68 Inside Door Handle (left)

[Rich G.]

Need one of these. Tried Doc Rebuild but he is out of stock on both the NOS and the cheaper reproduction. Mine that broke was a repro.

Suggestions for another vendor?

Thanks

Rich

[Mark E.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

Are 1968 inside door handles unique? I know a lot of parts are unique to 1968, but the Corvette parts houses seem to list the same interior door handles for 1968-1977, so you may have a lot of choices out there.

[Rich G.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

No, as far as fit goes they are not unique. There are differences in construction which matter from a judging perspective. The one I got wasn't going to fit any of those years without a liberal application of a dremmel tool.

The difference in constuction between the "GM Restoration" part and the lower cost part is the former has reinforcing ribs on the back which appeared in late 68 or in 69. Not sure which but the 68/69 TIM/JG has a clear description. The lower cost repro doesn't have these ribs.

The problem I had was the casting either wasn't cleaned up before plating or something but it simply would not slide onto the piece inside the door without extensive grinding. The one that broke was a cheap repro without ribs. It fit perfectly. I borrowed an original from a friends early 68 and that fit perfectly. The $150 part didn't come close.

As an aside, and this is triggered by another discussion on vendors, I find most stuff available from the usual suspects to be of low quality and the customer service leaves a lot to be desired. I have been involved in aviation since 1968 and have rebuilt several airplanes and thus have been involved with numerous vendors of aircraft parts. All I can say is the car parts vendors can't hold a candle to the aviation guys from a quality and especially a customer service perspective. This includes vendors of parts that are not FAA approved for use in Part 23 certificated aircraft but used in homebuilt aircraft. So it's not just the FAA oversight that makes the product better.

I guess the population of car guys is a lot bigger than airplane guys which may explain some of the customer interaction issues.

Rich

[John D.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

I had a '68 BB brand new. First BB convertible in the area according to Grabiak Chevrolet. Spent more time at the dealers than on the road.
One very cold winter night I attempted to open the drivers down from the inside. Handle broke right off. John

[Mark E.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

I had a '68 BB brand new. First BB convertible in the area according to Grabiak Chevrolet. Spent more time at the dealers than on the road.
One very cold winter night I attempted to open the drivers down from the inside. Handle broke right off. John

So when Rich finds his original, correct door handle, it will probably fail in short order if it's authentic.

[Rich G.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

So when Rich finds his original, correct door handle, it will probably fail in short order if it's authentic.

Yes, true as the early 68 handles did not have the reinforcing ribs on the back so were prone to failure. The change to the stronger handle came later. So I guess the inexpensive repro part is closer to the original early 68 as they break more frequently.

Thanks to all for the help here. As usual while it's possible to Google "68 Door Handle", the ability to tap into the vast experience here was very useful. Same thing for my recent 66 headlight switch search which turned out much better than what I could have done on my own.

Rich

[Mark E.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

All I can say is the car parts vendors can't hold a candle to the aviation guys from a quality and especially a customer service perspective. Rich

As a frequent flyer, I find comfort knowing aviation parts are higher quality than '68 Corvette parts.

[Rich G.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

Mark,

Just don't look too closely at the next one you're on. We may call it "bondo" but in some aviation circles it's known as "high speed aviation filler".

:-)

Rich

[Jim T.]

Re: 68 Inside Door Handle (left)

Anyone tried to repair a 1968 broken handle?