Re: 1948 door latch

Posted by DavidPackard On 2017/5/21 18:04:34

HH56; No 'on car' activity as yet.
I still want to disassemble the passenger's side to educate myself on what's going on, especially the exact location of the door panel clips. I would also like to try to move the inner handle linkage to get that mess out of the way presuming drilling operation is going to be done, or at least see if the linkage can be moved enough to drill the door. I would also like to investigate that rectangular hole just above the area where the hole/oval needs to go (see figure 19).

I've looked at the convertible's latch some more and think the oval hole has a lot going for it. If only the 'tab' (the part that either the outer or inner handle ultimately presses on) has broken (see BDeB photos) then a piece of metal (screw driver) slipped through the upper limit of the oval can take the place of the 'tab', then maybe one of the handles can be used to open the door. While the handle is being moved the screw driver will follow the handle lever downward, maybe, I might have to use the handle levers as a fulcrum. If the 'coordination' tab has broken (or the above doesn't work) then I think entering the 'oval' low to push the pawls along is the right plan. There's not a lot of room in that direction . . . a bit of the cover housing (BDeB photos have the housing cover removed) may have to go, but not a lot. It all depends if the gear will disengage the striker before the gear 'free-wheels'. Space is at a premium if 'free-wheeling' must happen, not so much if the striker disengages early.

With respect to the door panels: I think the interior was redone circa 2000 with period correct looking fabric. I would hate to lose a door panel. If it is lost then the replacement will surely have a feature that allows me to exercise the 'oval' hole and screw driver trick to open the door without messing with the door panel. In the Model A world there are escutcheons for slide locks, which are quite plain in design and Nickel plated. I'll check those out for potential use in the 'Deluxe Eight Touring Sedan'. To fix the trunk latch in this car I already have an acorn nut and tab washer from a Model A rumble seat, so a few more Model A parts won't bother me. I think the front seat back will help hide any trim piece I might add to the door panel. I'm sure I would not be able to tell by looking at it whether a 'tab' was about to break in next 5 years . . . that's one of the reasons I was keen on buying the passenger's side NOS unit.

I'll up-date this thread as additional information is available. Is there a degree available from 'Packard U' with emphasis on door latches?

dp