A TRICK! Broken Expedition rear lift gate handle

Mar 05, 2008 1 Replies

OK, so I broke that sucker right in half! And good ol' FORD...it wants $158 for a new one. First thing to know is...it's really easily to get out and off.



I took some plaster of paris and made a mold of the good half, then flipped it around and used the good half to make the other side of the casting as well. To halves equal one whole - right?



OK, then I layed some Glad wrap in the bottom. Next, I drill a couple of holes into the center of the old handle and stuck in a couple of 6 penny finish nails for support for the missing side. Finally I stuck the broken handle into the mold and raised it up abut an 1/8" above the bottom. And finally I filled the mold full of casting resin. And yes, you want to completely cover the back side as well. So I guess we should say - YOU IMMERSE THE HANDLE. LOL!



After 4 hours I pulled it out and started sanding. Aside from the painted "Dummy" signage on the original handle the new one looks jes' like the real thing....and I have no worries about it ever breaking... Total cost about $21.


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