Expert: Skip Bollinger - 1/29/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hey Skip, I'm looking for the inside barn door handle for opening the left door.I found one at LMC truck but I don't like their parts.Buy american for american! I have a 1950 pickup and some of the stuff I got from them is real junk! Thanks Rich

ANSWER: Rich,
  I can't believe you actually sent me a "parts" question. Usually I get, "ho do i replace the feul pump on my toyota". Improper punctuation, spelling and incomplete sentences... No Year, Make or Model. Thank you!!
  Now to your question.. Can you give me the OEM part number off your old handle? It will be cast into the "inside" of the handle. It should be 7-8 numbers long. It should be something like "1402586". That is just an example of a G.M. number. Your number may be way different but like I said, it should be 7-8 digits long.
  I may be able to find you a Taiwan knock off but would like to find you an OEM part. IF you don't like LMC (they are just down the road from me), you won't like an aftermarket part either.
  I could call my local G.M. Dealer to get the part number but if you can supply it, it may save you a few bucks. Is the handle no longer available from G.M.?
  Just keep in touch and we will get that back barn door swinging again..
Skip

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey Skip,Somebody put a wire terminal on the rod coming from the top latch so they could use the eyelet to bolt it to the lever!Couldn't spend the 25 cents on a plastic clip!Well that wasn't the problem.Since it was on an angle it snapped the stud so I drilled it out,put a new bolt in it with a ny-lock nut and rebent the rod to put new clips on it.A little oil and it works great.The GM dealer around me probably wouldn't know what I was talking about! Thanks again,Rich

Answer
Rich,
  I found a new handle today but am happy you got yours figured out. You know, American ingenuity (how in the heck do you spell that word???!!!)is what has kept this country around for over 200 years and won a couple of wars for us.
  Just as an example, WD40. Do you know where it came from? From what I understand, it was done in a Mom %26 Pop garage developed during WWII to protect metal and lubricate. Do you know what WD40 stands for? It stands for Water Displacement and the 40 signifies the 40th try to find the chemical that would do the job. It has been used by the U.S. Military and even NASA. It is mostly fish oil.
  So remember, see a problem, figure it out. You don't have to have an engineering degree. Most of the engineers I speak with should have never left their train!!
  Keep warm and keep in touch..
Skip
CarPartMan@aol.com