On my 1954, the exterior door handle cylinder shaft is worn so inoperable

[Cadman-iac]

  Yes, I would like to hear how you fare with your repair. I hope you get it to work without much trouble. Good luck.

 Rick

[hearn]

OK, I built up the end of the latch shaft about 1/8 inch and it now works better than when I started on this repair, but nothing like the passenger side.  I am now wondering if I don't have cumulative wear on various contact points within the latch mechanism.  If anyone has the portion of a known to work push button assembly.  My final shaft length from the bent retaining washer (that holds the shaft in place on the push button) to the working end of the shaft is
2 3/4 inches. Thanks, Jim

[Cadman-iac]

  Hi Hearn,
 One question, did you remove the shaft from the button, or just add to it with it still in place?

 I'll take one of mine apart and get the measurements of the shaft, and also check the button where the shaft sits to see if it's possible for this piece to wear as well, just in case. That will give you some idea of what else you might need to look at.

 But yes, there are several places on the latch mechanism that could possibly be causing the problem you're having. An accumulative effect if you will, as you were suspecting.
 It's not the best designed latch I've ever messed with, it's overly complicated. Although they didn't really skimp on the materials used in them. When you think about how often the doors are opened and closed and how old they are now, they are pretty impressive.
 The key to their longevity is in how well they were serviced over the years. If it was lubricated just a few times over the years, and the door alignment was not off, (which would cause other issues as well), there shouldn't be too much wear on the mechanism.
 One telltale indicator is the striker on the body. These are a cast piece that I believe is pot metal or something like that, and any misalignment of the door causes wear grooves in the striker, and I've seen some that were broken to the point they were dangerous.
 So if your strikers are in decent shape, your latches are probably also in good condition.
 One thing I would suggest that you check is that the roller on the end of the latch is able to turn freely. This will prevent it from digging into the striker as the door is closed. If the roller is frozen due to dirt or rust, this will cause it to develop a flat spot where it contacts the striker.
 
 Are you hesitant to remove the latch from the door to inspect it and/or repair it?

  Rick

[Cadman-iac]

  Alright, here we go,

  I took my handle apart today to get the measurements of the shaft. I removed it completely from  button assembly so I could get an accurate dimension for you.
 So from the round "head" to the very tip it measures 3 inches exactly.




 In order to remove it, you have to pull the retaining ring out of the back of the handle. Then there's a spring retaining washer, a spring, another washer with a pair of alignment tabs, and then the button comes right out.





  To get the shaft out of the button, you need to bend that funny looking retainer on one side or the other so that the "head" of the shaft will clear it. The ears on the retainer stick inward and hold the shaft, and the only way to get it out is to bend one side. Be careful when you do it, you don't want to break it, but one or two times shouldn't hurt it, unless it's rusty and really thin.
 Now after I did that, I checked the button where it sits inside, and the head of the shaft for wear. There was none on mine, but you need to decide whether or not you want to try to remove yours and check it.




  Here's a picture of the button removed from the handle, and you can see the other washer with the tabs at the top of the picture.
 The shaft retainer is hard to see here, but if you are wanting to remove it from the button, you need to bend the other side as well to get both tabs to clear the button. There's a pair of ears that engage the outside of the button that prevents it from coming off, but once both tabs are bent the retainer can be turned 90° to disengage from the button. I didn't want to risk bending it any more than necessary, so I can't show you what it looks like.


 More to follow.

 Rick

[Cadman-iac]

As for the latch mechanism, here are some more pictures of mine.

This is a better shot of the piece that your shaft presses against as you push the button. Note the uneven edge on it.

This piece takes all the force from your thumb when you open the door. However if the door is locked, it pushes on this piece in a slightly different area, but it's only about an 1/8" or less away from the worn spot. When it's locked, this piece is moved upwards so that the linkage attached to it misses the release, so there's a lot less pressure pushing back against your thumb.





There are no less than 7 pivot points on this latch that can possibly wear, although mine are in great shape, so I can't really tell you where to look for a problem. The best thing would be to remove it and give it a thorough cleaning and inspection. Here I've highlighted the pivot points with a blue marker. They look like rivets from the back side, and do perform the same function, but also allow the parts to move, so trying to replace a piece and the pivot/rivet will be extremely difficult.
In the second picture, I used the screwdriver to point out one that is hidden from view, and you can see an arrow pointing out another one that's hidden.





  On a replacement for the latch mechanism, or latch assembly, or as the Master Parts List refers to it, a lock assembly, I've pulled the mechanisms out of my 55 4-door parts car and compared them with the 56 2-door mechanisms, and other than what they are calling an interlock plate, I see no difference between them. Even the front and rear doors are the same.
I looked in my 56-61 parts book to see if they listed them as being the same, but it doesn't show the 56 in the book anywhere. Not sure why.

I don't know if the 54 is the same or not, not having one to compare with up close and personal like.

Here's a picture of two, one with the interlock plate, and one without. This particular piece was meant to help prevent the latch/lock from disengaging from the striker in the event of an accident. It slides into a channel in the striker and is supposed to keep the door from pulling away from the quarter panel and the door then opening by itself.



Hopefully you can find the problem, and it doesn't require you to replace the latch mechanism.

Rick

[hearn]

I did not remove the shaft from the button because the manual assumes if you do that you need to get a new retaining washer which are not available so I wrapped my button in a wet rag while I slowly (to keep the heat down) built up the tip.  When I first tried the handle after some build up, it was not enough, but now that I added more, when I push in the button it opens the door but stays stuck in the pushed position.  So, I believe it is too long.  I intend to now take 1/32 inch off at a time and see if it works properly.  Do you have a measurement of the shaft from the bent washer forward?

[hearn]

After I had built it up and put it back together, as I said the button jammed so reading between the lines of the manual, I took 1/32 off the length that jammed and voila, it works.  Thanks for all the help.  Jim

[Cadman-iac]

  Hi Hearn,

I saw your previous post this morning, but I was out of town. Just got back and took my handle apart again to get the measurement. The problem with trying to measure the shaft while it's still in the button is that it does have a bit of freeplay between the button and the retaining washer, so a measurement would be 2 1/2"(ish), give or take about a 1/16" or so. That's why I gave you the dimensions on the whole shaft, so there's no freeplay to worry about.
 I measured from the very back of the button to the end of the shaft.

Found your last post just a bit ago, so I guess you have it figured out now.

Glad you got it working, and didn't have to pull the latch. That's a bit of a headache in a complete door.

Rick