As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
Well, a 1997 GMC Sierra is a good pickup, except for that inner door handles which are the reason Southerners crawl out their windows.
3 years ago I got the passenger door replaced as that was considered the fix, until last year when the door stopped opening again. At 150 bucks a door that sucks shit, along with the end gate will not open, which is another old pick up flaw, the brakes, the .....I forget, but the thing is as you rich people ride around in luxury, that is the shit I get in being the person who knows more than you do with your heads up your Good Samaritan asses.
So both doors went out, and as I am not crawling out windows, and dropping the window to get out of the pick up got old after the first day, I decided to go to the library, as I do not have high speed internet and watch "how to repair a GMC, Chevy" doors as there were like 3 videos on the site, and it took 3 rednecks to show me how to do it right by combining them all.
The simple answer is, there are plastic nails that hold the door on, along with two screws in the door close handle, one little plastic piece on top for cosmetics, and then the cosmetics by the door.
I created a rough image of what needs to come off, in the red parts.
You will find out that mechanics have taken your shit off before, and the plastic nails will be not all there, and plastic parts will have been broken off. I broke one tab on the door handle cover, so it now goes on easier, but just know that mechanics bust old plastic shit all the time and you never know it.
So the tools you need are:
A flat pry bar
A standard screwdriver
A philips screwdriver
A pliers
An electric drill and bit
The pry bar is my idea, as the rednecks were just prying with screwdrivers which does not help.
So I stated with the top cosmetic piece which just has one plastic nail in the middle.
Move onto the door cosmetic cover. There are flat tabs on the top, back side and bottom. The screwdriver works here in start on the bottom and then side, and top, and it should pop without breaking tabs......but then I broke one off, and my other side that a mechanic had off, had two broke off.........so it happens.
Then you do not take the big felt panel off as I did, but I just nailed it back on with a hammer. Yes I made a mistake from memory.
Next you slide the flat bar under the bottom of the door and pop the plastic nails loose. I used the screwdriver to hold it out a bit and moved around to the outside, then the indside. Once loose, you just lift it up with some persuasion in rocking it and out it comes.
The online rednecks in some left the door panel hang, and some took the electronics off. Me I got a mineral lick tub and let the door panel balance on that, so I did not have to unplug the electric door, mirror locks
.There is a small rivet which holds the door handle on. You have to drill this off, and then tap or pull the rivet out. That is about the hardest part of this.
The door handle has latches on it, and you slide it back.
The rednecks had a problem with the replacement handle removal, but all I did was use a regular pliers, instead of needle nose things, and you will pop the connecting rods, first the door lock and then the door latch, and it goes easy.
OK, on the door handle is a plastic dust screen. Remove that without tearing and put that on your replacement handle.
Now you just use your plier to click the lock rod and then the latch rod into the handle. Place it into the slots, slide it forward, and then you will need a rather large metal screw, to hold this in place, as the rivet is gone. The screw will be about 1 inch long and a quarter of an inch in diameter.
Now it is just testing it to see if it opens and closes, and you assemble it backwards with the panel, and then the two cosmetic pieces.
It took me about 30 minutes to do the first passenger door in learning, and making a mistake. The driver door took about 15 minutes in taking my time, so it is not a big project that would have cost me 300 bucks which I did not have to spend like most rednecks.
Total was 36 bucks at the local auto store. Online they were selling the handles for 13 to 15 dollars, and I purchased the plastic tabs to try and fix the end gate too, but that is future tense.
It was still 36 bucks I could not afford, and the reality is if GMC had built this as it should have been, I would not be fixing........and I am betting the replacement is goddamn chinaman shit, so that is why it broke again as what breaks is the cast metal on the plastic handle.
It can be done though and has to be done in projects I can not afford, where I have to do public assistance at the library and then watch Youtube how to repair things. It is necessity and is the reality now, and why I really get pissed off at the Homo Hannity rich as they are tightwads who pretend they are generous in their hundred dollar tips, but goddamn it, this ain't Vietnam, this is the Trump economy off the Obama super depression and shit costs in the United States. The rich might have known what the fuck it was like being poor without Mexicans taking my heritage 30 years ago, but shit was easy then compared to now. Homo Hannity rich should try it for a few years on 100 dollars and see how things work out, as they work even more than they are now in having to do the job.
Anyway, by God's Grace I got it fixed in more bills. I think them handles have been replaced 3 times each. What a crock of shit that is.
Nuff Said
agtG
