Anyone out there know what the deal is to make the handles on a 1950 gmc work? I am thinking the latch mechanism is messed up! Help!!!!!
Take photos. Take it apart, clean it up, lube it and try again. If all fails buy the assembly manual. If that dont help post pic of what you think is not working then Nate or Evan will give you the solution. Even a cell phone pic may work.
Sometimes you have to remove the latch assembly to inspect them well. They have a lot of parts but if you work one through it's cycle several times by "cocking" the part that contacts the striker and then releasing it with the handle you will see how they work. A vise is nice to clamp it in but make sure none of the mechanism hits onto the vice jaw. Look to see if any pin or pivot is worn or if the hole it passes through is wallowed out. The parts must contact each other the correct amount or there will be problems. Here is a photo and several things to look for. First make sure the two flat coiled springs shown in the upper and lower left are not broken or the free end is not out of position. The plate at the center right of the picture with all the small notches and the lever with the 90 degree bend just above it are two parts with high wear rates. The ones in the picture show a goodly amount of wear but still worked. Disregard the small white lever in this shot, it is for a drivers side door lock I made for a customers 50 chevy pickup. If you can repair your factory latch they are much better than the reproduction ones.
I have worked them all over with carb cleaner to remove the old grease that has hardened and all the dirt that has stuck. Scrub with wire brushes or tooth brushes. Now work all the parts loose so they all move freely. Now lube well, I like white lithium grease, and work it behind all moving parts. Now put it all together and adjust the movement in the door.
