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Step 1:
This project specifically deals with the Grippin' Billet Handles. The process should be the same for all replacement handles.
First we will start by doing the rear doors. The rear doors are much easier and will help build some confidence before doing the front doors.
All 2002-2006 rear doors are essentially the same. The only difference is that earlier models had a door light marker. Later models just have a reflector.
Remove the screw under the handle, and then the one in the lower-right corner.
The door will slide up and then pull off. Slide the interior handle through and disconnect any wires.
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Step 2:
From here you have the exposed door. Peel back the plastic. The black rubbery goo can be a pain and a little messy but just go slow and be careful.
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Step 3:
If you look inside the door you will see the three nuts that hold the handle buckets on. There's one in the back, one on the bottom and one towards the front.
On the rear doors you can easily reach up with a 10mm socket or wrench and break the nuts loose. Once you get them started reach up and use your fingers finish
unscrewing them so you don't drop them in the door.
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Step 4:
The bucket will now come out from the door. Once it's out unclip the piece holding the long metal pin in the bucket.
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Step 5:
Find a comfortable place to sit because this next part is, IMHO, the hardest part of the whole project.
You have to remove the pin holding the handles on. The only way to do this is by destroying one end of it and then pulling the pin out. On the
rear doors I had luck with using some needle nose pliers and squeezing the end in and then pulling the pin out. Took some patience and some yelling,
and even some cursing, but it came out fairly easily.
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Step 6:
Next remove the black plastic clip around the handle. That will give you enough wiggle room to remove the handle from the lever.
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Step 7:
Transfer the little rubber padding and the black plastic clip from the old handle to the new one. They go on a specific direction so pay attention
to the way you take them off.
Slide the new handle in and through the lever and then clip the black plastic clip back into place.
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Step 8:
Your screws may vary, but slide the new screw into place and now your handle is ready to be put back on the door.
Just put it back in place and do just the opposite of what you did to get it off.
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Step 9:
Now we will move onto the front doors. These are a lot harder and there are some differences between the model years.
Start with the triangle plastic piece near the mirror. Start at the top and pull straight out from the door. There are two clips that will come out as you pull.
Once they're out slide it up and it will come off.
Then remove the door lock. It only comes out one way. Start towards the back of the door and pry it loose, just like in the picture. (2002 owners can skip this step)
At the back of the door about half way down there will be a little plastic cover that will be hiding a screw. Pry the cover off and then unscrew the screw.
(2002 owners can skip this step)
At about the same height, but at the front of the door is a plastic pin. Carefully pry it loose and pull it out. (2002 owners can skip this step)
Behind the door lock will be your next screw, unscrew it and put it off to the side. This screw will be in a different location if you have a 2002. 2002 owners
will have to look behind the door switch control panel. Pry it up and off and you will find your screw behind there.
The last screw is under the door handle. This is the same for all model years.
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Step 10:
With the door exposed, peel back the plastic. You may either have black goo holding it on, or on my 2005 it looked like the plastic had been ironed on.
Either way it'll peel off and give you access into the door.
When I removed my door panels on my 2005, the metal pin for the door lock popped out of its track. This is a good time to check yours and pop it back in
if it jumped out.
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Step 11:
If you look at the end of your door, you will see a black rubbery cap. Push on it and the edges will pop up. You can then pry it off and it will give
you access to one of the nuts in the door bucket. Use a 10mm socket to remove this nut.
(Fourth picture down) You will find a hole in the door showing you the bottom nut on the door bucket. If your door does not have a door lock you will
be able to use a socket to go through this hole and remove the nut. If you have a door lock then the pin for the lock will be in the way.
For the bottom nut and the front nut I just reached up through the door and used a 10mm wrench to break them loose and then used my fingers to unscrew
and remove them.
The front screw is very difficult to see. On the fifth picture down there is a small gap that will let you see the nut. It's slightly helpful in letting
you get your wrench around it.
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Step 12:
If you have a door lock you will have two clips to undo. If you don't then you'll only have one. Undo them and your bucket will come off completely.
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Step 13:
Once again, the fun part is removing the pin that holds the handle on. On my truck, the pins for the front handles seemed shorter and I had a much harder
time removing them. I'm not entirely sure what the problem was but I had to put about twice the effort into getting them out than the back handle pins.
Once the pin is out, if you have a lock, you will have a plastic pin holding the lever on. Compress the end and then pull the pin out and the lever will
come off. Remove the old handle and don't forget to transfer the rubber padding from the old handle to the new.
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Step 14:
Reassemble the new handle and lever and make sure it all works.
From here you're ready to put everything back together. Just do it in the opposite order that you took it apart and it should all go together really easily.
With the two back doors done and the two front doors done, you'll be good to go!
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