Greenbrier Door Side Handle Remove

 
It was time to repaint the Greenbrier and the outside door handle had to come of to be able to prep. Not being able to figure out the mess of parts that were involved to get it off, I resorted to removing the window, window regulator, door latch, etc. before I finally figured out what was going on - and that was after studying the exploded diagram set to me by a fellow Corvair buff. It turns out that I made it waaaay too complicated. Here's the "easy" way.

click on pictures to enlarge


The side door handle of the forward door needed to come off for paint prep. Besides, it was a little loose and the handle has to come off to be able to tighten the screws.


The small panel below the window must be removed. Although I already had the widow out, I it does not have to be removed - just roll it up. 



The first thing is to remove the clip that holds the handle on. It's just a simple widow/door handle clip used on so many GM cars of the era. Not the easiest to get to, but it becomes a little easier if a piece of wire is fashioned into a small hook to pull it out.  

With the clip removed, the handle will pull straight out. Remove the two screws being careful to put your hand inside the door and catch the backing plate that the screws go into.
   
   

This is the backing plate that provides reinforcement as well as "nuts" for the door handle base.


Hold onto the backing plate so that it doesn't fall down into the door and slide it out from behind the door latch mechanism. 


This shot is just to give a view of the handle out of the door to show how the handle is held on.

 

To reinstall the door handle, place the clip back into the base as shown, put the new gasket behind the base and place it on the door. Slide the backing plate into place and tightly install the screws. Place the handle through he base and into the square hole in the latch. It will just pop into place like a window/door handle on a car.
   
   
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