GP4U2NV Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 I know that we (all with coupe gps 88-96) can be stuck with failed door handles. I just had my first failure. Drivers side door. Where is the best plate to get them? GM/OEM or what? I have gloss black and need one asap, I have an indoor show in to weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AL Posted December 27, 2009 Report Share Posted December 27, 2009 You might have to try a Junkyard as OE are the best... The Ebay ones are cheap China junk... But if you need one quick for looks, that might actually be your best bet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdvs Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 You might have to try a Junkyard as OE are the best... The Ebay ones are cheap China junk... But if you need one quick for looks, that might actually be your best bet X2 And if you do go to the j/y, get one specific to your car. They may all look the same, but there are small differences that make a big difference in whether it fits or not. And just for what it's worth, I couldn't find the right one for my vert when I needed one, so I just got an OEM one off what ever with a good handle from the j/y. Disassembled them both and just swapped handles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP4U2NV Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I work at a dealership. I have just priced a new OEM unit. Holly $ h i t !!!!!!! :mad: :mad: part# 16627471 List $288.00 Like WTF? Are most of the aftermarket not gloss? We have a Keystone unit in stock but it is flat black. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White93z34 Posted December 28, 2009 Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 I just got a glass black one for my lumina from rockauto last summer it looks alright fits decent. still made in tiwan though. if you have keyhole lighting you will have to modify it to fit. also the finish on it is really easy to scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP4U2NV Posted December 28, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2009 NAPA SAYS $51.00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 junkyard 15-25 bucks or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 I was not aware that there are differences between the convertible and couple door handles...I just got one from a '91 coupe to go onto my '95 convertible on the driver's side. I'd be interested in what needs to be done, my handle needs to be replaced very soon. You might have to try a Junkyard as OE are the best... The Ebay ones are cheap China junk... But if you need one quick for looks, that might actually be your best bet X2 And if you do go to the j/y, get one specific to your car. They may all look the same, but there are small differences that make a big difference in whether it fits or not. And just for what it's worth, I couldn't find the right one for my vert when I needed one, so I just got an OEM one off what ever with a good handle from the j/y. Disassembled them both and just swapped handles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 I've had an ebay one on the driver's side of my TGP for 3 years now with no issues. Cost me a whopping $15 back in 2006 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patch Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 I've had an ebay one on the driver's side of my TGP for 3 years now with no issues. Cost me a whopping $15 back in 2006 Unfortunately I just tried to install my cheap Ebay one and it does not fit! Not even close. Would need to probably modify the door to get it to fit. So I guess the ebay ones are hit and miss? Looks like I'll be buying a $60 Doman part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GP4U2NV Posted January 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I ended up purchasing a handle from NAPA. It realy was not that bad. Took some adjustment of the rods but, it works. Paid $45 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patch Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 The problem with my ebay one was that it was 2mm thinner then the OE part I removed and the top mount stud was off too. I could not get the forward edge to fit into the channel behind the window and have the mounting studs line up. To do so I would have to elongate the mounting holes and trim the door edge some at least. That's more then I will do for a $25 ebay part. This was on a '92 Z34 BTW. Sadly all the OE handle needed was a rod adjustment to increase travel and unlatch the latch but the kid that owned the car prior to me just pulled on it until it bent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addicted To Boost Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I've had an ebay one on the driver's side of my TGP for 3 years now with no issues. Cost me a whopping $15 back in 2006 Unfortunately I just tried to install my cheap Ebay one and it does not fit! Not even close. Would need to probably modify the door to get it to fit. So I guess the ebay ones are hit and miss? Looks like I'll be buying a $60 Doman part. Strange... the one I got looked identical to the one I removed and went on perfectly. Took about 10 minutes to install. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Powered Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 why dont people just get the handles from the junk yard??? I would never go out of my way to pay for chinese parts to put on my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94 olds vert Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I agree I bought an ebay one. Didn't work right. Got one from the junkyard for 7 bucks and works great. The ebay one is sitting in a box in my garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 I was not aware that there are differences between the convertible and couple door handles...I just got one from a '91 coupe to go onto my '95 convertible on the driver's side. I'd be interested in what needs to be done, my handle needs to be replaced very soon. Hmmm, should be the same? When the one on my 94 convertible broke, I swapped and ugly but working one from the 88 into the 94 and put the broken 94 one on the 88. For those whose fitment is way off, could it be they sent the wrong handle? For example, I know a Cutlass handle will NOT fit a Grand Prix and vice versa. I'm going by memory, but I think Cutlass had unique door handles despite looking the same while the other W coupes had the same one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdvs Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 From my experiance, all the W door handles look the same outside, but there are differences from brand to brand. Olds is different than Pontiac, Pontiac is different than Buick etc.. Some differences are minor, some are quite a bit different. I think some of the people that sell the aftermarket brands are not aware of this. Since they all look the same, they must all be the same. Others may know, but don't care. Once sold, it's the buyers problem. In my opinion, the best way to get an exact replacement is at the j/y. Find your make and model, and you can't go wrong. You could also bring your old one to match it up. I also know from past experiance, that they can sometimes be hard to find. Good ones are already gone when I get there. Or the yard doesn't have any verts. I needed one right away a while back for my vert. There weren't any verts at the time so I got a good one from something else and just swapped handles. The handles themselves are the same, it's the housings that have the differences. A bit long winded, but hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carkhz316 Posted January 4, 2010 Report Share Posted January 4, 2010 Someone with access to all the coupes should document all the differences, major or subtle so we have a good understanding of what could possibly be interchanged (if at all) and what can't. Just an idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 I put the replacement from the '91 Cutlass on my '95 Cutlass convertible over the weekend...no issues, which made me very happy. It was also nice to have a gloss assembly back on the car. The previous owner had put a flat finished one on the car. I suspect it was an aftermarket unit, the handle hinge had an "e" clip holding it together, the one from the J/Y was made in such a way that it couldn't be disassembled without destroying it. I saved the housing, though, just in case. Total cost from Pull-A-Part, $9.86. I was not aware that there are differences between the convertible and couple door handles...I just got one from a '91 coupe to go onto my '95 convertible on the driver's side. I'd be interested in what needs to be done, my handle needs to be replaced very soon. Hmmm, should be the same? When the one on my 94 convertible broke, I swapped and ugly but working one from the 88 into the 94 and put the broken 94 one on the 88. For those whose fitment is way off, could it be they sent the wrong handle? For example, I know a Cutlass handle will NOT fit a Grand Prix and vice versa. I'm going by memory, but I think Cutlass had unique door handles despite looking the same while the other W coupes had the same one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdvs Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 the one from the J/Y was made in such a way that it couldn't be disassembled without destroying it. Sounds like an OEM factory handle, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I have dissembled and reassembled them. A little work, but it can be done in a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92 GP Posted January 11, 2010 Report Share Posted January 11, 2010 last one i replaced mine with, i got it aftermarket from an O'Reilly i beleive, i think i paid $40-50, and you have a flat or gloss option, it stayed on the car for quite a while with no issues and fit pretty good. I remember working in parts sales when I looked it up, and each W door handle had a unique part number. Like i think the luminas were shorter and more fat? I don't remember all the differences, but i know each DID have a unique part number attached to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galaxie500XL Posted January 13, 2010 Report Share Posted January 13, 2010 It took me 6 months to find a door handle at the local yard... Lots of W-bodies in the junkyards out here, but the door handles are the first thing that gets taken. It seems that most everyone, if they own a 2-door W for any length of time breaks a door handle. GM should have provided spares in the trunk. why dont people just get the handles from the junk yard??? I would never go out of my way to pay for chinese parts to put on my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_mezz Posted February 13, 2010 Report Share Posted February 13, 2010 I had to replace mine a while back and my thinking was a little different. I went with the China one and didn't bother looking in the yards. I figure the original handles are good for 10,000 pulls and any one that you find in a yard is already at 9000. The one I got was gloss black, fit fine, and still works but I don't remember who made it, sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersniperkilla Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 i just replaced my drivers side today...got one from the junkyard but they sold me a brand new one. it was aftermarket and only $35...works flawlessly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supersniperkilla Posted February 17, 2010 Report Share Posted February 17, 2010 oh before i forget...where can i get ahold of more of those "acorn nuts" or whatever you call them? the ones that cut threads. i need a couple because the ones that go on the top of each door handle are missing. my handles still work and are secure in place but at the top of the handle assemblies they stick out a bit and need to be tightened down to look right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.