Painted My Faded T-top Bar
04-23-2010, 08:52 PM
#21
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ahh yeah that does suck......well if you are still trying to get a perfect finish..go to stickercity.com and order a sheet of black vinyl..it's like $7 bucks..
04-24-2010, 09:18 PM
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well the door handle came today and since it was raining and we had cleaned out some of the garage so i can actually open my drivers door wide now i decided to change it tonight.
FWIW the bolts are 11mm, not 10. I had read somewhere they were 11 and i couldn't find the 1/2 reducer for my 10mm socket and i finally went and stuck the 10mm up there only to find out it didn't fit. i went and got an 11 and 12 mm open wrench and once i found out it was 11 i rememberded i had seen an 11mm in the 1/2 socket size i needed so i went and got the 11mm and was able to get the handle out except it took a little fighting at the end to get it off. i was really not 100% sure if the handle i bought would work because the pieces i figured the nuts went on to had no threads. once i took the old handle out i saw why this was. the handle uses soft metal or even rubber and sharp edged nuts which actually cut into the door handle to attatch to them. very weird. Getting the handle in wasn't too bad but i somehow didn't realize how the rod went into the handle so i just attatched the safety clip (which was installed backwards in the new handle, luckily i was able to just pull it out and reverse it) and shut the door and it wouldn't open, doh. i then realized my mistake and was able to get the handle working. it's so much more solid than even my good hardly used passenger handle which i briefly thought about replacing now that i've seen how tight the drivers side is. since the pass side rarely gets used, is still pretty tight and isn't missing its bushings and doesn't rattle i'm just gonna leave it. Oh i will say that for whatever reason i cannot remove the power mirror wires from the switch which means i had to leave the interior panel hanging under the door just like when i did the window motor last year. i made sure to use carpet squares and a shammy to protect the interior door panel and the rocker panel on the car. Overall it was worth it to get rid of that rattling door handle and the new handle only cost me $16 shipped. since my car is an LT1 and because its black anyway, i didn't have to have the handle painted to match. you LS1 guys will have to as the handle comes in gloss black. oh and To the guy who ripped me off of $100 while i was in FL and also accidently cut my tweeter wires while installing speakers, thanks alot
one of them popped out of the red wire crimps tonight and i didn't have any so i had to connect the wires directly and electrical tape them. oh well that should hold and i don't plan on going into the door again any time soon.
FWIW the bolts are 11mm, not 10. I had read somewhere they were 11 and i couldn't find the 1/2 reducer for my 10mm socket and i finally went and stuck the 10mm up there only to find out it didn't fit. i went and got an 11 and 12 mm open wrench and once i found out it was 11 i rememberded i had seen an 11mm in the 1/2 socket size i needed so i went and got the 11mm and was able to get the handle out except it took a little fighting at the end to get it off. i was really not 100% sure if the handle i bought would work because the pieces i figured the nuts went on to had no threads. once i took the old handle out i saw why this was. the handle uses soft metal or even rubber and sharp edged nuts which actually cut into the door handle to attatch to them. very weird. Getting the handle in wasn't too bad but i somehow didn't realize how the rod went into the handle so i just attatched the safety clip (which was installed backwards in the new handle, luckily i was able to just pull it out and reverse it) and shut the door and it wouldn't open, doh. i then realized my mistake and was able to get the handle working. it's so much more solid than even my good hardly used passenger handle which i briefly thought about replacing now that i've seen how tight the drivers side is. since the pass side rarely gets used, is still pretty tight and isn't missing its bushings and doesn't rattle i'm just gonna leave it. Oh i will say that for whatever reason i cannot remove the power mirror wires from the switch which means i had to leave the interior panel hanging under the door just like when i did the window motor last year. i made sure to use carpet squares and a shammy to protect the interior door panel and the rocker panel on the car. Overall it was worth it to get rid of that rattling door handle and the new handle only cost me $16 shipped. since my car is an LT1 and because its black anyway, i didn't have to have the handle painted to match. you LS1 guys will have to as the handle comes in gloss black. oh and To the guy who ripped me off of $100 while i was in FL and also accidently cut my tweeter wires while installing speakers, thanks alot
one of them popped out of the red wire crimps tonight and i didn't have any so i had to connect the wires directly and electrical tape them. oh well that should hold and i don't plan on going into the door again any time soon. 
04-25-2010, 08:33 PM
#24
well the door handle came today and since it was raining and we had cleaned out some of the garage so i can actually open my drivers door wide now i decided to change it tonight.
FWIW the bolts are 11mm, not 10. I had read somewhere they were 11 and i couldn't find the 1/2 reducer for my 10mm socket and i finally went and stuck the 10mm up there only to find out it didn't fit. i went and got an 11 and 12 mm open wrench and once i found out it was 11 i rememberded i had seen an 11mm in the 1/2 socket size i needed so i went and got the 11mm and was able to get the handle out except it took a little fighting at the end to get it off. i was really not 100% sure if the handle i bought would work because the pieces i figured the nuts went on to had no threads. once i took the old handle out i saw why this was. the handle uses soft metal or even rubber and sharp edged nuts which actually cut into the door handle to attatch to them. very weird. Getting the handle in wasn't too bad but i somehow didn't realize how the rod went into the handle so i just attatched the safety clip (which was installed backwards in the new handle, luckily i was able to just pull it out and reverse it) and shut the door and it wouldn't open, doh. i then realized my mistake and was able to get the handle working. it's so much more solid than even my good hardly used passenger handle which i briefly thought about replacing now that i've seen how tight the drivers side is. since the pass side rarely gets used, is still pretty tight and isn't missing its bushings and doesn't rattle i'm just gonna leave it. Oh i will say that for whatever reason i cannot remove the power mirror wires from the switch which means i had to leave the interior panel hanging under the door just like when i did the window motor last year. i made sure to use carpet squares and a shammy to protect the interior door panel and the rocker panel on the car. Overall it was worth it to get rid of that rattling door handle and the new handle only cost me $16 shipped. since my car is an LT1 and because its black anyway, i didn't have to have the handle painted to match. you LS1 guys will have to as the handle comes in gloss black. oh and To the guy who ripped me off of $100 while i was in FL and also accidently cut my tweeter wires while installing speakers, thanks alot one of them popped out of the red wire crimps tonight and i didn't have any so i had to connect the wires directly and electrical tape them. oh well that should hold and i don't plan on going into the door again any time soon.
FWIW the bolts are 11mm, not 10. I had read somewhere they were 11 and i couldn't find the 1/2 reducer for my 10mm socket and i finally went and stuck the 10mm up there only to find out it didn't fit. i went and got an 11 and 12 mm open wrench and once i found out it was 11 i rememberded i had seen an 11mm in the 1/2 socket size i needed so i went and got the 11mm and was able to get the handle out except it took a little fighting at the end to get it off. i was really not 100% sure if the handle i bought would work because the pieces i figured the nuts went on to had no threads. once i took the old handle out i saw why this was. the handle uses soft metal or even rubber and sharp edged nuts which actually cut into the door handle to attatch to them. very weird. Getting the handle in wasn't too bad but i somehow didn't realize how the rod went into the handle so i just attatched the safety clip (which was installed backwards in the new handle, luckily i was able to just pull it out and reverse it) and shut the door and it wouldn't open, doh. i then realized my mistake and was able to get the handle working. it's so much more solid than even my good hardly used passenger handle which i briefly thought about replacing now that i've seen how tight the drivers side is. since the pass side rarely gets used, is still pretty tight and isn't missing its bushings and doesn't rattle i'm just gonna leave it. Oh i will say that for whatever reason i cannot remove the power mirror wires from the switch which means i had to leave the interior panel hanging under the door just like when i did the window motor last year. i made sure to use carpet squares and a shammy to protect the interior door panel and the rocker panel on the car. Overall it was worth it to get rid of that rattling door handle and the new handle only cost me $16 shipped. since my car is an LT1 and because its black anyway, i didn't have to have the handle painted to match. you LS1 guys will have to as the handle comes in gloss black. oh and To the guy who ripped me off of $100 while i was in FL and also accidently cut my tweeter wires while installing speakers, thanks alot
one of them popped out of the red wire crimps tonight and i didn't have any so i had to connect the wires directly and electrical tape them. oh well that should hold and i don't plan on going into the door again any time soon.I just swapped out the flat black handles on our 96 with factory white painted ones and I know ours had 10mm speed nuts on them (thats what those kind of nuts are called btw.) Also do you mean a 3/8 drive socket...1/2 drive is a big one. I dont think you could even get a 1/2 rachet in there. I just used a gearwrench and it took like 10 min to do both handles. The LS1 handles do not have the black plastic seals the LT1 handles have on them either.
04-26-2010, 05:39 PM
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I'm positive it was a warn bushing/pin. The pin fell out at a car wash on my way to phoenix in 2005. I had it in my console for awhile and had planned on putting it back in until a body shop owner told me it couldn't be done and the handle needed replaced. I looked at the old handle after getting it out and that piece was definately what was gone. And yeah i did mess up a bit by not getting the rod in the hole so to speak and inadvertantly locking my keys in my car because the other door was locked. The other set was ~ 20 feet away in my bedroom so it wasn't a big deal.
and yeah i probably mean 3/8. maybe the 10mm was a 1/4 drive instead. As for the bolts i'm 100% sure they were 11mm because my 10mm socket wouldn't fit. i took a 11mm and 12mm wrench out to the car and found the 11mm fit and then realized i had a 3/8 drive 11mm socket so i used that to loosen them. Maybe i had a cheapo socket or something but the 11 fit while the 10 did not. the 11 was slipping off a bit while tightening them back down but i think that had more to do with me than it did the nut. I was sitting on the floor with my arm up into the door working somewhat blindly.
Did you paint the locks? I seriously considered taking the door lock out and painting it but after the t-top bar paint fiasco i decided not to risk it. mine are kind of polished looking and match my chrome lugnuts so it doesn't look too bad. I've always wondered if the t-top locks can be swapped out with the door locks? or maybe the trim rings for them at least? any idea?
and yeah i probably mean 3/8. maybe the 10mm was a 1/4 drive instead. As for the bolts i'm 100% sure they were 11mm because my 10mm socket wouldn't fit. i took a 11mm and 12mm wrench out to the car and found the 11mm fit and then realized i had a 3/8 drive 11mm socket so i used that to loosen them. Maybe i had a cheapo socket or something but the 11 fit while the 10 did not. the 11 was slipping off a bit while tightening them back down but i think that had more to do with me than it did the nut. I was sitting on the floor with my arm up into the door working somewhat blindly.
Did you paint the locks? I seriously considered taking the door lock out and painting it but after the t-top bar paint fiasco i decided not to risk it. mine are kind of polished looking and match my chrome lugnuts so it doesn't look too bad. I've always wondered if the t-top locks can be swapped out with the door locks? or maybe the trim rings for them at least? any idea?
Last edited by 1995blacktattop; 04-26-2010 at 05:50 PM.
04-26-2010, 08:17 PM
#27
I'm positive it was a warn bushing/pin. The pin fell out at a car wash on my way to phoenix in 2005. I had it in my console for awhile and had planned on putting it back in until a body shop owner told me it couldn't be done and the handle needed replaced. I looked at the old handle after getting it out and that piece was definately what was gone. And yeah i did mess up a bit by not getting the rod in the hole so to speak and inadvertantly locking my keys in my car because the other door was locked. The other set was ~ 20 feet away in my bedroom so it wasn't a big deal.
and yeah i probably mean 3/8. maybe the 10mm was a 1/4 drive instead. As for the bolts i'm 100% sure they were 11mm because my 10mm socket wouldn't fit. i took a 11mm and 12mm wrench out to the car and found the 11mm fit and then realized i had a 3/8 drive 11mm socket so i used that to loosen them. Maybe i had a cheapo socket or something but the 11 fit while the 10 did not. the 11 was slipping off a bit while tightening them back down but i think that had more to do with me than it did the nut. I was sitting on the floor with my arm up into the door working somewhat blindly.
Did you paint the locks? I seriously considered taking the door lock out and painting it but after the t-top bar paint fiasco i decided not to risk it. mine are kind of polished looking and match my chrome lugnuts so it doesn't look too bad. I've always wondered if the t-top locks can be swapped out with the door locks? or maybe the trim rings for them at least? any idea?
and yeah i probably mean 3/8. maybe the 10mm was a 1/4 drive instead. As for the bolts i'm 100% sure they were 11mm because my 10mm socket wouldn't fit. i took a 11mm and 12mm wrench out to the car and found the 11mm fit and then realized i had a 3/8 drive 11mm socket so i used that to loosen them. Maybe i had a cheapo socket or something but the 11 fit while the 10 did not. the 11 was slipping off a bit while tightening them back down but i think that had more to do with me than it did the nut. I was sitting on the floor with my arm up into the door working somewhat blindly.
Did you paint the locks? I seriously considered taking the door lock out and painting it but after the t-top bar paint fiasco i decided not to risk it. mine are kind of polished looking and match my chrome lugnuts so it doesn't look too bad. I've always wondered if the t-top locks can be swapped out with the door locks? or maybe the trim rings for them at least? any idea?
I half *** tried to take the locks apart to paint then and it wasn't simple (I didnt put much effort into though), so I am not sure if the rings are easy to swap or not. I had actually planned to paint the rings and polish the center part (to avoid the paint tearing issue) but had about 50 other things going so I gave up on it quick.
04-26-2010, 08:42 PM
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I try to never use my key locks but i did the other night during the door handle thing as a matter of fact because FYI if you have the power lock switches disconnected on the drivers door the keyless entry won't work. DOH!
04-26-2010, 09:06 PM
#29
LOL...I also found out if you have one window switch unplugged the other one wont work either. It took me like 15min of trying to figure out why the passangers side window wouldnt let down after the door panel swap to come up with that!
Last edited by 97ramsst; 04-27-2010 at 03:01 PM.
