Door Pillar hand Hold Failure

[TRLRTRSH]

Yesterday while in Phoenix with the truck parked in the SUN, windshield cover on, and windows cracked for air circulation.



We were the store for about and hour, the wife opened the passenger side, grabbed the handle and using no more effort than usual tried to get in the truck. Needless to say she almost fell on her arse from the height of the seat.

A word of caution to folks who live in a hot climate, If you did not realize it these things are held on by TWO rather small bolts, through the plastic. I really don’t know what a guy could do to help prevent this other than leave the truck running with the air conditioning on, but then the enviro-wackos would have con-nip-tion fits, and your diesel bill would be enormous around here. :-laf

Anyway thought I would post these, hope the pictures turn out.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

Try again with pictures

Well, we'll try again. here goes

 

[abrankod]

This company seems to have a solution for you, albeit a bit pricey, but seems like it solves the issue once and for all...

Imco products grab handle repair


-Dan

 

[MickeyMiller]

I had the drivers side handle fail a couple years ago. I epoxy'd the broken mount tab back together with the addition of a heavy washer in the bottom of the mount tab. Hasn't broken again... yet.

 

[Jack in Alaska]

I broke my grab handle loose when in Casa Grande, Az. last year on a real hot day.

When I got home to Alaska, cool country, I ordered a new plastic piece. Before installing it I put an appropriate sized hose clamp around those round plastic cylinders down at the bolt hole end to help reinforce it. So far it works fine.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

Jack in Alaska, That sounds like a good fix for a design flaw IMHO We've already ordered a new A pillar handle from Dodge. I'll put a few hose clamps around the cylinders before installing the handle.

One would think Dodge would have taken heat into account when designing this thing.

We've lived in the heat for the past few years and did not expect this failure, but it can only be heat related. I have to wonder how many folks have been injured by fallling out of the truck?

 

[Edgemann55]

Imco kit is the way to go. My wife has fallen twice due to broken handles from being in the desert heat here. We tried a homebrew fix on the second set with washers and hose clamps but it still flexed when pulled on and broke again. Have had the Imco kit on now for more then a year and it really makes the handle stout-does not flex when pulled on. I know its pricey but it fits perfect and works and my passengers are safe from a suprise fall. It is a design flaw and my local dodge dealer has gotten me the new handles for no charge but have no answer for the cheap design!

 

[TRLRTRSH]

Edgemann, I'm sure the Imco kit works, but holy-smokes that sucker is expensive, guess I'll have to let the wife go up to Lost Wages and maybe she can win a pot or two In the mean time, I guess we'll just be a little more careful.

 

[CPittman]

Some guys are doing the washer in the bottom of the hole with epoxy deal AND epoxy a copper plumbing "sweat solder" coupling fitting to the outside of the plastic post...

 

[Edgemann55]

Edgemann, I'm sure the Imco kit works, but holy-smokes that sucker is expensive, guess I'll have to let the wife go up to Lost Wages and maybe she can win a pot or two In the mean time, I guess we'll just be a little more careful.

Yea but it is pretty cheap insurance if someone were to fall back to the ground and break there neck=My wife has put up with me for a long time so she was worth the price of the fix:-laf. remember that Hamburger Helper tastes just fine without hamburger

 

[CPittman]

The Imco kit is cheaper than trading for a 2WD truck...

 

[MProctor]

Instead of a washer, I used a short length of 1/2 inch round aluminum. Drilled thru center large enough for clearance on the 6mm bolt. Then epoxy the Al slugs in the A pillar bolt recesses. I also used hose clamps to hold the recess closed on the slugs till the epoxy hardened, then used longer bolts. This fix eliminated the side to side flex in the A trim, and has been holding for three years.

 

[seafish]

Instead of a washer, I used a short length of 1/2 inch round aluminum. Drilled thru center large enough for clearance on the 6mm bolt. Then epoxy the Al slugs in the A pillar bolt recesses. I also used hose clamps to hold the recess closed on the slugs till the epoxy hardened, then used longer bolts. This fix eliminated the side to side flex in the A trim, and has been holding for three years.

Great idea... Sounds like a decent, homemade, low cost fix!!



I bought the imco for both sides and then epoxied them in before anything broke, after I read about them breaking. . but your idea probably works just as well.

 

[TRLRTRSH]

thanks for the good ideas guys, I'll do the same when the new part gets here,

when its 115 outside I hate to think what the inside temp is

 

[CPittman]

My 2-cent solution: 1" copper pipe caps fit over the outside of the plastic bosses - epoxy or JB Weld them on and then drill through the end. They extend down the sides of the plastic about an inch. $1. 97 each at Lowes or somesuch.

 

[ENafziger]

I just recently installed the IMCO kit. It does sound a little pricey, but it's as cheap as a new handle. The kit includes 8 machined aluminum pieces... looking at it that way, it's less than $10 per piece. These aren't bulk produced, but rather done in a machine shop that happens to use Dodges as there shop trucks and found a fix.

That being said, I did have to modify mine a little to keep the pillar against the headliner.

--Eric

 

[DZink24]

mine broke today at 94 degrees outside #@$%!. it is not completely off, how do i continue to remove it without damaging the rest? do the 2 caps pop off? with a flat screwdriver or needle nose pliers so that i can get to the bolts?

 

[CRuth]

Yes, they just pop off.

 

[seafish]

I just used the IMCO kit today when I FINALLY installed my A-pillar handle with Westach Boost/EGT gauge. Even though the Pillar handle was not cracking or loose, I decided to install the IMCO parts as a preventative, as I had the handle off anyway. I am sure that they will work very well, because the four machined cups, completely enclose the inside and outside of the four plastic tabs that transfer the full force of your grab to the actual pillar. At first, I was going to epoxy the IMCO cups into place, but given their design and tolerances, I determined that there was NO need to do so. I did use a slightly longer metric bolt with a separate lock washer, because the oem bolt, with attached washer, would not fit into the IMCO inside cup, as the washer was too large for the cup.

I am VERY plesed with both the IMCO kit and the A-pillar handle with gauge installed!!!

 

[NavyDood]

My 2-cent solution: 1" copper pipe caps fit over the outside of the plastic bosses - epoxy or JB Weld them on and then drill through the end. They extend down the sides of the plastic about an inch. $1. 97 each at Lowes or somesuch.

This. Costs less than $5 and does the job quite well. A PVC connector, washer and JB weld would be just fine too. $70 for the Imco kit is rediculous for eight pieces. Might as well spend $95 and get the new grab handle along with the repair kit. They sell a billet aluminum oil fill cap for $20 which would easily take twice as long to produce than all eight pieces of of the grab handle repair kit.