modified door handles

[johng]

Hey fellow buggas
Im currently putting in Subaru impreza door handles iv come across a problem the originals push in & these push down on the lock opening mechanism before i welded it all up i did a mock up didnt work well but i thought a few more modifications & it would be right , well u guest it its a head f#*k to put it bluntly i have made rods of all shapes & sizes to hook around the window (which is another hurdle lol) but there is to much flex in the movement on the rod the push down the striker arm on the lock mechanism.
Has any one out there attempted a mod like this that might shed some light this way as ive actually run out of ideas after about 20 odd hrs of stuffing around
cheers & i hope you can understand this post now im going to have a bourbon & clear my muddled head lol

[Dano]

flatbar any good?....

[johng]

hey Dano
The window makes it so hard to do anything the glass is within mm of the lock mechanism the rod i had rigged up got past everything but just didnt have enough push to release the lock so the spindle would let the door open
I was going to use the Subaru lock but i cant even do that because of the window

thanks heaps mate

[BusyKiwi]

Go down past the window and make a lever, it means long rods but gives you lots of room.
I'm not using door handles but I've put my solenoid down there to open mine.

Another option (will cost) is to fill in a bit of the window, so it looks like /   /  instead of /  | cut the glass the same shape; re angle your channel - glass will cost you the money as it needs to be toughened, can't cut down old glass

[johng]

Hey busy kiwi
I think the only way around ir is a cable system ill have to work something out
ill spend some more time on it & try to work something out with a cable set up
cheers mate

[BusyKiwi]

You can do it outside of the door, on a bench. Just work out the length and get some thick cardboard and mount the door handle and latch to it and make some rods/bars out of wood or steel (even old coat hanger) until you think you have it then transplant it all into the van. You can even use cable for the pull action but the push needs to ridged

i did my gull wing hinges with this method and was lucky enough to do it first pop, also did it with my reversing light (no one knows about this lol), it's a spot light on a headlight motor, so when in reverse the spot light swings out from under the van, this took a couple of attempts to get right.

[BusyKiwi]

Just had another thought, which would make your life easier. Instead of rods/cables/bars from the handle, just use a mirco switch from the handle which goes to a solenoid which pulls the door latch. And use the key part to enable/disable the power to the mirco switch

[shaginwagin]

Hi..
i have changed the door handles on the beddie to vn..  i had the whole donor car made it a lot easier.  Transplant the whole lot cut out the metal around the door handle.   Then the lock and the stricker plate. Inside door handle and used the lot linkages it all fits..   so much easier than trying to change just the handle

[johng]

g day shaginwagin
Yeh i have a vs door same as vn the lock set up is def better in that than the subie just a solid rod straight down i might look at trying the subie lock mechanism with a bit of door shell work to fit it as theres bugger room with the window bailey beeing so close to the door frame
Thanks for your input champ all help GREAT-FULLY APPRECIATED I tell you
cheers John