Window winder handles operate the door glass on every classic MG with manually-operated windows. The MGOC range covers winders and matched escutcheons in black plastic, polished aluminium, and chrome finishes, allowing the visual character of the handle to be matched to the rest of the interior trim scheme. The handle is one of the most visible interior items, the driver and passenger seeing and operating it on every journey, and the visual condition of the winder handles betrays the overall interior condition in a particularly direct way, the standard arrangement using a chromed or polished metal lever on a splined shaft that drives the window mechanism inside the door, with a moulded plastic or wooden knob at the outer end and the handle held in position by a retaining clip or screw.
Door Winder Handles & Finish Options
Handles are stocked in three principal finishes, original black plastic for cars being restored to factory specification or where the standard understated finish suits the rest of the interior, chrome-on-brass for a significant visual upgrade that catches the light against the door card with a deep chrome lustre, and polished aluminium for a modern, lightweight alternative, all three finishes fitting the same splined winder mechanism. The MGB went through several handle specifications during production, the original 3-synchro cars from 1962 to 1967 using a smaller black plastic handle with a different regulator mechanism from the 4-synchro cars that followed, while the MkII introduction in late 1967 revised the door furniture with a new door pull and a window winder with a bigger knob, the recessed push-button door handle having been introduced earlier in April 1965 in a style previously seen on the BMC 1800 range. Handles for the later cars are stocked in the three finishes, with the chrome version typically featuring an improved internal bearing over the standard item, making it a practical upgrade as well as a cosmetic one, and the wider classic-MG range has its own specific patterns matched to each application. A fibre washer sits between the handle and the mechanism spindle on most applications and should be renewed whenever a handle is replaced.
Escutcheons
The escutcheon fits at the base of the winder handle where it meets the door card, protecting the trim panel from scuffing during winding and improving the visual finishing by covering the gap between handle base and trim surface, also providing clearance between the handle arm and door card to prevent the scoring that develops over years of winding. The escutcheon was fitted to MGB cars from 1968 to approximately 1974 and is secured by a screw and spring washer, while from approximately 1974 the escutcheon was deleted and a flanged mounting screw was used in its place. Escutcheons are stocked for both standard and chrome handles and are worth fitting whenever handles are replaced on cars of the correct period.
Quarter-Light Winder Handles & Renewal
Cars fitted with quarter-light glass, the small triangular vented pane at the front of the door window used to direct air into the cabin during driving, typically had a separate smaller winder handle operating the quarter-light's opening mechanism, the quarter-light winder being a smaller handle than the main door winder operating a more delicate mechanism that opens the pivoting pane slightly to admit air, typically chromed metal with a small moulded knob matching the visual character of the main winder. For cars where the quarter-light is a feature of the original equipment the matching winder is part of the door brightware. Winder handles age cosmetically over decades of service, the chrome plating tarnishing or pitting, plastic or wooden knobs cracking or splitting, retaining clips or screws losing their grip on the splined shaft, and renewal is a five-minute task per handle, removing the existing handle typically by sliding out the retaining clip or unscrewing the centre screw, fitting the new handle in the same orientation on the splined shaft, and refitting the retaining clip or screw. A cracked, loose, or discoloured handle is a small detail that registers immediately in an otherwise tidy door trim, and with three finish options available it is one of the simplest opportunities to personalise the interior without modification.