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1942-47 Trunk handle.

Started by Barry M Wheeler #2189, September 26, 2009, 05:42:32 PM

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Barry M Wheeler #2189

Was in an old time junk yard today, and looked at a 1947 Buick Super. Lo and behold, the trunk handle was the same as the one on 1942-47 Cadillac 62 and 60S cars. Much easier to find and probably cheaper than ones from a Cadillac only source. Hope this helps you guys with those cars. I don't know why I never noticed this before, especially while I had a 1947 60S, and 40's Buicks were all over the place in local yards.
Barry M. Wheeler #2189


1981 Cadillac Seville
1991 Cadillac Seville

Dave Shepherd

Good info, looking for one for a 47-62 in my shop, thanks.

Bill Ingler #7799

Barry & Dave: As you both, as well as other owners of 42-47 Cadillac 62/60 Series, know that the weak point of this trunk handle is the slippage of the handle around the lock shaft. As I understand in making the handle, they cast the pot metal trunk handle housing in a mold around the hollow steal lock shaft.  No means of holding the two pieces together other than the finished casting of pot metal around the shaft. After years of opening and closing the trunk, the pot metal handle can slowly start to turn around the lock shaft. When this happens it is not too long until the handle just slips and the trunk will not open. I had this happen with a full trunk of luggage. I got it open but that is another story. There is a way of fixing the handle. I received a detailed drawing on the repairs necessary from someone in this club several years ago.I can`t remember who sent me the copy. I have not used the drawing for a fix but it looks like a good fix to this problem. If anyone would like a copy please email me direct. Will the real author of how to fix a Cadillac trunk handle please stand up and take a bow.     

Anthony P. Amman #15293

I have two spare handles; on one the shaft moves slightly and would need repairing and the other is solid with no spinning whatsoever.  Both need replating and new keys. If you need one, email me. I lucked out and bought a mint NOS handle from a vendor at one of our local car shows and only paid $15.00 for it.   
Vintage Auto Parts, Inc. located in Woodinville, Washington used to sell NOS handles also.  I don't know if they still exist, but they were a gold mine of parts.

Anthony

Terry Wenger CLC #1800

Gentlemen:

I don'y know who sent Bill a fix for the "spinning" handles, but I have a fix that I have used many times. I wrote a short article with a drawing and sent it to Steve Stewart. Look for it in a future Self-Starter.

Terry Wenger

Dave T

Terry I noticed that that you did an article in the Self Starter  about  the 1946 Cadillac trunk handle repair Could you please let me know in which mo. the article is in?
       thanks Dave T 22554
Dave Treuhaft
CLC # 22554

Nasser Almasary

  I would like to add my two cents here, I agree with the trunk handle problem and the situation is aggravated by the lack of access once the handle fails.  Another issue in this area is that the latch mechanism lock up sometime and wont release, thus operators fight against the handle and eventually dislodging the shaft's grip from the diecast causing the spin off syndrome. In my 1947 convertible I created a hatch door in the trunk floor just behind the gas tank so I can access the latch mechanism and undo them. This door can not be seen as it is covered with the carpet material and I could have fitted a kind of a lock for this hatch door but I elected not to.
  On the interchangeability between the Buick handle and the Cadillac handle, they don't interchange as the Buick's shaft is a bout an inch longer than the Cadillac's even though the two are identical appearance wise, I learned this the hard way. Best regards.
Nasser,
1939 60 special
1947 convertible
1972 Eldorado convertible