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Outside Door Handle

To: "Spitfire List" <spitfires@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: Outside Door Handle
From: "Dianne & Ree Gurley" <reegurley@mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 10:31:53 -0600
Is anyone intimately familiar with the rigging of the exterior door handle
mechanism on the 1500 Spits?  When you pull the handle, it pivots and forces
a spring-enclosed nylon push-rod (inside the door) backwards.  My nylon
push-rod has a fork (180 degree half-circle) which rests upon the inside pin
of the handle piece.  The push-rod fork and the spring were not staying in
place against the inside pin.  My first thought was that the fork was the
remnants of a broken circle which completely enclosed the pin; however, the
edge of the fork looked too neat to have been broken.  Then I noticed a
slight groove around the forward area of the nylon push-rod and thought,
AHA - MISSING CIRCLIP.  I fortunately had a circlip that fit beautifully
after compressing the spring somewhat.  It works great for the moment; the
circlipped spring keeps forward tension on the push-rod, thus keeping it
snug against the inside pin of the handle piece.  My concern is that the
groove (for the circlip?) is mighty skinny and may not support the circlip
very long against the fairly heavy spring pressure.  My question for you
experts is: (a) Is this push-rod supposed to have a circlip holding the
spring? or (b) Is the end of the push-rod supposed to be a complete circle
enclosing the inner door-handle pin?  Though I've looked in both Bentley and
Haynes and also Porter-Williams, along with various printed and on-line
catalogs, I can't find a clear depiction of these details; I can, of course,
pull off the passenger-side door-panel and look, but I'm concerned about
crumbling the card-board backing (like the driver-side cardboard is crumbled
now).

Thanx much,  Ree Gurley in Silver Spring, MD  -  78 Spit FM73070U O


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