[DeTomaso] R&R Door Handles

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/26/09 8:12:28 AM, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:

> I am going to have to pull my passengers door handle this winter to 
> repair the bezel and so it will lock again.  Looked at Mike Dailey's website but 
> nothing on taking the handle out / replacing it.  Has someone put together 
> a how-to with pics?  I've heard this can be pretty tricky.
> 
No photos, but first, remove the door panel upholstery and look closely at 
the   lock mechanism when you try locking it. If the latch retaining screws 
in the door frame are the least bit loose, the door lock button will not 
actuate the lock. In one Pantera, massive wear in the lock itself did the same 
thing. I added a tiny screw to the loosely staked part, and the lock then 
worked. 
The simplest way to remove the whole assembly from the door without damage- 
especially to those fragile little plastic couplers, is to leave the 
locking rod and couplers assembled. It connects to a die-cast ring that's held to 
the lock assembly with a small roll pin. By pushing the roll pin out, the 
link comes off and the rod and its brittle coupler is undisturbed. 
If you're changing door handles, the Hall all-metal door handle is flat, so 
on a Pantera door with its compound curves, the latch will force the door 
skin flat, causing a visible buckle in the skin around the handle. Some have, 
at great expense, had the aluminum door handle flanges milled into a 
shallow matching curve; this then gives you a much stronger door handle assembly 
that fits. Good luck, all- J Deryke