Outer Door Handles: Problems to fit o-ring into groove

[Siegfried Vonderau]

Hi,

And first of all Merry Christmas.

I have a problem to assemble my outer door handles when replacing the old ones. There is a rubber / plastic o-ring that has to fit into the groove of the casting before the lock is put in. I assume it should keep water away from the inner parts. Unfortunately the o-ring looks / is bigger than the hole / groove, where it should fit in, but it was in the old casting. Also the material is not very flexible to put in easily.

Any expert tip out there how to replace the o-ring? Thanks in advance for your support.

Best regards,
Siegfried

[Jim Liberty]

Merry Christmas to you too. Be sure to clean the groove thoroughly. I use a plumbers wire brush for cleaning 1/2" copper fittings. Use new "O" rings. You may need to thin them with fine sand paper on a flat surface. The will go in with some firm pushing wit cut down paint sticks.

Then push the receiver in to determine if they slide freely. If not, a little careful Dremmle work with a fine drum sander will increase the diameter to the desired size.

The key is to take it slow and easy with the abrasive tools. .............. Jim.

[Brad Ripley]

For the lock cylinder seal, if you have a repro door handle, order NLA-531-607-01.

If you have an original door handle, order 644-531-607-01.

Those are not just plain o-rings; they are U-seals (some may call them lip-seals).

[Siegfried Vonderau]

Jim,
Brad,

Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately my last order at Stoddard is already shipped and reading Brads' suggestion I might have ordered the wrong seals. I will see and make some exercise with the old ones as suggested by Jim. In any case the next order will follow soon.

Thank you and have a good start into 2013!
Siegfried

[WilliamVaughan]

1) Pick-up the NLA seal with left hand and use small screw driver in right hand to extract the o-ring from the groove. Set O-ring aside. (So that it can be lost later.)

2) Hold seal with left hand. Have the U-channel open to the left. The seal is cylindrically symmetric. Orient the axis of cylindrical symmetry such that it extends from the left hand to the right hand. The plane of the seal will pass through all your shirt buttons. Position left hand with thumb and first finger extended to the right. Position left first finger at 9:00 (more distant). Position thumb at 3:00 (closer to your body).

3) Position right hand with thumb and first finger extended to the left. Position right first finger at 12:00 (high). Position thumb at 6:00 (closer to table top). 90 degrees away from the left hand.

4) Capture seal ring between two opposing sets of two fingers.

5) Bring hands together so that the seal bends in four places. Seal will bend about a horizontal axis bringing the U-channel slots into close proximity. And the seal will simultaneously bend about a vertical axis bringing two sections of the back side of the seal into close proximity.

6) Pinch the left hand's fingers together while simultaneously pinching the right hands fingers together. Crush that sucker (the seal) into a tight little cube.

7) The seal exhibits compression set. The time span over which it exhibits compression set is just a few seconds at room temperature. We are going to take advantage of that. Be prepared to move before the seal returns to its normal relaxed shape.

8 ) Have the door handle with its seal slot empty sitting nearby.

9) Recall the seal U-channel slots bent into close proximity mentioned above in step 5. The lower portion of the U-channel slot in the tight little cube faces up. Get ready to stuff that bent up section of seal with the upward facing U-channel slot into the seal slot of the door handle.

10) Release the left hand's grip on the seal. With the left hand, grab the door handle and position it with the seal slot presented to the right. With the still pinched right hand fingers guide the lower "tip" of the relaxing seal into the left most side of the door handle seal slot. Try to do it in 10 seconds or less.

11) Now, after getting the seal started into the grove. Use the thumbs of both hands to mash more of the seal into the 0.75 inch diameter hole in the door handle. Mash it in so that it stays bent over (crumpled) in the hole and cannot pop out.

12) Relax. Study the situation.

13) Use something softer than zinc, copper, nickel, and chrome like a 0.25 inch diameter (or smaller) wooden dowel or a plastic tooth brush handle to push on the seal from the back side as necessary.

14) Now start working sections of the seal into the groove with the dowel starting at the region where you first got it inserted. It is like working a tire onto a rim only inside out.

15) Repeat as necessary. Try working the seal between your fingers to warm it up a little and make it slightly more flexible.

16) The seal U-channel wiping edges should be facing toward the outside of the door handle so as to wipe off and exclude dirt and water. (Not the other way, sloping so as to funnel dirt into the interface.)

[Sterling Vaden]

That is such a great tutorial that I could visualize it without having seen the actual parts.

Orient the axis of cylindrical symmetry such that it extends from the left hand to the right hand.

Huh?

The plane of the seal will pass through all your shirt buttons.

Oh, I get it!

[Ron LaDow]

1) Set O-ring aside. (So that it can be lost later.)

The advice of a pro or a truly experienced amateur!

[Brad Ripley]

And to think I cut up two door handles to design and select those seals 20 years ago!

[Jim Liberty]

Brad, that is why you are truly a national treasure. ...............Jim.

[Brad Ripley]

Thanks, Jim, but I'm not ready for sainthood just yet.

[Siegfried Vonderau]

Wow, I am impressed. The parcel from Stoddard has not arrived yet, but I am sure that I will manage it with this description. I will let you know.

Thanks a lot Robert!

Siegfried

[Martin Benade]

Robert- would those instructions be reversed for the southern hemisphere?

[Nathan Ward]

At first I thought Roberts post was a joke, until I tried inserting the gaskets and then found myself following the directions exactly!

[Mike Wilson]

I found that the seals are easier to set if you soften them up a bit by soaking them in hot water for a bit.

Mike Wilson
Lomita, CA
'63 B coupe

[Troy Fralick]

Crazy Good Write Up !!!!!!!!!!