Interior door pull repair

[Joshdude]

Hey, I have a '92 2-door XL, and my passenger side interior door pull, expectedly, is broken. Now I am not talking about a little crack or anything. This thing is practically dissolved. The problem is that the part is very unique; I have hunted all over Southern California for this part and have come up empty. Of course, all the door pulls I can find are for power windows/locks, and are a totally different shape. I have given up my search and decided to try and fix the thing. So far I've injected spray-foam into the vinyl to replace the old foam. The issue now is how to create a rigid template where the plastic used to go. It needs to be strong as it is a high-stress area. So far I've considered cutting sheet metal to fit or using clay epoxy. Any suggestions?

 

[briwayjones]

Every body wouldn't have the resources to do this but using the old handle as a pattern I made new ones out of Walnut wood.

 

[Glacier991]

I think every old first gen shows stress cracks in the door pulls. The replacement panels are virtually gone and FORD is out of em. Even junkyards are finding door panels in 1st gens an item of interest. I tried your ideas, even used a pipe and put clips in it....had trouble getting enough in to be a good fix... eventually found a replacement panel.

Word of advice.... to everyone with 1st GENS...door pulls WILL fail.

Remove the door panel.... buy a set of 5 min expxy and mix it all up, pour it into the ends of the door pull from the back (I'll post pics) let it find it's level.. in other words reinforce them ! If not, you will be in a tough spot. THEY ARE GONNA BREAK

 

[Creager]

www.1aauto.com has them

Ebay also has them

i bought new ones for 20 bucks from 1AAuto


Is this what yr looking for?

They come with small studs that will press into the existing holes in the door panel. I used a small butane torch to melt them into place. 20 min job. Hardest part is removing all the old plastic from the door panel (you gotta remove all those little chucks if you want the studs to line up, and press in)

 

[Glacier991]

excellent, I never could find anything when I was looking a couple years back. My advice though, is the same, add the epoxy filler in back as a precaution.

 

[Creager]

excellent, I never could find anything when I was looking a couple years back. My advice though, is the same, add the epoxy filler in back as a precaution.

no doubt, im still trying to find those little plastic backing plates that go behind the interior door handle

These door handles seem to come a lil beefer then stock, maybe an 1/16" or 2-3mm thicker. but i guess the fact that they can rip off from the actual door panel is still there. Ive had mine on for almost a year now, no signs of cracking yet! i tried using junkyard stuff, but that always ended up breaking.

 

[briwayjones]

Is this what yr looking for?

That's the XLT type. He's looking for the XL door handles which aren't even that strong.

 

[Joshdude]

Yeah, unfortunately that piece is not the one I need. It is especially hard because that part is plentiful on eBay. Although I considered using just the handle part of that arrangement, cutting out the corresponding part on my door panel, and replacing it with the new piece. It's more trouble than it's worth, though. No, mine is a combination of the armrest and door pull, so it's one long padded thing. The next step for me, I think, is to see if I can locate a machine shop that can cut me a piece of sheet metal to fit. I can stick that to the armrest and drill the whole thing to my panel.

 

[Creager]

oh if you need the whole door panel go to a yunkyard. I use to pull those things to get the door handle off of them. 25 bucks should do it.

or FordPartsNetwork has the whole replacement door panel... too bad its 350 bucks.

 

[Joshdude]

As I said, I've been hunting all over. I've been to quite a few junkyards, but the fact is it's a rare part. The 2-door panel is uncommon itself, but findable. The problem is that I have manual doors/locks, and I have not been able to find another car that matches mine.

 

[Creager]

As I said, I've been hunting all over. I've been to quite a few junkyards, but the fact is it's a rare part. The 2-door panel is uncommon itself, but findable. The problem is that I have manual doors/locks, and I have not been able to find another car that matches mine.

Oh yeah the two door panels are damn near impossible.

Manual Doors/Locks will probably be impossible.

 

[SVO42]

The manual window and lock door pull IS almost impossible to find. The only one remaining on my '94 XL is the PS front. The PO replaced two of them by making them out of wood. He did a good job, but the wood clashes with the gray interior. There isn't one at all on the DS back door. I'm going to make one out of wood, too, and then cover it with gray vinyl from an upholstery shop. It should look fairly stock and be stronger than the plastic originals.

 

[Joshdude]

Ok, I reinforced the bottom of my existing armrest and it seems to be holding up just fine. This stuff dries hard as a rock. Aside from the lame "DIY repair" look, I am pretty happy. Now to see if it can withstand being repeatedly pulled by passengers.

 

[showknow]

Poplar door pulls

I also have the '91 XL door pull problem. Funny, all 4 of mine have broken... literally all four doors. A bud and I are fashioning poplar wood replacements. I have the dark red interior. Any hints on where I might find a matching fabric to cover the wood?

 

[Blacksheep Josh]

Fabric store?

 

[showknow]

We all dye, sooner or later. Andy just didn't seem the sort to be... oops... I was thinking of the movie. Big Q... what fabric or plastic will match the texture of those original pulls? I'm lost when it comes to interiors. But my bud can dye about anything.

 

[tonerbreth]

Could you take a photo of the completed wood project? Like many others, I too need one for the drivers side.

 

[Nedwreck]

I had another solution for these... took a broken one and made a tight fitting wire loop behind the little panel, that captured the screws retaining the pull itself. worked great.

Also bought new ones for one of or X's.. and did the same thing as a precaution. Worked perfectly, even against the kids with the sagging door on that side.

Will ty to get a pic...

 

[north/west,ex]

I see others have suggested wood replacements.Thats what I did after spending hrs at the wreckers only to find more broken ones. I made mine of 1 1\4" birch I had laying around .A band saw works best for a project like this but a jig saw would do in a pinch.

 

[showknow]

Coming soon

Could you take a photo of the completed wood project? Like many others, I too need one for the drivers side.

Sure thing. I was planning on posting a project how-to along with photos sort of like the hinge pin replacement guide. I plan to do the project in early January.

There is a slight possibility we will cast these out of aluminum. My bud has a small-scale foundry and cnc mill.

Anyone keen on '91 interior trim color names? I have 'dark red' but I'm not sure what Ford called it. Perhaps there is a site out there or a thread on this site someone could steer me to. Thanks