Door Handle Rivets - Aluminum or Steel?

[Fast Eddie]

There's no 1983-2011 Ranger section for 2WD so I came here.

Finally bitten by the broken door handle. Watched videos on how to replace it and videos on how to remove rivets. Some say punch then drill, others say drill baby drill. My decision will rest on Steel vs. Aluminum. Does any one know if they were steel or alum in 2004?

 

[G8orFord]

Pretty sure my '01 had aluminum, but can't be positive. 3/16" aluminum went back though.

 

[RobbieD]

Don't remember on my '84, but they were tough little bastards. I carefully used a die grinder and cutting disc inside the door to grind them down enough to pop out.

To reinstall, I used stovebolts on mine, after squaring out the handle holes with jeweler's files. Still secure, but a lot easier to R&R in the future.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

The rivets for the extended cab door handle on my 00 are aluminum if that helps…

 

[Uncle Gump]

I moved this to the body glass exterior forum.

The 2WD build threads are in the Mini Truck forum.

 

[Fast Eddie]

Thank you @G8orFord , @RobbieD and @lil_Blue_Ford for your help. Apology for getting back to this sooner. I dove in with both feet in this morning. The pins, in my case were definitely steel - surrounded by an aluminum head. How does that work? You're not supposed to mix dissimilar metals?

Anyway I broke the old door handle off and that left the backing plate and the rivets completely exposed. Then used a titanium drill bit to follow the pin around and remove the aluminum head until it reached the backing plate, to a point, when enough material was removed I could break off the remaining with a screw driver and retrieve the remnants in the door panel. Thanks @RobbieD. I think I'll lift a page from your fix and do the same.

In my wrangling to get the old handle out, I wrenched the linkage and broke the linkage clip, so that's on it's wat now too. $1 part cost me $7 to ship. Goes with the territory I guess.

Thanks again. If anyone else runs into this, may be this thread will help them.

 

[Fast Eddie]

I moved this to the body glass exterior forum.

The 2WD build threads are in the Mini Truck forum.

Than you. But is a 2wd Ranger a Minitruck? That'll help me going forward.

 

[Uncle Gump]

That's the way Jim set it up.

2WD = mini truck

4WD = off road truck

Those two forums... mini truck and off road are really for build threads and not just general questions. All questions go into any of the help forums.

 

[Fast Eddie]

That's the way Jim set it up.

2WD = mini truck

4WD = off road truck

Those two forums... mini truck and off road are really for build threads and not just general questions. All questions go into any of the help forums.

Thank you.

 

[pjtoledo]

removing rivets 101

punch out the pin
drill using a bit slightly larger than the initial hole, about 1/2 the head width.
when the head starts spinning tilt the drill an inch or 2
the drill bit will still spin the head but it will chew thru the head on one side
head pops off in a few seconds

 

[pjtoledo]

Thank you @G8orFord , @RobbieD and @lil_Blue_Ford for your help. Apology for getting back to this sooner. I dove in with both feet in this morning. The pins, in my case were definitely steel - surrounded by an aluminum head. How does that work? You're not supposed to mix dissimilar metals?

Anyway I broke the old door handle off and that left the backing plate and the rivets completely exposed. Then used a titanium drill bit to follow the pin around and remove the aluminum head until it reached the backing plate, to a point, when enough material was removed I could break off the remaining with a screw driver and retrieve the remnants in the door panel. Thanks @RobbieD. I think I'll lift a page from your fix and do the same.

In my wrangling to get the old handle out, I wrenched the linkage and broke the linkage clip, so that's on it's wat now too. $1 part cost me $7 to ship. Goes with the territory I guess.

Thanks again. If anyone else runs into this, may be this thread will help them.

steel pins with aluminum heads are how many rivets are manufactured, works great.

 

[James Morse]

Yep that's how you get rivets out, ran into this when replacing grommets for rear doors on the Mazda (wish '97 had them, but alas).
What happens with those is the plastic grommets wear/break then the sheathing for the latch cables comes through the door, but you can get nice aluminum replacements that will never wear out.
Not the same issue exactly but same process for removing the old rivets.
I think my driver side door handle is kind of floppy I think it might be partly broken, works fine, but I'll probably be looking at replacement, if it is in fact partly shot, this would be the time to do it vs when it completely lets go.
Maybe it's nothing but it just seems a bit floppy on one side of the handle.

 

[Fast Eddie]

removing rivets 101

punch out the pin
drill using a bit slightly larger than the initial hole, about 1/2 the head width.
when the head starts spinning tilt the drill an inch or 2
the drill bit will still spin the head but it will chew thru the head on one side
head pops off in a few seconds

I was afraid the banging might dent the door skin. There's not a lot of meat there?

 

[James Morse]

where's the banging? use a pin punch and tap the center pin out that's all. it'll fall down inside the door, I suspect.
it shouldn't take much force that pin is just the remnant of installing the rivet and it keeps it from being an empty hole there. unless it falls out by itself.

 

[pjtoledo]

center pins are not always cooperative, especially in unsupported sheet metal.
a little finesse can be a big help. just don't hold your pinkie out too far when wielding a hammer.