Okay 68 and 69 guys, a question that has been puzzling me forever and I can't stand it anymore, I need a definitive answer. What are the door handle differences between 69 and all the other year Skylarks? Every place advertises that they have the 64-67 and the 70-72 handles. Why the hell would they not have the 68-69 ones? Are they that different? Will they all interchange even if they are not correct? Someone must know this.
handles :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: holy **** Ken I never knew that they were different :eek2: :eek2: :eek2: but they are get this the handles on my 68 cutlass and 72 skylark are the same !!!!!!! o No: uzzled: but my 69 GS they are different they are larger as in they stick out farther from the door uzzled: man you lean somethig new every day :shock: now I have to get those :ball: I would bet you could use the smaller ones o No: :beer :TU:
I probably could just use the generic 70-72 ones that year one sells. But it wouldn't be right for my 69. It's amazing that even the 68 Cutlass was different from the 68 Buick. I can't believe the crap that is NOT interchangeable on these cars. It seems like more and more every day. I still need to know which handles that the 69 Skylark would interchange with, appearance and fit wise, which ones are they identical to. They can't just be Skylark only can they?
Hi Ken, I'm sure I have a set if you need some they are still on doors, let me know. Here I have both cars and never payed that close attention ?
There are other interchanges for the 68-69 handles.......I seem to remember mid-year corvettes being one you need some one with a ?hollanders? interchange manual to look it up
Todd, are they nice? I have a couple sets but they are kind of ratty against a nice paint job, pitted and swirled and all. I'd gladly buy a nice shiny set. What kind of shape are the buttons in? Alan, where could I get my hands on that manual you speak of? That sounds like some good after dinner reading. :Brow:
The part number I found for the '68 door handles is: Group 10.527 PN - 9712350 (right side) 9712351 for the left side. I have a "BuickDealer Parts and Accessories Price Schedule and History Index" printed in April of 1968 and it says that up to the print date the only GM division that this part is interchangeable with is Chevrolet. The book does not tell what model Chevy thoughou: You are right, they are not the same as '68 Pontiac or Olds. If anyone has any part numbers (pre '69) that they need checked for a corporate cross match (Pontiac, Olds, Chevy or Cadillac) just send them my way and I will check my book :Comp:
As i said, I think its called "Hollanders" exchange......any good recycler or salvage yard dealing with old cars should have them. As for buying them ?? I dont think they repro them.....and i think they were very expensive at the time of printing. Who Knows.....maybe Year1 will repro them
Yeah right? That'll be the day. They'll just come out with some generic door handle and say "this door handle looks nothing like the original, but fit and function are correct". :error: Mike, Man, it sure would be great to know which Chevy it was for. You know there would be a sh!tload of them out there. Actually, if I could find out which Chevy they were for, we could then find out which Chevy vendor repro's them. It's a Chevy, someone must repro them. Imagine if it was for Chevelle?ou: Here I've been searching forever for nice door handles and I could have just gone to Walmart and bought them. :eek2: Maybe Year One actually has them but they just don't know it???
I've still got Five Bucks on it being for some mid-60's Vette I know someone told me that at some point..... Hey.....Give Glen a call at CARS in NJ. Im sure he'll know or can find out. He's a Fan of '69s
Year One Handles My '68 door handles are from Year One. NOS GM, they came with my car when I bought it about 5 years ago. Y1 had them in their catalog back then, I don't know about now. I did re-use my buttons though - they are stainless capped and polish up pretty good.
Re: Year One Handles John, are you sure they are "68" door handles? The other year door handles will fit. I don't recall Y1 having the 68-69 door handles as long as I can remember. I could be wrong though. One thing is for sure, I know according to their new catalog that they do not have them now. I called CARS as Alan suggested and talked to Dick because Glenn was in Hershey or something. Dick assumed all the A-Body handles are the same. It's amazing how little is known about this. I called the "other" CARS in Michigan, the Chevy place, that guy thought the same thing Dick did, that all the A-Body handles would be the same, I had to inform him otherwise as well. I was holding for someone at Y1 but I couldn't wait any longer and had to hang up. I need to check with them to see if they can cross reference any of their Chevy handles to this car. The main problem is, the GM part numbers seem to be useless to these vendors. They only go by their own part numbers. Maybe someone at year one will be able to cross ref. the GM numbers and see if they sell it for Chevy, that is if they have the GM numbers handy. We'll see.
While we are on it '69 doors..... Hi, This may have been covered on another thread, but while we are on the subject I will ask anyway. Ok, so my drivers '69 GS drivers door has a pretty good dent. Fenders are beat on also. Some fellow in the local paper is advertising a '69 parts car. I call him up and he asks; What have you got? I tell him and his reply is "Gooood!, you need these doors!, B'cus '68 doors are different....and so are those fenders!". That sorta stunned me. At that point I knew as much as my wife about car parts. Now I have never swapped them, and am a bit puzzled? Are '69's doors and fenders specific? Thanks for the help. Tom
'68 and '69 doors are different. '68 doors have the vent window and the '69 doors do not. The fenders are the same, you may just have to fill some of the holes where the molding bolted on. Can the window vent frames be taken off of '68 doors and used on '69's?o No:
Re: rechrome Rusty, I guess I could, it's just that I don't know how good they would come out because of the pitting and stuff, but yes, it is definitely an alternative. I'm still interested to know about this Chevy cross reference though that Mike Trom was talking about. It's very interesting. Also, on the 68 fenders, from what I know, they are the same as 69. It is amazing, however, how many differences there are between 68 and 69. Even the damn headlight bezels are different! None of the dash components are correctly interchangeable, doors are different (vent windows), quarters are different (round marker lens), rear bumper is different (no rectangular courtesy lamp cutout).....the list goes on and on. Too bad they couldn't have just left the damn bumpers the same. It would have doubled my chances of landing a real nice original. Well, at least the freakin tail light lenses are the same!
UPDATE!! I just ordered them from Year One! They actually had them on the shelf!! I spoke to Matt, he said the 68-69 door handles cross reference to 66-67 Chevelle and LeMans, Tempest, GTO. Y1 part number OH4155. He said vendor usually promises 12 week delivery! ou: But he had a pair on the shelf, $66 including gaskets. Man, I hope they actually are the right ones man. Just thought you guys could use this info. He said they are on page 143 of the catalog, I'm assuming a newer catalog.
good deal Hi Ken,Wow same as 66 Chevelle so thier readily availible and at a decent price;it would probably cost more than $66.00 to rechrome your old ones.Glad it worked out for you!By the way how close are you getting to finishing that car?
Re: good deal Only a bit closer than the last time you asked Rusty. ou: My friends are all saying that maybe it'll be a good retirement present to myself. I've only just turned 40. :eek2: Got the brakes working. All new front lines thanks to a club member who sent me the drum inlet lines that I couldn't find. The name escapes me but I owe him nonetheless. Got the TH400 cleaned up, painted and put a B&M Shift improver kit in it. Picked up a 72 455 motor that I'm gonna have rebuilt, etc etc. Will it ever be finished? I also still have paint and body issues to resolve with the "gentleman" that performed it. I guess 12k for body and paint work wasn't enough to guarantee I wouldn't have fish eye, bubbles and runs. :af: Other than that everything's cool, hope it will be done soon. I think we're gonna move to Maine, and I don't know any members up there or good engine guys. At least not in Bar Harbor. o No:
The wrong handles :af: Well, I received the door handles today. Only one problem. They are not the same as the 68-69. I knew it was too good to be true. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The amount of vendors out there that know Buicks, I mean, really know them, I could count on one hand, with no fingers! It's amazing. In any case, they are still nice. I think they are the 70-72 type, even though the guy said they were for 68-69. They are obviously mistaken. The mounting points are exactly the same, but the 69 handle comes out further from the car than the 70-72. They'll work, they're just not right. Nobody will know but me and an anal 69 owner. Since there are barely any 69 owners around here, no less anal ones, I don't think I need to hop on the correctness train just yet. I can always get mine rechromed if I have to. In the meantime, these look real nice. I still plan to call Y1 back and tell them that they are the wrong door handles though.
