IHADAV8.com - Turbo Buick Tech, and Nonsense
Tech Area => General Buick Tech => Topic started by: kjhansen on September 08 2021, 03:32:10 PM
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Snapped right off. It's just pot metal and has 34 years or wear on it, probably a lot of them in the sun, so I can understand that. Anyway, couple of questions. Pictures in the on-line parts stores make it look like this is the same handle, whether it's on the right hand side or the left hand side. They are readily available, but they don't call them "driver's side" or "passenger's side," they call them right and left. Right or left side from the front of the car, or sitting in the car? Any experience with these? I guess I can just take off both door panels and check, but I'm old and lazy.
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think left is drivers side
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I got unlazy and took it apart. Looks like you're right. It's left, and it's not switchable. Plus I have to drill out rivets that hold it in. Sigh.
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Replaced with an O'Reilly part. The bottom leg where it slips into the slot in the door metal was 3/4" too low, so I had to cut it down 3/4", and the rivet hole (now a bolt hole) on the bottom half was also too low, so I had to drill a new hole. It is a Dorman part and the same part shows up everywhere I looked as being right for the 1987 Buick Regal. In any case, it now fits and looks fine and works, but if someone ordered this part and didn't have the tools to make it fit they'd be out of luck. Maybe a junk yard with older cars might have one, but I couldn't find one around here.
I couldn't find the correct door handle anywhere, but since I got it to work, all's well that ends well, but let the buyer beware. Online parts that say they fit don't always fit.
This is the second part I've ordered from O'Reilly that shows in their catalog as being correct for the car but isn't. The first was a windshield wiper arm. It wasn't even close and couldn't be made to work. I couldn't find the correct windshield wiper arm anywhere. My old one was worn out at the base where it attaches to the post, so it wouldn't stay down against the spring pressure in the windshield wiper. Only the tip of the wiper touched the glass. I fixed the old one on my car, but it looks bad, with a small bolt going through the base to hold it down. Again, maybe a junk yard with older cars might have one.
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I have seen several things listed as being the replacement which turned out to be a generic one size fits all when received. Glad you got it fixed.
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When it comes be ready to massage the back plate to fit the door slot and make it right. You can pop rivet it back in or use some nuts n bolts but I would put some locktite on em so it doesn't loosen up. I bought off eBay .
Left Is driver in my mind but who knows what you might get. Cheaper to get both sides as a pair.