replacement metal door handles 1987-1996
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 603
Likes: 8
From: Williamsburg, VA
wow BGY wanted $13 in shipping
ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/80-86-FORD-P...sories&vxp=mtr
basically look for 80-86 f150 door handles and only the chrome metal ones should pop up
ebay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/80-86-FORD-P...sories&vxp=mtr
basically look for 80-86 f150 door handles and only the chrome metal ones should pop up
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 108
Likes: 1
From: Tulsa, Oklahoma
The cable stretches on them and then the base of the handle hits the top of the handle opening. I have been able to twist the cable to tighten it up, or you can cut the opening bigger in the door trim... which I did to some of our companies work trucks. Of course, I wouldn't do that to my personal truck!
Dodge+Ford = always ready
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 8,376
Likes: 112
From: Montana
id suggest lubing your lock and then replacing the cable, from there on out, just lube it every other oil change or something. the cable is probably stretching because the little door lock is getting gunked up and gets hard to move.
Thread Starter
I Voted For Bill and Opus
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,040
Likes: 9
From: Cheyenne, Wyoming
If your plastic handles have not broken then you must have special favor with the Ford Gods.
Lubing the cable every other oil change. That means taking the door panels off with all you have to do to accomplish that,no thank you The door panels on my 95 F150 are not exactly engineering marvels themselves. I had to do extensive repairs on both of them, I have the proper tools to remove these panels but they are fairly fragile I prefer to leave them alone.
I de-greased the latch and the handle control assembly. Greased them with castrol synthetic. used a Zoom Spout oiler to infuse the cable with Turbine Oil, and still the handle broke, no jerking the handle this last time broke at about 1/3 of it's travel just before it would have unlatched the door. I was looking at the handle control assembly and it's mounting position on the inside door panel has a considerable amount of flex to it and the whole assembly twists up and in when the handle is pulled this will put a great deal of strain on the plastic handle's base. This is a prime example of a part that is designed and built just good enough and no more. The metal handle that replaced it is substantially stronger then the plastic one it replaced.
Here is how I adjusted the cable. If you look at the handle assembly the bracket the cable keys into can be bent back about a 1/2 an inch without adversely affecting the angle the cable comes out of it's sheath and hooks into the pull fork, this made all of the different instead of unlatching at the end of latch travel it now does it at the half way position.
Lubing the cable every other oil change. That means taking the door panels off with all you have to do to accomplish that,no thank you The door panels on my 95 F150 are not exactly engineering marvels themselves. I had to do extensive repairs on both of them, I have the proper tools to remove these panels but they are fairly fragile I prefer to leave them alone.
I de-greased the latch and the handle control assembly. Greased them with castrol synthetic. used a Zoom Spout oiler to infuse the cable with Turbine Oil, and still the handle broke, no jerking the handle this last time broke at about 1/3 of it's travel just before it would have unlatched the door. I was looking at the handle control assembly and it's mounting position on the inside door panel has a considerable amount of flex to it and the whole assembly twists up and in when the handle is pulled this will put a great deal of strain on the plastic handle's base. This is a prime example of a part that is designed and built just good enough and no more. The metal handle that replaced it is substantially stronger then the plastic one it replaced.
Here is how I adjusted the cable. If you look at the handle assembly the bracket the cable keys into can be bent back about a 1/2 an inch without adversely affecting the angle the cable comes out of it's sheath and hooks into the pull fork, this made all of the different instead of unlatching at the end of latch travel it now does it at the half way position.
Last edited by transmaster; Jan 5, 2012 at 01:47 AM.