Scored kodiak style door handles

[95bucket]

Pretty sure they're discontinued unfortunately...

Guess I'm going to be making the same trip twice fml. Serves me right for not having the foresight

 

[C30454]

I JUST put these handles on my '99 C3500 crew cab. I was able to find 4 NOS handles, but most of the linkage and one pawl I had to fabricate. I used arc welding rod that was the same diameter as the original rods. But it can be done.

I came up with the idea about a month ago while working on a customer's C3500HD truck. I THOUGHT I was going to be the first guy in the world with these handles on a GMT 400. Then when I was looking around for parts to do the job I stumbled on this site and found out that others had had the same idea. I had never seen it though.


Tom

 

[Z71Hobbs]

Guess I'm going to be making the same trip twice fml. Serves me right for not having the foresight

Welcome to my world!!

 

[Z71Hobbs]

I JUST put these handles on my '99 C3500 crew cab. I was able to find 4 NOS handles, but most of the linkage and one pawl I had to fabricate. I used arc welding rod that was the same diameter as the original rods. But it can be done.

I came up with the idea about a month ago while working on a customer's C3500HD truck. I THOUGHT I was going to be the first guy in the world with these handles on a GMT 400. Then when I was looking around for parts to do the job I stumbled on this site and found out that others had had the same idea. I had never seen it though.


Tom

I may try to fab up a set using regular linkage rods...but that will be a very rainy day.

 

[95bucket]

Welcome to my world!!

I shouldn't be too unhappy today because I also scored a pair of good fenders (Inners too), a perfect bumper, an untorn bench seat and nice doorcards all for under 200 bucks. But since those rods are like unicorns now, I'll have to go back. Unfortunately, they only take cash so trying to get the salvage yard to mail anything is likely not an option.

 

[95bucket]

I may try to fab up a set using regular linkage rods...but that will be a very rainy day.

Regarding the pawls (still not exactly sure what they are) - why do they require modification? I have keys for my handles. Is this still a concern for mine?

 

[Z71Hobbs]

The pawls are attached to the lock cylinders on the backside of the handle. They are the Z-shaped bracket. They are longer than the regular gmt400 handle pawls. They don't require modification.

If you want to use your existing lock cylinders, you will have to take off your old pawls, and swap your driver side lock cylinder to your passenger and vice versa, then re-install the pawls on the lock cylinders. This is because the locks turn the opposite direction for some reason. These pawls are held on by a snap clip...be careful pulling your old one off and don't lose it!

Sounds like you scored a good deal, but I would definitely go back for the rods. I drove an hour one way to get set. It was a shady situation well off the beaten path and out of cell range, and the guy wasnt there, but his drunk buddy was. And the truck's front end was suspended 8 feet in the air from when someone bought the front end for a mud truck. Then he couldn't operate the tow truck to get it to lower down, and then the windows were down....I still have nightmares about this transaction! I picked up a set of re produced handles and a new set of gm locks with keys from a guy on here who I think gave up trying to find the rods and pawls. I also picked up new plastic gm clips (there are two gm part numbers) from gm parts direct to have as spares, they are a little pricey for what they are. I've probably got 125 bucks in my set up and haven't mounted them yet!

 

[C30454]

Regarding the pawls (still not exactly sure what they are) - why do they require modification? I have keys for my handles. Is this still a concern for mine?

A pawl is the piece that secures to the rotating back end of the lock cylinder that hooks up to the lock linkage rod. They are different from the stock handle because the flush mount design of the original handle puts the lock cylinder further in the door cavity than the Kodiak handles in which the lock cylinder sits outside the door cavity. The pawl for the Kodiak handle is kind of like and extension that connects to the lock linkage, but is also needed to clear the body of the Kodiak handles. IMO, the word "pawl" doesn't accurately describe the part at all.

I could be wrong, but I don't think there are "right" and "left" lock cylinders. There ARE right and left pawls that are mirror images of each other.


Tom

 

[95bucket]

A pawl is the piece that secures to the rotating back end of the lock cylinder that hooks up to the lock linkage rod. They are different from the stock handle because the flush mount design of the original handle puts the lock cylinder further in the door cavity than the Kodiak handles in which the lock cylinder sits outside the door cavity. The pawl for the Kodiak handle is kind of like and extension that connects to the lock linkage, but is also needed to clear the body of the Kodiak handles. IMO, the word "pawl" doesn't accurately describe the part at all.

I could be wrong, but I don't think there are "right" and "left" lock cylinders. There ARE right and left pawls that are mirror images of each other.


Tom

Thx for trying clarify but I'm only 50% there. So without modification, assuming I had the correct rods etc, they would not work with my latches?

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[C30454]

Thx for trying clarify but I'm only 50% there. So without modification, assuming I had the correct rods etc, they would not work with my latches?

You must be registered for see images attach

In that picture you already have the necessary pawl. It is the straightened "Z" shaped piece attached to the lock cyl. with the white plastic rod retainer on the other end. So you just need the linkage rods, which can be fabricated relatively easily.


Tom