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56D500boy

Posted 2022-10-06 12:59 PM (#624724)
Subject: Fixing A Rear Door Lock Pull with Stripped Threads

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Location: Lower Mainland BC

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You have to know that I don't have too many things needing serious attention right now (or I am in denial and ignoring them

), at the end of "car show season" (prior to the weather turning nasty). As a result, I am doing non-essential things to my 56 Dodge that I have wanted to do for some time (e.g. recent C-pillar trim games) but they were NOT on any priority list.

This one is another one: Adding new and improved rear door lock pulls to my 4 dr sedan.

A few years ago, while scrounging in a wrecking yard (sadly now closed), I liberated a few things, e.g. chrome plastic rear door lock pulls from an 85 Chrysler 5th Avenue. One of them screwed on perfectly in place of the ugly OE rubber pulls. I liked the look so kept it on the rear driver's side door. The other door, the rear right side passenger door, did not accept the 5th Avenue pull so I just left the ugly rubber pull in place. That was probably 4 or 5 years ago.

Recently, I decided to try fixing that problem. This is what I did:

I started by removing the OE pull and checking what the threads were using some available machine screw nuts that I have on hand. Turns out that the threads on the rear door lock pull rod are 10-24. Knowing that and having previous experience with "Chicago" bolts (8-32 in that case) also know as "Sex nuts" or "Binding Posts" or "Barrel bolts", I set out to find some. Five shops that I tried only had 8-32s. I eventually found what I needed at my local "Pacific Fasteners" (BTW, Lowes, Home Depot and Fastenal near me did NOT have them). I had to buy 6 because of their $10 minimum policy but that was fine with me. I wanted a solution.

For those in the US, I just checked McMaster-Carr and they have what I bought, i.e. 10-24 Barrel bolt, 1/2" long with 1/4" O.D. (See below).

When I got home from Pacific Fasteners, I tried the barrel bolt in the end of the chromed plastic 5th Avenue door lock pull. Close very close but the hole was too small. 5 minutes later after finding my drill and a 1/4" drill bit, I reamed out the bottom of the chromed plastic pull and tested the 10-24 barrel bolt in the end of the pull. Snug but it fit. Fine.

Then I removed the window surround from the door (7 screws?) so I could fully access the threaded door lock pull/push rod. Then I used my 10-24 die on the threaded rod and fully cleaned the threads on the rod. Tested the barrel bolt on the rod. Fine.

However, for this to work, I needed to cut the head off the barrel bolt. Mr. Dremel to the rescue. I then tried to thread the headless barrel on to the threaded lock pull rod and it would NOT go all the way down. That confused me for a second (minute) or two until I realized that the barrel was NOT fully threaded. No problem. Found my 10-24 tap and tap wrench and put the barrel in my vice (being careful to not crush or egg the barrel) and used the tap until it went completely through from the pre-threaded end to the previously unthreaded end. Now it was full threaded.

Tested the threaded barrel on the threaded lock rod and all was good. Ran the barrel up to the near the top of the rod, applied some red Loctite to the barrel and pressed the reamed chrome plastic pull onto the threaded barrel. I let that sit overnight and then removed the newly threaded pull and reinstalled the window surround.

Then I threaded to fixed pull all the way down on the lock rod and was happy. I know it isn't OE but, I like the look.

Some photos: