Pontiac: 70-72 GP Door handle

Put your thinkin caps on kiddies as we step back into the way back
machine again.......

Did any other GM car have the door handle design as the 70-72 Grand
Prix?

Sorry, no photo to show you, but the door handle had a rectangular
button with ridges that stuck out of the door, actually it was part of
the door handle, which was recessed into the assembly. When you would
push on the button with your thumb the handle would swing out just
enough so you could curl your 4 fingers around the handle, then pull
outward on the handle to open the door.

Was it a good design or a bad design? I think it was only used from 1970
to 72.

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Harryface
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1991 Pontiac Bonneville LE, 3800 V6
_~_~_~_~274,504 miles_~_~_ ~_~_

Yeah, it was a good idea and I loved the handles on my '69 as long as I had
some spares from junkyard cars. They fit mostly flat against the sheet
metal and were bright chrome. The down side of the handle was that as the
handle swung out in the horizontal plane (it did not flip "up" like most
handles of today), it's backstop was the last 1/4 length of the handle assy
itself. What this meant was that the 1/4 length had to stop a 3/4 handle
length of torque or, better yet, moment (kinda like a 455 Poncho engine).
So that last 1/4 length would have a tremendous amount of force on it. Then,
after many pulls, the pot metal structure of the handle would crack and
eventually break off. The broken off piece would be loose in the door's
stamped handle hole. I would then be able pull that 1/4 length out, from
the outside without removing the interior door panel, and leave part of the
hole open and exposed. That would let rainwater in. That's why I kept
spares. Probably a lot more info on GP doors handle than you want but when
I think of the beauty and style of a '69 GP I kinda' get wound up. To me,
the 69/70 GP's were two in a very elite group of trend setting auto styling
designs. Oh, and no, the handles were unique to the GP and no other GM's; I
found that out at the time I had mine.

Dennis Smith wrote: