Technical Mmmmm... creative ideas....or not

Okay just wondering... I know , I know ... super dangerous for me . So in my garage looking at “Ol’ Effie” my 1948 F1 and thinking about installing a door lock on the drivers side where there never was one. Thinking about bear claws which started leading me down the path to hum a bear claw with lock on the hood and maybe the tilt front end. I could put a emergency brake handle because of notches to pull on the bear claw to keep open ( just need to remember to to disengage the ebrake before driving away and use a spring loaded popper on the core support. Does this sound crazy , a little bit or am I normal ? So let’s hear your opinions and your self induced out of the box ideas you came up with .

 

Have you ever heard of a hood latch, they have remote releases and springs to pop the hood.

 

I went down that bear claw rabbit hole back in the 7o's when everyone was after the smooth look, my advice is stay with the KISS method of building hot rods. HRP

 

Mmmmmmm bear claw.....

 

I agree with Danny. Not to mention the Chinese made knock offs that I bought from supplier and used on one project. There was no guarantee that the latches would stay shut. They could open when going over a good bump (or they might not), they might open if you gave the door a good push (or they might not) or they might open if you...well you get the idea.

 

I like that better.

 

Yes but I was wondering if bear claws would be a viable idea , never used them before but I was thinking about putting on a better idea for doors and well .... Not trying to reinvent the wheel just add to it. Could be more traditional and use a chain and lock .

 

your first post would make more sense if you said "bear trap" instead of "bear claw"

 

I'd use a hood latch on a hood and a door latch on a door, call me krazy. lol

 

Also , a bear claw I thought would be a step up from a factory GM Ford etc set up .

 

Color me confused because they are called bear claws .

 

Be careful with the installation.

 

I just want a positive locking set up . Is there something else out there ?

 

I like the KISS method and that’s a major point of this post is to get answers from guys like you with past experience with so called “improved” method.

 

I know the KISS method should be kept at fore front but I was trying to come up with a flip front ( fenders and grille ) but keeping the hood opening as per factory .

 

I'm of the mind set if some things working why Fuck with it.

 

NOT!

 

Crazy!!
DooD latched doors scheeze!!!

 

I am in the process of going through this build from stem to stern and now is the time let live, modify or improve.

 

You know what I ment.....

Scheeze!!!!

 

see attached ad as one way to do this

will have opening hood with tilt frontend?

 

The stock latches work great if you take them apart, clean and lube them. I may have a factory LH latch w/lock if you are interested. I have a bunch of F-1 parts laying around.....
Can't help with the flip front, I'm not really a fan.

 

The original builder apparently did the flip front set up and the mounts are still there.

Thanks . Let me check that ad Jalopy Joker posted and see what’s going on. I appreciate it much.

 

The original builder I was told built the flip front and the mounts are still there. The guy I bought of didn’t like it , so he took it apart. Not sure why because he has a 1950 F1 and just wanted the chassis off this for his. His friends are trying to talk him into buying a $14,000 chassis and his son in-law was trying to tell him he doesn’t need a $14,000 chassis. But he is I guess leaning that way so he decided to sell the ‘48. Good for me. So I have options with all the work for the tilt done.

 

Maybe just kicking stones.

 

I like the idea at easier access to working on the engine since the engines sit low in these trucks.

 

Believe this or not , I had a Buddy that had his joint robbed 2x within 8 months . I stop to see him one day , he says “ check this out . Under the same basement window that they camp through , was the very same bear trap as in this image , set and ready to attack someone . I grabbed a shovel and threw it in the trap . It just jumped about 3 ft in the air and snapped the shovel handle . I told him is not worth , spending the rest of your life broke or in jail or both paying for the injuries this would cause . He ask me “ you ever watch Pulp Fiction ? I’m goin to have fun with the little Bastard before I send him home to play .” I ask him , how do you set the damn thing ? He said a hydraulic jack . I have no idea and don’t care to know .

 

If you were normal would you be hanging out here as much as you do?

 

41rodderz, most of the modern cars (1990 & newer, and many long before that) nearly all and hood latches similar to bear claw latches, but are a smaller version. The latch part can mount on the body or the hood, either inline with the hood or 90 degrees to it. Then there is a bar (striker plate) on the other part (body or hood) the latch grabs. Usually the latches are cable operated to be used as inside the car hood releases. There are some pretty clean cable handles available. In addition to the latch and bar, there is also an emergency catch in case the latch would fail. Generally any failure happens due to either the latch not being properly lubricated, or a cable failure. Hood latches installed on cars after 1974 were required to withstand a 5 mph front end impact, it took a few years before the car companies actually developed decent latch set ups.
With a little engineering, a guy could get both latches to operate from the same cable release. Might be worth a trip to your local pull a part lot and check out a few modern cars to see the set ups. Adapting one of the modern inside hood release handle, cable, latch, and striker plate would be a lot easier then adapting a door bear claw latch. Gene

 

I appreciate that. Your right as rain. No sense making it harder than it has to be.