THE PORTAL HUB - Pinzgauers, Haflingers, Volvo 303s and more!

Arrgh. Pinz sat for over a week buried in the fresh snow, while we were home visiting the family in Ohio. Dug her out, got her started and went to open the passenger door. It was frozen shut, I tugged a bit. Tugged a bit too hard, I guess. SNAP... Handle snapped off right at the pin that goes into the door. Sure thought they were a bit more durable than that. Oh well. I'm going to try to have a buddy weld it up, it not I'll get a new one.

Just a warning for those in the icy parts of the world!

that is good to know as i have had to apply alot of force at times to get the doors open on mine. not sure what options are if you store it out side and it freezes. hair dryer would sure be a pain and time consuming....if it would work.

I seem to vaguely remember from a previous lifetime up in Chicago that there used to be some lock deicer on the market...back in the day. Wouldn't that work or would a graphite lube instead of grease or oil make the door handles easier to work in the frigid weather? Just supposin'.

Andy

'75 710M

The only problem is that the whole truck can be covered with a layer of ice, it is not always just an issue with the lock. It is very interesting trying to get into a vehicle that is laminated with a half inch of ice.

Even though we can get ice storms here once in awhile I now can really recall why I like livin' in Texas so much. Brrrrrrrr...

Andy

Happy new year to you all.

Here is what I do every fall to the doors of my Pinz to keep them from freezing. I use silicone spray on the door seal. I use a rag and spray a lot of silicone on to it and then wipe the rubber of the seal with it. I keep the ice from forming on them. It works pretty well up here.

Hope this help

Denis

P.S. Here is a picture of how much snow we have at this time.

My door seals froze shut during the first few storms of the season and I bent a door handle, then I did the same thing as Denis and it seems to be working. I also sprayed silicone onto the seals themselves too.

I will give the try, thanks. Went ahead and bought a new one. If I can fix the other one I'll have a spare.

thanx for silicone idea i will be doing that as well

Silicone would be best, but in a pinch even Armour All or a thin coat of Vasiline will help keep the door seals from freezing shut. In my experience the seals are what locks the door closed 90% of the time.

Jim M.

Jim M.,

You're right about the Vasiline. I bought a can of the "military" vaseline that SAV sells and regularly apply a thin coat to all the rubber weatherstripping and windshield gasket. It seems to revitalize the rubber and as a side benefit keeps the doors from freezing shut.

Paul

"military" vaseline " So much for the don't ask don't tell policy!
Happy New Year Ya'all
Mark