DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

As if I haven't got enough to do - sorting out my MFI pulley woes and installing Bilsteins in my one hour per week free time allowance, my drivers door won't open now. I've read Alan's postings on Pelican about this and thought that as my door handles were pretty manky anyway I'd spring for a new pair. Bought them from Mittelmotor but they're just not the same as the ones on the car.

On my old handles the lock barrel sits almost flush, like this...



on the new handles it doesnt, to the extent that not enough of the barrel sticks through the lock to screw the locking mechanism on. On close examination and measuring them up with a vernier I find that the old handles have a recess inside to accommodate this 'key' on the lock barrel.



This stops the barrel turning to far in either direction. Any suggestions as to what to do? These new handles obviously weren't designed to take my lock barrels.

Also, the travel of the trigger and the pin on these new handles is completely different to the old - much shorter to the extent that I don't think the pin will reach the plate inside the door (which was the problem that started all this). Then I looked at the other new handle and found it had a longer pin. What the...??




Can anyone shed any light on this. Have I been sold duff handles? At this rate I might have my engine running this week but the doors won't close. I'll be the one at Husborne Crawley with a bungie round the car keeping them shut.

Hi Nick,

I have not had problems with fitting different barrels, but then I have always used original porsche bits. I prefer to get things like that re-chromed rather than buy new. Can you not make alittle slot in the new handle. As for the pin you can just change them over. Put the old set up in the new handle.

I hope you manage to get it sorted

Alan

Hi Nick: am I being thick here: shouldn't your doors open and close without the handles: i.e have you not got a 'paddle' on top of the lock mech. that the handle assembly engages onto?

Certainly the car that's here at the moment hasn't got handles on, and yet the doors can be opened and closed (latched) fine. You just poke a pinky through the handle hole and push the paddle. Just wondered if it's not a lock/latch mechanism problem rather than a handle one?

Like I say, it's probably me being thick (again) though, and I'm sure you've already looked at this, it was just the bungie comment that made me wonder .

Hi Nick, As Alan says you can swap the pins over, I posted a long time ago (think it may even have been on PCGB ) about the lock mechanism. My drivers door decided not to let me in one day and eventually I found the plate the pin pushed against had bent back. Mine now have a brace welded on to stiffen them up The pin pushes roughly where the black dot is and the barrel moves the lever up and down using the two 'ears' to lock / unlock the door.



Edit: Sometimes the trigger itself in the handle can snap at the pivot, Barry's post reminded me of the second time I had to break in... (passenger side hadn't worked for long time...)

Barry, you've not gone mad, you can open the door using a 'pinkie' (whatever that may mean in your neck of the woods ). It's just I've taken the inner machanism out too which is a pain and I don't want to re-assemble it all to have to take it apart again especially with my central locking. Looks like these handles aren't OEM then. I'll have a word with Mittelmotor and get them to take them back.

Gary did you weld that? Nice.

My old pins look like they've had that extra bit on them at some point - there's a mark like a smaller piece has been snapped off.

I made the filet, but a tame TIG welder put it on for me. If I'd have done it you would be able to see the pigeons circling overhead...

The Mittelmotor door handles are not original Porsche I figure, Porsche will charge you at least 280 Euro's a piece, Mittelmotor 110 Euro's? If you try second hand, the cheapest I came across were 180$ a piece....
The pin on one of my door handle lever was a bit too short, made a extension of a bushing sliding over the pin. Works perfect.

Cheers,

Cees

I've been in too much of a rush trying to fix the major problems on my car to get to grips with this. Put it all back together last night but epoxyed a a 10p piece (cheapest part I've ever bought) onto the plate the pin hits. I finally drove my car last night for the first time in 6 weeks. We'll see tonight if the 10p works.