Knuckle bashing when steering

ActionYobbo

ActionYobbo

Senior Member
So I finally got to drive (have a steer while getting towed) my 39 truck and I got my knuckles hit between the steering wheel and the door handle. Went to make a tight left turn and got a surprise to say the least. What gives? How do you guys deal with it? My steering wheel is close to the door but it’s the original wheel for the truck.
 
ActionYobbo said:
So I finally got to drive (have a steer while getting towed) my 39 truck and I got my knuckles hit between the steering wheel and the door handle. Went to make a tight left turn and got a surprise to say the least. What gives? How do you guys deal with it? My steering wheel is close to the door but it’s the original wheel for the truck.
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Do you have the handles orientated correctly?
I have attached a photo of the handles where the factory had placed them. It's a '40 depicted but I have to believe, '39 would have been similar.
 

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Thanks for the picture. No I have my handles pointing back. If I put them facing forward the handle falls down when I shut the door and the door locks.
 
It sounds like you need to fix one problem and that will in turn fix another.

It's also dangerous to have a door handle that pushes down to open. Ask the passenger that leant on the door handle when I went round a left hander in my 58 F100.
 
Pretty neat where the heater is located. Passenger warms up quickly. Wonder why heater wasn't position in the center of firewall? I remember when I was driving my 40 in 1970 during WI winters on the way to Minneapolis. It did keep me warm.
 
You need to look at the remote mechanism. You probably need to replace a small spring that acts as a detent on the shaft the handle attaches to.
 
ActionYobbo said:
How do I stop the door handle from locking the door? It only drops a small amount
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Something is worn out in the latch and / or the remote. Or something is broken. Or perhaps worn and broken.
Look for broken springs within the latch mechanism as well as the remote. Replace as necessary. Also check for worn spots. Usually these can be welded up and filed back.
 
19Fordy said:
Pretty neat where the heater is located. Passenger warms up quickly. Wonder why heater wasn't position in the center of firewall? I remember when I was driving my 40 in 1970 during WI winters on the way to Minneapolis. It did keep me warm.
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You have a keen eye for detail!

That is a true pickup truck heater. At first glance they appear to be the same as the passenger car version. They are not.
The biggest difference between the two are the locations of the nipples. I have seen many passenger car heaters hacked into trucks.
It took some searching to find the correct heater and even more to find the template to locate it correctly.
 
Thanks for the replies. I rebuilt both door latches but I only cleaned and lubed the remotes with out taking them apart. So I guess I have to pull it out and look at the detent
 
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