What years had the handle down low?

[4eyedgirlsdoitbetter]

Does anyone know what year or years had the inner door release handle down low?
With the 2002 dash I put in my 86, I must move the handle lower because the dash hits the handle up top.
I'd like to find some door panels from a car that was in the lower position.

[FM2NOTCH]

all 79's and I heard early 80 had the lower door pull location

[IDMooseMan]

I didn't know that some early-80 models had the lower door handle position, but my 1979 has them. I thought the lower door handle was a 1979-only type of thing.

[TopGear85]

That lower handle is awesome. When you have friends in the car, they can't figure out how to get out. I wish Ford would have kept that longer, but my guess is I wouldn't like it as much if it wasn't a 1 year (or early 2 year) option.

[FM2NOTCH]

just call it 79 for the lower handle position.

[wraithracing]

All 79 models had the low mount interior door handle. The early models in 1980 also had the low mount handle, but the handle was moved up to the high position at some point before mid year in the 1980 model run. I don't have a specific date to help with the cut off, but some 80's do have the low mount.

Trey

[wraithracing]

That lower handle is awesome. When you have friends in the car, they can't figure out how to get out. I wish Ford would have kept that longer, but my guess is I wouldn't like it as much if it wasn't a 1 year (or early 2 year) option.

The lower mount looks cool, but in everyday driving, it's a bit more of a PITA IMHO.

I have considered making the change in my PC, but not worth all the headaches for as little as I get to drive it.

Trey

[FM2NOTCH]

When you have people in the car, they can't figure out how to get out.

they could be referred to as Ted Bundy style handles, you heard it here first, LOL

[Travis T]

Early 79s were only punched low. Later 79s and sometime into the 80 model year, doors were punched high and low. From what I have seen, the low handle holes disappeared in 81.

[Travis T]

Above I was referring to the door itself, not the interior panels. The door at some point, I think 81, has a huge hole where the handle cutout would have gone.

[mustangxtreme]

they could be referred to as Ted Bundy style handles, you heard it here first, LOL

And I was just going to call them date handles.

[FM2NOTCH]

LOL,

FEP member 91svtcoupe put the 79 style on his 81 T top coupe so he could use some nice black 79 door panels, he has a build thread on here that may show how he did it.

[86caprirs]

My 81 doors have the lower handle hole location as well as the upper.

[FM2NOTCH]

My 81 doors have the lower handle hole location as well as the upper.

where are the actual handles with the 81 door panel installed, I'm guessing up high?

[wraithracing]

My 81 doors have the lower handle hole location as well as the upper.

When Ford made the switch from the low to high location, they made a new inner door shell stamping that had both locations. This allowed the same door shell to be used for all the 79 - current production models. Ford then later changed the door shell inner stamping again and did not include both handle locations. I am not 100% sure, but I believe it was either during the 82 or 83 production.

My 79 PC has a replacement door on the driver side and I too have both door handle locations in the door stamping, which tells me that the door was replaced early in the car's life. Especially since door was a replacement door and not a a used one.

Trey

[ZephyrEFI]

When I had my '79, the low door handles felt very natural. The higher location seemed like more of a reach when I first got my '89.

[wraithracing]

When I had my '79, the low door handles felt very natural. The higher location seemed like more of a reach when I first got my '89.

For me it's just the opposite.

Trey

[Saturn V]

IIRC the door lock was also just below the armrest on 79's. I sold my 79 Capri 20 years ago, but the other day caught myself reaching below the armrest to lock the door in my 84.


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[SVT Rob]

The door lock is actually a part of the armrest, it runs through the center of it. I like the lower handles, but with a cage in the car, you won't be able to open the door

[SVT Rob]

Also, I'm not sure when the cut-off was in the fairmont/zephyr world, but I've seen 78's with the low handle.

[Gonnagofast]

I always thought it was 79 but, I think I have one door that is a 80 or 81 with a lower handle. I would have to check to be sure. It's nice to know some off the things I've read in this thread though. I want new panels. If I can buy a 81 with cutouts in the bottom, I would love it.

[wraithracing]

I always thought it was 79 but, I think I have one door that is a 80 or 81 with a lower handle. I would have to check to be sure. It's nice to know some off the things I've read in this thread though. I want new panels. If I can buy a 81 with cutouts in the bottom, I would love it.

If you look at the 1980 model brochure in the Library you will see that the door handle is up high. I believe the change was in affect for the 80 model run, but the early cars used up any left over stock of the low mount door panels, etc. Early in the 80 model run all the Mustang/Capri models had the door handle in the upper position. If you were to find an 81 model with the low mount handles, then someone either swapped doors or modified the originals to place the handle down low.

Also keep in mind that the 1979/80 models used the hard molded plastic door panels. The 81 model introduced the vinyl wrapped cardboard style that continued in the same basic style until 1986 and then changed pattern in 87 and continued until the 93 model.

Trey

[emartin1071]

I think it was only 79. I had a 79 capri as my first car. Like other people said it was funny watching people try to figure out how to open the door. I can remember getting 2 door panels and a dash pad from the junkyard in 89' all for $30 (original panels looked like someone left a rabid cat loose in the car) had to love that red interior.

[CoyoteRI]

79 only. In 80 they switched to the top.

Sean


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