48 Door Handle Sag

[Darrell S]

I recently asked about twisting the door handle shaft to get rid of the sag. 51 Merc answered that this is a way to fix this sagging handle. I have the door apart and it looks like there is lots of play or slack in the latch mechanism itself. Is there a way to eliminate the play in the latch? Would the sag be eliminated if this were fixed? Would replacing the latch itself be a better way?

[19Fordy]

Could you post a few photos of the latch with the handle in its various positions?
Is the spring ok?
Replacing the latch with a new one would be best way to go, I think.
You didn't say which latch you need to fix but, there are some on Ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_fro...ch&_sacat=6000

[4t8v8]

Heated and twisted the door handle shafts on my '48 25 years ago. Still working great.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by Darrell S

I recently asked about twisting the door handle shaft to get rid of the sag. 51 Merc answered that this is a way to fix this sagging handle. I have the door apart and it looks like there is lots of play or slack in the latch mechanism itself. Is there a way to eliminate the play in the latch? Would the sag be eliminated if this were fixed? Would replacing the latch itself be a better way?

Even replacing the latch mechanism will not guarantee that the slop will be removed.
The twisting of the handle shaft is meant to eliminate the sag and I recall doing it in the early'50's.

[woodiewagon46]

Unless something is drastically wrong, replacement of the springs will usually correct the problem. If it's not the springs, correct the problem. Don't twist the shaft.

[supereal]

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C&G has the springs (1-800-266-0470)Each latch has two springs, and the latch has to be disassembled. Be sure to order a couple of the spring clips (B-702269), as the ones in the latch usually break off, and the clips will fix it. 41-48 Ford and Merc use the same springs. The convertibles and woodies use different springs. The handles sag when the spring(s) break or become weak. Twisting the shank will not return the handle to its correct tension

[Darrell S]

I have the left door apart right now replacing the regulator. I removed the handle yesterday. Just looking at the latch assembly and trying to see down inside the door I wonder how hard it is to get the whole thing out. I've never done this before and it looks a little intimidating. Any pointers?

[woodiewagon46]

I rebuilt the door latches in my '46 Woodie and as supereal mentions they are different from passenger car. I was lucky enough to purchase original springs from Job Lot when they were in business. I can't imagine that there is much difference. Pull one apart at a time and do the repair it wasn't that hard.

[donno21]

Replacing the springs is a fix, switching handles works too...

[fordor41]

have to remove the lock/shaft. there should be 2 screws thru the edge of the door that hold the latch assy. It then can be removed towards the bottom of the door.

[TJ]

Remove the lock and shaft. There are screws in the door jamb and usually a screw behind the door panel that secures the latch to the metal inner door panel. You can remove the door panel or you may get by just pulling loose the edge of the panel and using an angled screw driver to remove the screw. The latch will drop down once the screws are out and you then rotate the latch to get it loose from the actuating lever arm.

[Darrell S]

I did get the springs in the latch replaced and thanks for all the tips. Like Supereal said be sure and get the clips for the springs because the old ones will break on removal. The door handle does not sag now and has a nice , firm feel. There is a small amount of slack due to old worn parts but I can live with that. Also in the July\August 2017 issue of V8 Times the piece on removing and replacing the lock cylinder was great and very helpful.

[Clem Clement]

Seams to me there is a trick in installing the spring. use vice grips on the spring in the tight position on the work bench. Install the tightly wound spring and then release to vice grips. Do I have that right?

[Darrell S]

Originally Posted by Clem Clement

Seams to me there is a trick in installing the spring. use vice grips on the spring in the tight position on the work bench. Install the tightly wound spring and then release to vice grips. Do I have that right?

Correct, that is what I found. It almost takes 4 hands at once. I had a good friend helping to hold the tightly wound spring in place with vice grips while I bent the new clip in place.

[Clem Clement]

Goodo!

[Ritzy1]

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd add additional details after doing this over the weekend.

The spring in the remote inside door handle proved to be the biggest challenge to replace. To get at it I needed to bend back the 4 tabs that hold the top and bottom components together.

Cleaned up the components and wrestled the new spring into place while putting the two plates back together. The next challenge was to peen the four tabs back over while making sure the two plates were parallel so there was no binding of the mechanism. That took a few attempts to get it right. A little grease for lubrication, and I called it good.

Next up was the two springs in the door latch. When I removed it from the door I immediately noticed that the upper spring was broken. That could be why I had a droopy door handle. Soaked the latch overnight in parts cleaner while hoping that replacing the two springs in the latch would be easier than the last one. The biggest challenge with these is to get the latch situated against something solid to allow you wield the hammer and punch to open the tabs that hold the springs in place. It took some wrestling with needle nose pliers to get the old ones out and the new ones in. The upper one took two attempts to get the placement right. If you're doing this job, make sure you put the door handle in the latch before reinstalling it in the door to make sure it's working as it should. A little lubrication and I called it good.

Once I had everything reinstalled in the door it all seemed to work much better than before. The handle still droops a bit, but I'm betting that's due to wear in the square hole that the door handle shaft goes into the latch and wear in the slot the mechanism slides back and forth on. That's it for the driver's side. Now for the passenger side.

[A bones]

Thanks for the replay. Its good to have such things work nicely well.