87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

I'm hopefully gonna be doing flush door handles from a malibu/impala/ whatever other car shares them. And I'm wondering what all i need to do this. I'm guessing just cut a rectangle section from a donor door then cut the hole on my door and weld it in? Getting a set of doors is going to be expensive but you can get just the handles cheap. Anything I can do about that? Thanks for the help

deadbird

Search can actually work once in awhile

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/sear...earchid=198806

You can also check my site.

Other than that... there are not a lot of members that have done this.

I'd suggest just getting a pair of doors instead of a set... should cut costs some

Slepewesel

iTrader: (1)

And for lookin for stuff, I'd call Riverside Auto Salvage in West Carrolton. Good guys, and they actually let you go out and look for what you are looking for ... hard to find a yard like that around here any more...

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

yep you're mostly the motivation behind wanting to do this. There's another guy that did it with GM handles. Haha by the way i clicked on your search link and it said so no search doesnt always work haha that's the problem i was having with it. I've got your site bookmarked and refer to it often. Just seeing if there was any other way to do it. Haha yeah a pair could be cheaper than a set

Thanks slepewesel I'll have to check them out. Are they pretty reasonable on prices also?

Slepewesel

iTrader: (1)

Yea they're pretty good. Been putting a 94 Bird interior into my 91 Z and I got a set of door panels, pw/pm/pl swithes and trim for like $60. Give them a call ... 937-866-0378

deadbird

Well crap....
Let's just say it did work.

It took a few frosty beverages before I worked up the courage to take a saber saw to my doors. Mainly because I had no clue what I was getting into except that if I screwed up, I'd be out to perfectly good original doors.

The other member (which I was trying to post the search results for) that did the swap was Firebird 383. Initially he started it and ran out of time IIRC so he hauled it to Jay and he finished up the fin work and sprayed some color on 383's bird.

I used Firebird 383 for member, flush for keyword and the posts were mad in the body and interior forum.

Hopefully search will work (better) for you.

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

yeah i did alot more searching today and came up with alot more information, also ran across the hot rod door handle swap on a camaro and they mentioned using a flanger so it's easier to weld. I'm looking at handles from s-10's, all the early 90's midsize cars, and maybe even the new aveo handles if they are as flush as they look in pictures i've seen maybe i'll run to the dealership tomorrow and see if they have one in stock so i can check them out.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

My 92 RS I did about 10 years ago. '88-?'98? Chevy/GMC truck door handles. Nice flush mount, and the yard I got them from let me borrow a cut off wheel, and go cut the outta a couple doors that were otherwise mangled.

That's the best pic I can find right now...I had some pics from during the swap. You might hafta zoom in on the handle to see.https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/atta...ncranford1.gif

will8

i got the handles and outer skins for 10 bucks at the crusher. off of a late 90's grand am. In fact going to graft them in this weekend.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Pics? Looking for alternatives to the truck handles I had to, do to my GTA.

will8

does anyone have any clear pics of the squared off flush door handles in their cars? This would help out on a lot of desicions in this area of topic

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

I couldn't find a good pic of my truck handles. Mine were painted body color, instead of leaving them black. Look at any C/K series truck, and you'll know what mine looked like.

will8

got the passenger side handle grafted on tonight and looks absolutely#$%%^!!! Grafted quite nicely and used the factory rods from the door handle and works better than the old one. going to try and do the other one tomarrow at work if time permits.

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

I'm not making my C5-like door handles flush. They stick out as much as the thirdgen locks the way i'm fabricating them up. I'm going to try to make/find thinner gasket material and maybe modify the handle a little bit yet.

I used a piece of sheet metal(same guage as door sheet metal), cut the hole in it for the handles, had 2 braces welded on the backside of the metal for the 2 bolts for the handles. Then had it welded to the door. The piece of sheet metal was a rectangular piece. Only got the passenger side done, kind of...still not completely satisfied with it.

Had to do a little bending on the door rods to work correctly.

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

you get any pictures of it?

aren't the malibu and impala and other cars the same as the c5??

Firebat

iTrader: (7)

yeah

V8Rumble

iTrader: (2)

Interesting thread - I'd asked one of the body guys I know how much it would be to do something like that (I'm working on getting my car ready for the Bonneville salt, & wanting to lower the Cd), & he said that it'd be a lot more efficient to just go with shaved door handles like the street rods. Don't know how secure that'd be though...

83 Crossfire TA

iTrader: (2)

Most racing doesn't allow shaved door handles in case they have to rescue you in a crash so they don't have to futz around trying to figure out how to open your doors

mattjw

I put newer style S10 handels on first get S10 doors.. Maybe the pics of what I did will help you...

Matt's Photo Album - /Clone_Project/Exterior/repaint/Front Doors/newer style handels

-Matt

will8

got both door handles in, filled, and in the first stage of primer. Looks 100% better.

Slepewesel

iTrader: (1)

Ok ..... PICS?!

GarageToys

iTrader: (6)

I have a webpage on my cardomain site that goes through the process step-by-step. Although, I did forget to post pics of the custom lock rods I had to build. Oh well, they'd all be different anyway depending on which donor handles you use and where exactly you position them on the door. Here's the webpage:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/496327/4

Brisk

iTrader: (25)

These are the best flush door handles I've seen yet IMO ~ CLICK HERE ~

maroon88iroc

iTrader: (7)

im going to do this with my car but i think the c5 style door handles look out of place b/c they dont match the body lines at all. im going to go with a flush square door handle like on the 94-96 impala's. or at least thats what i hope to do idk if i will be able to do that or not.

Stephen

iTrader: (12)

Everybody keeps saying they want dor handles that match the body more. I gotta find pics of my old 92 that I had C/K series full size truck handles in. The rods fit perfect, very flush, body lines were good...If I ever do my GTA, I'm going with C/L series truck handles again.

I did find the Hot Rod magazine article that gave me the idea originally...

Hot Rod Magazine

Ithe Impala handles look very similar, if they aren't identical. Can't find a close up pic of one.

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

i'm looking at the s-10 or the prism handles if i can find a prism i'm on it.

deadbird

The best thing to do is to take a camera to a j/y and take pictures of all the handles that suits your fancy.
Then, pick a few you really like, after looking over them, and PS (or have done) them on a picture ofyour car.

Don't do the lame-*** 'have to stay GM parts' thing to compromise what you want .. just to keep a GM item on the car.

I took alot of pictures but, the cars are limited around here in the p&p yards so a few were repeats.
Find what you like best... not brand or what others think.. you will ultimately have to open the door... make yourself happy.

I can't remember many of these but, heres a small sample of pictures I took before narrowing down what I wanted...

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

hahahaha thats hilarious. not the fact of doing it but the fact that i started doing it a couple days ago haha people look at you funny when your taking random pictures of cars lol. I actually seen some on a nissan that i liked, but i didnt have my camera with me and couldnt get a clear look as to what it was. So i need to look through nissan replacement handles to see if i can come up with them and what they came on.


alright found out it was a nissan altima. quick handle swap on to graboids car cause it's the sleekest black car i had a picture of. and bam