Nissan 370Z Forum  

DIY: Door handles (disassemble, paint, reassemble & swap out)

Originally Posted by SINISTER Best DIY on this subject learned allot very complete! How is the paint holding up? Thanks for the input. The handles look great. By using the

Go Back   Nissan 370Z Forum > Nissan 370Z Tech Area > DIY Section (Do-It-Yourself)


Like Tree29Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-18-2017, 09:49 AM   #16 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
OldGuyFla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl
Posts: 1,049
Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster
Rep Power: 19127
OldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by SINISTER View Post
Best DIY on this subject learned allot very complete!

How is the paint holding up?
Thanks for the input. The handles look great. By using the 2K clear it is basically the same clear that a body shop would be using. The shine is matching the body really good.
If you would like some current photos just let me know.

Dan
SINISTER and Martijn_b like this.
__________________
OldGuyFla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-18-2017, 09:58 AM   #17 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
OldGuyFla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl
Posts: 1,049
Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster
Rep Power: 19127
OldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jayhovah View Post
Very interested in how this paint holds up... that is my only real fear in going with the DIY spray can stuff... I worry that it will be softer and less durable compared to a pro job.
I know what you mean about using the cans. It took me a while to decide on doing it that way, but I am really happy with the way it came out. As for the hardness of the clear coat. I sprayed a test piece as I went along & I have been testing how it has cured. Currently I can press my fingernail into the test piece with a good amount of pressure & barely see an imprint.

Dan
God-Speed likes this.
__________________
OldGuyFla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2018, 08:02 PM   #18 (permalink)
Base Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 49
Drives: 18 370 ST Blue Pearl
Rep Power: 8
fork is on a distinguished road
Default

First I would like to say that this was an excellent DIY write up. I followed it almost to a T.

I had enough foresight before I began this endeavor to buy a set of handles for me to work on as time permitted so that I could leave the handles on the car. That paid off big time for me as what I had hoped would be a straight forward operation took twice as long and cost twice as much as I was expecting.

The disassembly of the extra set of handles was straight forward. The only problem I ran into was that only one of the screws had a liberal amount of thread lock on it and the knurled nut insert ended up splitting the the plastic of the handle before the screw came loose. It was an easy repair for that and I disassembled the handles the same way as the OP. I also used 4-40 screws to replace the rivets on both handles.

I ordered the non-metal spray paint kit from PaintScratch in my car's body color (Deep Blue Pearl). The website even gives the option to put in your car's VIN which would give the correct paint formula for the paint (they say). I sanded the handles, cleaned them, used the supplied degreaser, applied the adhesion promoter and put primer on all as instructed. I put down four coats of the base color and had very good coverage on the handles. But the color just didn't seem to match the car. The spray color was almost like a crayola crayon kind of blue. It was a blue blue that didn't have much of the metallic fleck effect that the paint on the car has. I am a paint newbie and thought the clear would give it deepen the color and give it that sparkle. So I went to spray the clear. The spray kit from PaintScratch comes with a spray gun that you can attach to the top of the spray cans. I had successfully attached the gun to the primer can and the base color can. When I went to attach the spray gun to the clear can and I ended up slipping off of the top of the can and I busted the spray can stem off. I busted it down in the can and there was no way to have to the clear flow from the can. After MFing the can, I ordered the 2K clear that OP used off of Amazon.

After letting the base coated handles sit for a couple days, I took the handles out to the car again and finally convinced myself that the color on the handles and the color on the car were definitely not the same and were definitely not going to be the same no matter what I put on top. I didn't want to take any more chances and just took the handles to a body shop and had them sprayed with the right color for $150.

The most difficult part of reassembling the handle assemblies is getting the main spring installed correctly while also sliding the hinge through the handle components and the spring. If you use a little grease on the hinge and take your time, your fingers might not hurt TOO much when you are done.

Removing the handles from the car was pretty easy. I used OPs trick with the painters tape to keep the bolts from falling into the door. (Genius!) I didn't feel like monkeying around with disconnecting the smart key button connections inside the door which made removing and installing the handles a little bit more "tight" but still pretty easy. The hardest part of installing the new handles was reattaching the lock/unlock lever to the locking mechanism. Smaller hands would definitely ease the frustration. I did end up destroying the plastic around one of the knurled nuts when I was taking off the original set of handles from the car for the same reason that happened on the extra set of handles (too much thread lock on the screw).

Even though I had to wait a week longer than I wanted for the finished product and had to pay twice to get them finished, I think the handles ended up looking very nice!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg DSCN1360.JPG (545.8 KB, 43 views)
File Type: jpg DSCN1356.JPG (489.5 KB, 47 views)
File Type: jpg DSCN1361.JPG (251.5 KB, 53 views)
File Type: jpg DSCN1362.JPG (316.4 KB, 67 views)
hrtbrknprince, markv and OldGuyFla like this.

Last edited by fork; 04-12-2018 at 08:08 PM.
fork is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-13-2018, 12:21 AM   #19 (permalink)
Base Member
 
markv's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: pennsylvania
Posts: 22
Drives: 2010 anniversary
Rep Power: 10
markv is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by fork View Post
First I would like to say that this was an excellent DIY write up. I followed it almost to a T.

I had enough foresight before I began this endeavor to buy a set of handles for me to work on as time permitted so that I could leave the handles on the car. That paid off big time for me as what I had hoped would be a straight forward operation took twice as long and cost twice as much as I was expecting.

The disassembly of the extra set of handles was straight forward. The only problem I ran into was that only one of the screws had a liberal amount of thread lock on it and the knurled nut insert ended up splitting the the plastic of the handle before the screw came loose. It was an easy repair for that and I disassembled the handles the same way as the OP. I also used 4-40 screws to replace the rivets on both handles.

I ordered the non-metal spray paint kit from PaintScratch in my car's body color (Deep Blue Pearl). The website even gives the option to put in your car's VIN which would give the correct paint formula for the paint (they say). I sanded the handles, cleaned them, used the supplied degreaser, applied the adhesion promoter and put primer on all as instructed. I put down four coats of the base color and had very good coverage on the handles. But the color just didn't seem to match the car. The spray color was almost like a crayola crayon kind of blue. It was a blue blue that didn't have much of the metallic fleck effect that the paint on the car has. I am a paint newbie and thought the clear would give it deepen the color and give it that sparkle. So I went to spray the clear. The spray kit from PaintScratch comes with a spray gun that you can attach to the top of the spray cans. I had successfully attached the gun to the primer can and the base color can. When I went to attach the spray gun to the clear can and I ended up slipping off of the top of the can and I busted the spray can stem off. I busted it down in the can and there was no way to have to the clear flow from the can. After MFing the can, I ordered the 2K clear that OP used off of Amazon.

After letting the base coated handles sit for a couple days, I took the handles out to the car again and finally convinced myself that the color on the handles and the color on the car were definitely not the same and were definitely not going to be the same no matter what I put on top. I didn't want to take any more chances and just took the handles to a body shop and had them sprayed with the right color for $150.

The most difficult part of reassembling the handle assemblies is getting the main spring installed correctly while also sliding the hinge through the handle components and the spring. If you use a little grease on the hinge and take your time, your fingers might not hurt TOO much when you are done.

Removing the handles from the car was pretty easy. I used OPs trick with the painters tape to keep the bolts from falling into the door. (Genius!) I didn't feel like monkeying around with disconnecting the smart key button connections inside the door which made removing and installing the handles a little bit more "tight" but still pretty easy. The hardest part of installing the new handles was reattaching the lock/unlock lever to the locking mechanism. Smaller hands would definitely ease the frustration. I did end up destroying the plastic around one of the knurled nuts when I was taking off the original set of handles from the car for the same reason that happened on the extra set of handles (too much thread lock on the screw).

Even though I had to wait a week longer than I wanted for the finished product and had to pay twice to get them finished, I think the handles ended up looking very nice!


Looks damn good! Sucks it was such a pain in the ***, but it’s all good now! I just painted mine black, just got the 2k clear to finish them. I’ll post some pics as soon as I get a chance to finish them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
OldGuyFla likes this.
markv is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2018, 12:12 PM   #20 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
OldGuyFla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl
Posts: 1,049
Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster
Rep Power: 19127
OldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by fork View Post
First I would like to say that this was an excellent DIY write up. I followed it almost to a T.

I had enough foresight before I began this endeavor to buy a set of handles for me to work on as time permitted so that I could leave the handles on the car. That paid off big time for me as what I had hoped would be a straight forward operation took twice as long and cost twice as much as I was expecting.

The disassembly of the extra set of handles was straight forward. The only problem I ran into was that only one of the screws had a liberal amount of thread lock on it and the knurled nut insert ended up splitting the the plastic of the handle before the screw came loose. It was an easy repair for that and I disassembled the handles the same way as the OP. I also used 4-40 screws to replace the rivets on both handles.

I ordered the non-metal spray paint kit from PaintScratch in my car's body color (Deep Blue Pearl). The website even gives the option to put in your car's VIN which would give the correct paint formula for the paint (they say). I sanded the handles, cleaned them, used the supplied degreaser, applied the adhesion promoter and put primer on all as instructed. I put down four coats of the base color and had very good coverage on the handles. But the color just didn't seem to match the car. The spray color was almost like a crayola crayon kind of blue. It was a blue blue that didn't have much of the metallic fleck effect that the paint on the car has. I am a paint newbie and thought the clear would give it deepen the color and give it that sparkle. So I went to spray the clear. The spray kit from PaintScratch comes with a spray gun that you can attach to the top of the spray cans. I had successfully attached the gun to the primer can and the base color can. When I went to attach the spray gun to the clear can and I ended up slipping off of the top of the can and I busted the spray can stem off. I busted it down in the can and there was no way to have to the clear flow from the can. After MFing the can, I ordered the 2K clear that OP used off of Amazon.

After letting the base coated handles sit for a couple days, I took the handles out to the car again and finally convinced myself that the color on the handles and the color on the car were definitely not the same and were definitely not going to be the same no matter what I put on top. I didn't want to take any more chances and just took the handles to a body shop and had them sprayed with the right color for $150.

The most difficult part of reassembling the handle assemblies is getting the main spring installed correctly while also sliding the hinge through the handle components and the spring. If you use a little grease on the hinge and take your time, your fingers might not hurt TOO much when you are done.

Removing the handles from the car was pretty easy. I used OPs trick with the painters tape to keep the bolts from falling into the door. (Genius!) I didn't feel like monkeying around with disconnecting the smart key button connections inside the door which made removing and installing the handles a little bit more "tight" but still pretty easy. The hardest part of installing the new handles was reattaching the lock/unlock lever to the locking mechanism. Smaller hands would definitely ease the frustration. I did end up destroying the plastic around one of the knurled nuts when I was taking off the original set of handles from the car for the same reason that happened on the extra set of handles (too much thread lock on the screw).

Even though I had to wait a week longer than I wanted for the finished product and had to pay twice to get them finished, I think the handles ended up looking very nice!
Hi fork

I'm sorry that I didn't respond to your post before now.

Glad you found the DIY useful, Sorry to read that the paint match was off. Did you talk to paintscratch about the problem?

The handles look really good, hope it gave you some satisfaction in all that you did.

Dan
__________________
OldGuyFla is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-10-2018, 12:17 PM   #21 (permalink)
A True Z Fanatic
 
OldGuyFla's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Indian Lake Estates Fl
Posts: 1,049
Drives: 14 370Z TS Roadster
Rep Power: 19127
OldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond reputeOldGuyFla has a reputation beyond repute
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by markv View Post
Looks damn good! Sucks it was such a pain in the ***, but it’s all good now! I just painted mine black, just got the 2k clear to finish them. I’ll post some pics as soon as I get a chance to finish them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hi markv

I'm A little late, but where are those pics? Hope everything went O.K. with the project.


Dan
__________________
OldGuyFla is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Paint Matched Door Handles jtsmith1 Exterior & Interior 52 01-16-2017 11:49 AM
SoCal paint shop for door handles? dP3NGU1N Southern California Region 6 01-09-2013 06:18 PM
Paint my door handles in Central Florida? Osiris South East Region 0 02-10-2011 10:17 PM
Diy paint door handles ddvette9 Exterior & Interior 8 11-18-2010 05:46 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0 PL2