The International Cessna^® 170 Association

Bela, let me know when you plan on heading down, maybe we can meet up. I live in Kelso and need a door handle too.

Joe Moilanen

OK, I'll PM ya when I think the mission will be a go.

This coming Saturday might work weather-wise.

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Chevs of the 1940's in Washougal, Washington State isn't open on
Saturday or Sunday (good thing I called them today!). I'll have to
pick a week-day when the weather doesn't stink and sneak out of the office. They are open Monday - Friday until 5:00pm.

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Finally got around to trying the 1948 Chev pickup
handles on the splined shafts of my '54.

Just like I thought... No cigar....

The receiving (female) spline is way too deep down
into the handle, and it's also too large in diameter.

Myth busting confirmed.

Next up for testing: A 1937-? Chev car door handle.

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Guys, the notes I took a few years back said that the handle I matched at The Ole Chevy store in Kannapolis, NC were from the 1940 to 1948 Chevy passenger car. They were in the original boxes, but were NOT GM factory parts - they were aftermarket door handles that were copies of the originals, manufactured in the 1950s. So the part numbers wouldn't mean anything. They fit perfectly.

I compared one of my old handles to the picture on the web site Bela linked, and it is exactly the same size and shape... part number 4102254 40-48. I'll wager that's the one that Cessna used. Bela, I'd order that one next.

Russ Farris

Cool, thanks.

Since it will be a fun trip, I think I'll still go down there
in person and put my paws on the handle that matches
my (1) original handle I have (close as possible).

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Bela - what serial number is your airplane? According to my parts manual,
26039 and up used a different door handle. The splined shaft should be the same (same p.n. all years) but I guess the style is different. Russ Farris

russfarris wrote:Bela - what serial number is your airplane? According to my parts manual,
26039 and up used a different door handle. The splined shaft should be the same (same p.n. all years) but I guess the style is different. Russ Farris

I saw that in the parts book too. Mine is 26299. I agree the spline
will be the same (just for kicks, I tried my original 170 Cessna handle
on a 1953 C-180 in the hangar and it fit just fine).

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Bela,
When you make the trip south could you please ask if they have any escutcheons that would work. I don't really care if they don't match the originals - only that they don't look gaudy and they have a decent fit. I am missing one, and two non-originals would be better than one original. Thanks.

Bruce

p.s. Oh yea, the one I missing is a right hand excutcheon, not a left hand one

Will do. I'm in the same boat (I have one original
escutcheon and I'm missing one).

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Well, the weather Gods and my ability to sneak out of the
office have finally meshed, so I was able to fly down
to Camas, Washington State and pop over to Washougal
to visit the "Chevs of the 40s" folks in person.

1st some waxing poetic is in order...

What a fantastic day! Not 1 bump in 2.3+ hours of flight
(had to stop at Scapoose on the way home to drink some
of their $2.10 avgas). It was clear & a million to the south
(once I got out of the Crest Airprark area).

I landed at Camas and swung up / parked next to some
folks that had just piled out of an F-33 (or Debby, whatever).
After spilling the beans about my "mission", I asked them if there
was such a thing as an "airport car" at this here airport.
Answer was no, so after asking if I could get a taxi, a kind
soul offered to loan me his car to get to Washougal and
back (about a 12 mile round trip). Charles is his 1st name (can't
remember his last name, shame on me), but he was kind enough
to loan me his car to get to Washougal (Charles has a fantastic looking
210hp Continental powered Globe Swift by the way, Nagle Canopy +
all the cool mods). We've all been there of course, but it still warrants
comment; What a great feeling it was to run into complete strangers
at a distant airport, who will loan you (no questions asked), a $15K-$20K dollar vehicle without even knowing who the !@#$% you are!!!! I only
hope I can continue to return the favor to others.

So, onto some more good news:

There exists a vintage Chevy door handle that very closely matches
the original interior door handles on our 170s. Russ Farris was right,
and part number 4102254 is a dead-ringer, except for some very
slight differences in the "sculpting details" on what you might call
the "backbone" of the door handle. The overall length, fit, form,
function, etc. is identical. The spline, depth, recess, etc. is identical.

The folks at "Chevs of the 40s" were fantastic. They allowed as
how I wasn't the 1st "airplane guy" who was looking for interior
parts through them.

Again (this is for a '54 C-170B, my serial is 26299, and I understand
earlier serial numbers may have had a slightly different door handle),
but part # 4102254 is what you want. Suffice it to say, the spline
will be the same, and the handle will be "very close" to original
equipment (close enough so that any "Barney Fife" FAA dude would
never be able to tell the difference!).

The door handles are $20 each and the escutcheons are $9.00 each.
Speaking of which, I don't know if the "Chev" escutcheons will
fit/work.... I haven't tried them yet on my door panels yet so buyer
beware.

For what it's worth, they have (3) different escutcheons available
(they differ in trim color only):

4116127
4116600A
4146889

Unfortunately, I didn't' record which part #'s were which colors
(I picked "Ivory trimmed" escutcheons, which were the 4146689 part number).

Chevs of the 40s can be contacted via the following:

http://www.chevsofthe40s.com
Chev's of the 40's
2027 "B" Street
Washougal, WA 98671
1-800-999-CHEV (2438)
(outside of the US call 360 835-9799)

I told them there may be a few orders flowing in for 1940-48
Chev interior door handles as a result of my visit/purchase <grins>

Bela P. Havasreti
'54 C-170B N170BP

Bela,you should have negotiated a finder's fee arrangement with the Chev's of the 40's folks,for all the 170 Assn orders that they're gonna get. Thanks for all the legwork & the information.

Eric

Hey Bela,

Thanks for sharing the story! Back in 1990 I bought a 5th wheel RV and marveled at the great people I was able to meet at RV parks, etc. Some of those meetings created long lasting friendships and it would have been nearly impossible to have the oportunity to have met them without that RV. The people, memories, friendships, etc thru 1478D go way beyond the RV experience. The price of ownership has been repaid many many times over with the enjoyment. I don't believe that I could afford not to have the airplane for that very reason.

I just logged on to report I'd rec'd their PN4102254 handles (for 40-48 Chevy truck) which are a perfect fit, and found Bela's already reported on it. Thanks, Bela.
The escutcheon that is in my airplane appears identical to their PN4073966, chrome, priced at $7.75 each.
I'd recommend you purchase their tool for removing the half-moon clips which hold the handles on, unless you're handy with a small-bladed screwdriver. PN3703632C, $8.50 ea. (The tool is not needed to re-install, simply install the clip inside the handle and push the handle onto the splined shaft.)
Chev's of the 40's ph: 800-999-2438