Kodiak door handles on…

[any4xx]

The brand new handles I am 99% sure are all made by Dorman. I would go out on a limb and say the ones from customobshandles are probably Dormans that he has painted.


Richard

The ones I received from the auction site vendor were from TRQ.

 

[someotherguy]

The ones I received from the auction site vendor were from TRQ.

Do you believe they're actually manufactured by TRQ or just distributed by? I can't tell if they're a manufacturer or just a "value-added reseller" (which is a term I haven't heard in decades btw)

Anyhow I haven't seen the Dormans in hand so I don't know if they have any distinguishing marks on the backside or anything. Sometimes their parts have a logo cast into them.

Richard

 

[Caman96]

even on trucks I've owned that had these handles from factory (3500HD's)

Wow, never knew they came as a factory option! Who made those?

 

[someotherguy]

Wow, never knew they came as a factory option! Who made those?

GM made 'em. You didn't catch that people calling them Kodiak handles are because they were used on the Chevy Kodiak/GMC Topkick trucks that were based on the GMT400 cab? That generation of Kodiak first hit the scene in 1990:

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They also came original on 3500HD's but not from the first couple years. 3500HD production began in 1991 but they didn't get the other door handles until 1994. I guess being used as hardcore work trucks they discovered the regular handles were getting broken too quickly so they adopted the Kodiak/Topkick handles a few years into the run.

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Richard

 

[Nad_Yvalhosert]

Coincidencally, here in New Yuck a '92 Busurban came to my shop for some repair and had a full set of 5, with non-matchimg key cylinders on front and rear!

 

[any4xx]

Do you believe they're actually manufactured by TRQ or just distributed by? I can't tell if they're a manufacturer or just a "value-added reseller" (which is a term I haven't heard in decades btw)

Anyhow I haven't seen the Dormans in hand so I don't know if they have any distinguishing marks on the backside or anything. Sometimes their parts have a logo cast into them.

Richard

Who knows. Not sure why it matters but I thought someone was asking whether they were Dorman. I’m betting that they all come from the same factory in China regardless of who’s box they land in.

 

[someotherguy]

About 10-15 years ago it was much more common to see stuff like this sitting out in the back at the wrecker shop, generally waiting to go to scrap because it was all used up and nobody wanted it, not even for parts. Can't remember if it was 366 or 454 but it was a TBI big block. If I'd had any faith at all the engine was usable I would've bought it for the engine and doors, then scrapped the rest. Moving around these medium duty parts trucks is a BIG pain, though. The old green crew cab yard wrecker I had at the time was barely able to move 3500HD parts trucks around without flexing the frame.

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Took that pic the same day I was out there scouting the gray '95 3500HD that I bought, man that really was an unexpectedly nice truck for a 200K mile ex-wrecker. Tight front end, new-ish tires, good interior, ran and drove great other than the radiator needed replacing due to the front end impact.

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Richard

 

[someotherguy]

Who knows. Not sure why it matters but I thought someone was asking whether they were Dorman. I’m betting that they all come from the same factory in China regardless of who’s box they land in.

I've found Dorman to make quite a few of their own products. I don't know if they make all their own stuff or repackage some of it. What I do know is with aftermarket parts, there can be multiple manufacturing sources and quality can vary greatly between them. A -few- of Dorman's items are OK, many are awful. If there was potentially another aftermarket manufacturer of those 3500HD handles, I'd be interested to know that, and potentially to compare the quality of those, Dorman, and original GM.

Richard

 

[any4xx]

I've found Dorman to make quite a few of their own products. I don't know if they make all their own stuff or repackage some of it. What I do know is with aftermarket parts, there can be multiple manufacturing sources and quality can vary greatly between them. A -few- of Dorman's items are OK, many are awful. If there was potentially another aftermarket manufacturer of those 3500HD handles, I'd be interested to know that, and potentially to compare the quality of those, Dorman, and original GM.

Richard

Back in the ‘70s I worked at an auto parts store. Dorman was really quality stuff at that time. I’ve got no personal experience to tell me that they are not still a quality producer, but I keep hearing about their quality lacking in current times. Sad, if true.

 

[Caman96]

If your name is Dor*man least you could do is make a decent door handle!