TRIPLE BYPASS SPECIAL
November 11, 2024
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THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
628HP LS7X BUILD
Some of the greatest feelings in life come with a rise in rpm, a dropped clutch and tests of traction stretching the boundaries of our physiology. These are the emotions many of us cherish, and while many factors can evoke such emotions, the single most influential force behind these kinetic kicks is torque (which is then equated into horsepower).
NORTHSTAR GOES NOVA
Maurice and Lynne Hoover were already the veterans of two wild project car builds—a ’67 El Camino and a ’67 Camaro—when Maurice decided he wanted to build yet another. He says, though, that when he brought up the subject of another project, his wife, Lynne, was not particularly pleased. Maurice went ahead and brought home a ’67 Nova anyway. While in some situations such a move could have worked out for the worse, before long Lynne came to like the car, and the two dove into the project.
Project ’47: Part Two
The Blueprint 383 provides the Advanced Design pickup with nearly 400 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque, which is plenty of power for cruising, especially the fair- grounds. During the engine build, Blueprint Engines took the time to photograph the machining process, as the company completely refurbished the Chevy four-bolt main block, machined and assembled it into a brand new horsepower monster.
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GET IT HANDLED
How to Install ’69 Pontiac Grand Prix Door Handles in a ’56 Ford F-100
Author
Warren Boughn
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Before the advent of the “smoothie look,” people were slicking down the lines of their cars and trucks in numerous ways, and shaving door handles was one of the more popular mods. Today the trend is to fit later-model door handles rather than no door handles at all. This still provides a simple way to clean up your vehicle with very little effort, yet retains the convenience of manually opening the door. If you have the patience, talent and imagination, you can borrow the parts from a donor car or truck and fit them to your own project, thereby achieving a cool, smooth look that will be unique to your vehicle.
Not all people like to worry about electrical entry system malfunctions or dead batteries, forcing one to resort to a hidden mechanical release to get into a parked vehicle. Many would rather retain the 100-percent mechanical advantage, thus providing a certain peace of mind.
We’ve come across a nice door handle modification, which includes the installation of 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix outside door handles on ’53-’56 Ford F-100s. The installation is a straightforward, clean and simple swap. You retain the outside door locks and inside door handles, as they do not interfere with the new Grand Prix handles. How cool is that?
The only thing you need to modify is the door strikers, which is very minor, and you’ll have to fill in the old door handle holes. Follow along as we watch the folks at Precision Street Rods & Machines show us how it was done in the good old days. The process takes less than a day to perform, minus the paintwork, of course, making this a modification that almost anyone can do.
Here’s a look at the stock F-100 door handle and lock. As you can clearly see, the handle protrudes from the door quite a bit.
First we removed the outside door handles. There are two mounting points that secure each handle to the door, one inside the door and the other at the door’s edge by the rubber seal.
With the handle gone, we can see the latch assembly and how it functions. This is the linkage arm that the door handle plunger pushes against to open the door. The Pontiac door handle works on the same principle. That’s what makes it a logical choice.
Here’s a look at the ’69 Pontiac Grand Prix door handle we’re going to be installing.
Before we install the new door handles, we’re going to fill in the old handle holes. This process starts by grinding the metal surfaces clean.
We made a filler plug for the larger door handle hole. A magnet was used to temporarily hold it in place while we tack welded the plug to the door.
The magnet was removed and the welding began. We cooled the welds with water to cut down on the warping.
The welds were then ground smooth.
These are the door handle mounting buckets. The top bucket is what they looked like before we modified them to fit the F-100 doors. Basically the angle was removed from the one end and made straight.
This is how the door handle and bucket join together. There is a lip on the outside handle to prevent it from falling through the door. This sandwiches the door when the bucket is installed from the rear with two 1/4-inch bolts.
The door handle location was marked on the door with masking tape. The door handle opening measures
3/4-inch high by 8-1/2 inches long. We came in 1-5/8 inches from the door’s edge and again at 10-1/8 inches for our vertical cut lines. We measured up from the top of the key lock hole 3-5/8 inches and again at 4-3/8 inches for our horizontal cut lines.
We drilled a 1/2-inch hole at either end of the door handle template so our pneumatic saw blade had a starting and a stopping point.
Here’s a look at the door handles in the open and closed positions. Note how the plunger works on the top one that’s in the open position.
The Grand Prix door is thinner than the F-100 door is. Therefore, we needed to space the plunger outward accordingly. We did this by tack welding a small piece of metal to the latch arm.
Now it’s time to install the new door handles. Don’t you think the Grand Prix door handles give the door a more sleek and graceful look?
ARTICLE SOURCES
Precision Street Rods & Machines
19158 Roscoe Blvd.
Northridge, CA 91324
818/886-5018
