door handle/mirror reinforcement plates

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burdar

burdar

Owen's Dad
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Who here has used the door handle and mirror reinforcement plates from Dynamic Renovations?

The instructions for the mirror reinforcement plates don't call for any urethane between the plate and the body. You just put the plate up against the inner door and bolt the mirror down. A few days ago I installed the mirrors using these plates. The install went fine.

Now, the door handle plate instructions call for using urethane between the plates and the body. I just got done installing the passengers side door handle and did as the instructions say. I put an 1/8" bead around the perimeter of the plate, put it in place and bolted down the mirror. After I got all the linkages hooked up I shut the door and had a look down the side of the car. The exterior sheet metal was sucked inward around the front bolt hole and put a big wave in the door. I loosened the nuts and the body went back to normal. I took the handle and plate off and cleaned up the sealant.

What is the purpose of using urethane on the door but not the mirror? I wonder if the urethane is what is causing the issue. The instructions call for putting urethane around the perimeter of the reinforcement plate but don't say anything about putting it around the front bolt hole. I'm thinking that the urethane around the perimeter is holding the plate away from the body slightly. When the bolts are tightened, the thinner outer sheet metal is sucked back to the reinforcement plate. I'm thinking there needs to be a bead around the bolt hole too or just install the plates dry. ???
 
Assuming the plates are a good fit to the shape of the door.

I would assume that the urathane is to prevent moisture buildup between the plate and the door.

Why a difference between mirror and door, who knows.


Unless the instructions say 1/8 bead, I would think a light skim coat across the surface of the plates would do it.


Now the real question.

For 50 + years the handles and mirrors have worked fine. Why the need to add the plates.

The parts you don't add, don't cause you no trouble!
 
I've certainly seen lots of doors distorted under the mirror - it gets loose, you tighten it, 2 years later it get loose and you do the same until you con't tighten any more. You take it apart and the sheet metal is drawn all the way up to the mirror base. Don't know why the door handles would do that. I've used Dynamic's kit to fix the door post around the striker and it is an outstanding product.
 
When I bought the car, the doors were really wavy around the handles. It's really thin metal and years of pulling on it cause it to move around. I assume B-bodies are the same way since they have similar handles. E-bodies have a little more reinforcement on the inside around the handles. The handles are also recessed slightly so the bends in the door skin strengthen it up more.

Well, I test fit the handles without the plates and I still get warpage of the panels when they are tightened down. Then I test fit a plate without any sealant. It still has warpage but I don't think quite as much. It seems that I'll have to live with it.
 
Its pretty common to see the metal puckered under the mirror base so it is a good idea to reinforce it. I plane on making my own for the car im currently working on. Also have seen a few A bodys crack where the door handle mounts on the small end. I had a crack on my swinger door.
Im thinking about sandwiching the reinforcement with some body panel adhesive. Snug and let it set up.
 
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