VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Door trim pad removment Master Business Coupe 1937

Hi!
i would like to remove the door trim pad of my chevy master business coupe 1937.
Everything worked fine except the removment of the inside door look handle. It is not possible to force the escutcheon of the handle in the direction of the door inner panel to gain space between the two parts. Without a gap i am not able to remove the horseshoe clip.
What i did next was seperating the trim Pad from the inner panel with the intention to figure out whats going on underneath. Unfortuanetly the spring which forces the trim pad into outside direction is compressed to its minimum in the door assembled state. Therefore it is not possible to squeeze it even more.

I have to admit that i don't own a special tool to remove and install the clips

Unfortunately i stuck now. Therefore I would like to ask you to answer my following questions:

1. Is the totally pressed spring a construction error because i get the same result at the other door of the car?
Or is it unique on my chevy?
2. Would that special door handle remover fix my problem? As far as i understand it won't because it needs also space.
3. I found diffrent tools which remove that horseshoe clip on the net. What's the best choice for a 1937 chevy?
4. I life in Germany so it takes always a lot of time to ship stuff from the US. Is there any other way to copy/built by myself a door handle remover? Does anyone have a draft?

What can i finally do to remove the door handle with the knowledge of the totally compressed spring?

Please excuse my bad dummy english and the number of silly questions i ask. But without your help I’am really stucked.

I look forward and appreciate the slightest answer!

Thanks a lot
Best Regards
Robert

Unfortunately, the likelihood of getting the clips out without the "special tool" is slim, for the very reason you point out, lack of working space. The tool does need some room to work, but it's only the thickness of the "blade", maybe 1/32" or less. I've used mine for years with a perfect record of success. They are on Ebay all the time. May be a little delay in the job, but you won't have to destroy anything in the process.

It sounds like someone in the past has removed the door panel are reinstalled it with the wrong spring in that spot. You can probably make a removal tool yourself if you are in a hurry. This is the type of tool I would recommend in your instance.

Robert, your English is infinitely better than my German. Many years ago (pre-Chevy Chatter days), I got the dimensions from someone and made my own from some flat steel stock. I cannot for the life of me figure out what I did with it, but maybe someone on this site can do a little drawing for you based on their tool. It's a very simple structure and simple to use once you have it in your hands. All you really need to know is how wide and how deep to cut a notch into a strip of flat metal. File the edges carefully, you don't want to snag any fabric. Good luck.

something like this?

I have a 38 and took all my door cards off without a special tool. I used a very small flat head screw driver to slip the "U" shaped clip off the post. However, there should be a slight distance between the escutcheon and the handle to allow you to slip a tool in to get at the clip and take the pressure off the clip. Mine are very tight also so I don’t think there is something wrong or unique with your car. You might have to use something very thin, like a file and work on the clip one side at a time. They were very hard to remove and it helps to have a very bright light to see the clip.
Brian

Brian is right, lots of light and be prepared to hold a 3 hour search party for each clip as they fly a long way into the darkest corner available on the other side of the garage.
Tony

.......or try this,



Kinda hokey, but it won't cost anything to try.

Many thanks to all of you who gave me a reply. I get finally rid of the handle with a helping hand of my dad,
a washer and a thin wolfram needle (from my welding machine). With the washer which stucked between the escutcheon and the handle my dad pushed the handle towards the inner door panel. As a result we got the minimum needed space for the welding machine needle to slip the horseshoe clip off the post. It's is definitely not the professional way but i was in a hurry. After finishing the door work i will carve my own remover from the draft Russell posted?
Thanks again!
Robert

I'm glad you got it off. Those little buggers can make a man swear a LOT.

If you can obtain one of the hooked tools that a dental hygienist uses to pick your teeth it works perfectly. Just hook it on one end of the clip and pull it off.