My quarter light catch kept falling off the spindle. It all looked to be in good condition apart from the small locking pin was missing that holds it all together. I made do for a while (as you do) because it held in place ok when the window was locked shut but planned on one day finding a replacement pin.
One day the catch fell off while I was driving along and landed at my feet. I then heard a clanking sound under the van and realised that the centre button from the catch had rolled behind the accelerator pedal and dropped through the hole onto road and was lost forever! Time for a new one, methunk.

I've now bought a replacement catch and was reading past experiences on the forum saying what a big job it is to change the whole catch....: remove the quarter light, remove glass, rivet the new catch, faff around getting glass and seal back in place, use a jig, etc, etc.... This all sounds a bit too much for me. Plus, I'd like a quick solution before I take the bus over to Belgium next week for a small holiday (and a visit to Pukkelpop to see the Stone Roses).

So, hoping to avoid all the pain of taking the window apart, I know that the bracket and spindle section of the window catch is in working order and pretty solid. What I'd like to do is extract the locking pin from the new catch, take the new catch off the new spindle/bracket assembly and put it on the existing installed spindle, then replace the locking pin to hold it all in place.

Has anyone done this with any success? Can I reuse the locking pin? Or should I source/fabricate a new pin to hold the new catch onto the old spindle? Or would I be safer to put the job off until I've more time and strip the window down and replace the whole thing?

Any thoughts or advice greatly received

Mat

I have done it before with NOS black ones to take them apart for chroming as well as the repro ones that were available a few years back.

Both were done with ease you just needed a very small drift. It is bad practise but I think I used a small drill bit..

I would definitely keep the original spindle though abducting keep the old lever as a spare

I did it last week, though the repro handles aren't a direct swap. I had to clearance / modify a few bits to make it work, but fitted in the end.

Was there much modification needed? What we talking here... Too big for the spindle? Too small?

I've used the vice at work to press the pin out of the new catch and hope to install the new lever onto the old spindle tonight. Will I need a selection of hand files to get the bugger to fit? I suppose I could just use the central push-lock button and pin from the new catch and keep as much of the old catch as possible.

Thanks for the support,
Mat

New lever now fitted on old spindle. Sorted. Thanks guys

How did you do it, just out of interest?

Shalom, Lee