INT: Replacing Chrome Door Handle in Interior Door Handle Assembly

[Fleetw00d]

Have a good door handle surround but the chrome is peeling off the handle itself? You can swap a new handle in. I sold my two good interior front door handles today, but still had several others in various condition: one with broken tabs, but a good chrome handle; another with a good surround, but bad chrome. So I gave it a try.

Tools needed:

Wire crimping pliers
Awl
Punch

Use the crimping pliers, work your way around the top of the rivet to make it cylindrical again.




Using the awl, push the pin out of the surround and handle.



Remove the handle from the assembly



Install the new handle, install the rivet through one side of the surround and handle, then position the spring with the small end in the notch on the back of the handle and the long end in the groove on the back of the surround.



Push the lower end of the spring down and to the right (keeping the short end in the notch), then push the rivet into and through the spring, align the upper end of the rivet with the holes in the opposite side of the handle and surround and push it through.



Use a punch to spread the top of the rivet.



I also confirmed that the chrome handle from a rear door handle assembly is identical to the front chrome handle, so it can be used to repair a front handle (good rear handles are a lot easier to find). The second one only took a couple minutes.

[cp[mike]]

very nice! I've wondered if this was possible, figured it likely was, but was unsure how tight that spring was and if it was tough to reassemble. Thanks for the DIY

[Fleetw00d]

I kept the two from the guy who bought the good ones (we swapped 'em out here). The driver side was really busted up so I used that as the guinea pig. The passenger side just had peeling chrome; the surround is still good. Now I feel bad, because the one I sold him was starting to peel as well, just not as bad as the one we removed. I may fix another one up for him. (edit) I just did.

The spring did sort of 'pop' when I pulled the pin out, but it was relatively easy to put it back together. The short end of spring had a tendency to slip out of the notch.