Door Handle Droop

[6219_Rules]

Yesterday I was showing a new friend my 1947 Cadillac, and pointed out that only the driver side door had the dreaded door handle droop syndrome. He quite smartly replied "Oh that's easy to fix!!' To be sure I have asked him HOW but I thought I might ask on this forum.

How do you fix it?

I appreciate any and all suggestions!!

[Guest]

Randall,

I have a 35 Senior Packard with "the droop" and have asked for guidance on the Packard Club site with no response.

What IS your friend's solution that makes this problem so easy to fix?

[Ed Miller]

Randall, I begin with this caveat, I'm not a mechanic. Having warned you I'll continue. When restoring my 1933 Packard my mechanic cured the drooping door handle syndrome by a simple method. The door handle shaft is square. The shaft fits in a square hole. The shaft had become rounded off rather than being perfectly square. The mechanic rounded off the hole it fit in to match the rounded off handle shaft. The door handle no longer droops.

The problem also presented itself on my 1932 Cadillac. This time the problem was solved by using one of four differant door springs that are inexpensive and available. Buy all four differant springs (the differance is in the amount of spring tension). Try each one until you come to the right one and your problem is solved.

[6219_Rules]

Those are great ideas! I knew you could buy the springs but have not yet found them...I have been working on other problems...eh...joys. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the heads up!

[Ed Miller]

Randall, I'll make it easy for you. The springs are offered by Restoration Supply Company, 2060 Palisade Drive, Reno, NV 89509. Telephone #775-825-5663. Ask them to send you their catalogue, it's a good one. The springs cost $3.25 each and they have all four types. Good luck.

[R W Burgess]

Ed, I've seen the same thing you're talking about on my '35 Ford, but I would have thought you would put a little weld on the squares of the shaft and then file back down evenly to square. I would have thought rounding off the hole would let the shaft spin around? Wayne, another non-mechanic!

[Guest]

Another way to fix the droop goes like this. The square shaft is softer than you might think. The trick is to put a slight twist in the shaft to compensate for the wear in the mechanism. Clamp the square shaft in a vice as close to the handle as possible. Then adjust a large adjustable wrench to fit the shaft at the other end and twist slowly only a few degrees in the opposite direction of the droop. Remove from vice and fit to door to see if you twisted enough. Twist in either direction to achieve a perfect fit. Don't be tempted to clamp shaft in the vice and twist the door handle because this puts too much strain on it. This method has worked countless times for me. John Worden Green Mountain, Iowa

[6219_Rules]

Thanks, John! Another great ad hoc correction to the problem that plagues these beautiful cars.

I would prefer to keep as much of the car original as possible...without being silly, of course. I may try some of these ideas before buying a new spring, but you have to admit, the cost is minimal to get what at one time was considered impossible to replace! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Guest]

Randall, In addition to weak or broken springs is wear on the small moving parts inside the mechanism that let the handle droop. I believe the spring just returns the handle to position. Most likely some disassembly of rivits is needed to replace the spring and possibly even more to gain access to and renew the factory tolerances of the moving parts. If the handle returns as strongly as the handles that don't droop you probebly don't need a spring. Put a slight twist on the shaft, lubricate the mechanism and drive it for 50 more years. John Worden