suicide door latch ideas
What ideas do you have for inside door safety latches (36 Tplane coupe)? Nothing fancy or expensive. Had the passenger door fly open today after hitting a bump in the road. Luckily a side road going 35 mph. I will troubleshoot the OEM latch, but regardless, I would like to install safety latches/catches.
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On my 35 roadster the guy doing the panel work fitted modern door catches for me. I've had experience with self opening doors in old cars and I wanted to ensure it did not happen on this car.
I'm not sure what they were from but if you have look at modern catches they are all of a similar pattern. There is a loop that fits to the body in place of the original striker and a 2 pincer (bear claw?) door catch that securely latches onto the loop. Some fabrication cutting and welding was involved. I'll post photos of the finished job, not sure that I have any photos of the process.
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Thanks Bob - yes, self openers - not a good thing! I will do some research on the type you describe.
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I bought "bear claw" type latches for my '54 on Amazon. I think they were about $40 per pair. I haven't installed them yet.
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My first thought was that shims were needed possibly because of worn parts. Hitting a bump in the road can cause the body to flex and a door to open. Are the shock absorbers and suspension in good cond. Passengers can be funny about doors opening.
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Are you locking the doors after you get in ?
Sorry if this sounds a silly question but locking the doors on my '34 is part the routine on starting off.
Despite knackered bump stops (that I'm about to replace), I've never had a locked door bounce open driving over rough surfaces.
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Thanks for added input....suspension is good and has new shocks (but bias tires). Not a silly question re: locking doors. No, I had NOT locked them but certainly will going forward! I am still of the mind to have some kind of safety lock or catch.
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I have never had a door fly open while driving, but I have on occasion pondered an additional latch. I never could come up with one that I thought if the body shifted in an accident that I was confident I would be able to get out. The ‘35 latches are so stout I cannot imagine how much the body on my sedan would have to shift to get them to open.
regards, Tom
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Google "suicide door safety pin". There are a couple of options from Auto Loc, used in the street rod world that are available. Speedway motors has an offering too.
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Thanks everybody. I'll look at the 'safety pin' options as well as the 'bear claw'. I could opt for the easier solution (always have a passenger, and we'll both hang onto the inside handle as we drive along). 😉
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