to pop out. Then you pull it up and out of the window trough. There is a special forked tool to pop the sides and bottom.

Edited March 14, 2020 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Lildevil]

22 minutes ago, keiser31 said:

If it looks like this one, you will have to remove the door handle escutcheon the two exposed screws and the door lock knob. Then there should be clips around the perimeter on the sides and bottom to pop out. Then you pull it up and out of the window trough. There is a special forked tool to pop the sides and bottom.

Thank you ! Exactly what I needed to know.

[jrbartlett]

There might be two screws holding the pull strap, screwed into the metal of the door. At least that's what I think I remember, back when I had one of these in the mid-1970s. I think the brushed chrome covers at the end of the strap have prongs that hold them in place. Try gently prying them straight out, front and back, while keeping them parallel to the door. Also, I don't recall if my '73 had screws at the bottom of the panel, concealed in the carpet. Check for that; my '66 has them. Also be careful when prying the panel loose at the edges. If you buy the right tool you can easily and quickly pop the mounting clips out of the mounting holes in the door. Otherwise if you just start prying you run the risk of tearing the clips loose from the door panel. I bet you can find an instruction video online somewhere. Also, now that I look more closely at the picture, it's possible that the top half of the door panel comes off separately from the bottom, and first. Note the two screws at the bottom front and rear just below the woodgrain. I had mine off back in the 1970s to get the armrests reupholstered. If that wasn't 45 years ago I would remember more distinctly.

Edited March 15, 2020 by jrbartlett (see edit history)

[keiser31]

I wasn't sure if the strap was connected to the metal of the door or just the panel. Good call.