Technical 32 Ford Trunk Latch

Hi, I am new to the forum here. I apologize if this is not the right area to ask this question... I have a 32 ford with a fiberglass body, and I wanted to do a hidden latch for the rear trunk as the doors do not have any handles, and this would give the car a particular overall look.
I really wanted to do a something like a side mount trunk latch w/ a release cable and handle, but looking at my trunk lid, I really don't think it's possible as the fiberglass in the area where a latch would need to be really doesn't have enough body to it (see pics below). Also you can see in the picture of the trunk closed I have about a 2 inch gap until it actually 'thickens' up. I wasn't really wanting to do a power lift trunk lid...

Just really looking to see if anyone else has any ideas or something someone else has done. Thanks!

 

Bought a small bear claw for that purpose. Got it from one of the hot rod ads. Went to the wrecking yard an got the longes trunk cable I could find used this for years. Mounted the cable release on the package try. Latch was on the lid catch on the body

 

Welcome to the HAMB Gary.
I've used a cable actuated trunk latch (Speedway) on mine but not happy with it. Hard to adjust the POS to make it work. Most of the time it won't latch or won't unlatch. And now, it's locked up so I'll have to crawl back behind the seat (A S10 bench seat with a back that tips forward) to "unlatch" it. Picked up a stock trunk handle and plan to rig it up...
Following this......................

 

Have a look at older Jappo hatchbacks. Some are very adaptable. Some even have provision for a cable remote.

 

Gary, welcome to the HAMB.
Don't know who made your body, I don't see any kind of latching hardware/mechanism.
This is how my Wescott body came (hidden latch option).
I had to make my own attaching hardware for the release cable to hidden latch assembly.
Also made my own spring loaded popper, most of the store bought ones were too big.
The trunk jam on your car actually looks to have more room than mine, so you may be able to use the commercially available one.
For a release cable, I found late model GM truck hood release cable to be perfect length.
The handle part is a bit fragile and many wrecking yard pieces were broken, so I just stepped up to the parts counter at my local Chevy dealer and bought one new.
Getting late, may get better photos tomorrow.

 

The body was produced by a place called Hardcore Chassis in Dalton, GA. (www.hardcorechassis.com).

I want to mount a small bear claw latch, but I am hung up on the trunk deck lid side. It just doesn't have enough body to it for running any real hardware into it...



I am thinking I could 'raise' the catch portion on the bottom to reach the but I really don't want something that looks hokey... maybe a trunk lock with no handle?

 

Are you able to put the latch on the body and run the cables to it. Then put a striker in the trunk lid and slide a reinforcement inside the trunk lid?

 

Gary
Have you contacted Hardcore about your issues, it looks like they leave it up to the customer to make their own mounts and related hardware. No reason that I see for a need for a bear claw type latch. Is that what they recommended?
The Wescott style requires much less space, and in my opinion would be much easier to mount.
I think that regardless of style or brand of latch you will need to do some sort of modifications and reinforcing to the fiberglass to accept mounting hardware.
Click on link below.
http://www.wescottsauto.com/SubIndexes/partsindex.html

 

I did contact them a while ago. They just suggested what most other people do which was a electric arm to raise/lower. I really don't want to go this way, as if the battery ever died I couldn't get in the trunk as my fuel tank is right behind the seat.
I am thinking I will have to mount a bear claw to the highest point with some reinforcement from the structural bar below and then mount the striker on a panel which is attached up farther into the thicker area of the trunk.

 

Yep, and be open to a little fiberglass mod also, increases your options.
Unless you plan on always having someone with you to lift the deck lid when you release it you still need to put a spring loaded popper in the trunk jam area.

 

Churchill....view you drawing above and imagine the angle that your deck lid approaches the bottom sill..it will come down from 11 oclock to a 5 oclock lock position...A bear claw will not work here properly..When Harwood was the hot ticket in glass bodies,,he used a Volkswagen assem in all his coupes and roadsters....

 

I see what you are saying wbrw32... it is more 'coming in at an angle' than coming down. I am looking around for this VW latch assembly you are talking about.

 

This is the VW assembly that I used for the hood on my 66 Suburban.
The reciever may work for your trunk, not sure about the latch part without some mods.

 

That release handle is from a Blazer or GMC, I think. I just modified one of those for my 37. Dorman sells a replacement as well, if you want new. Mine came from the local junkyard.

 

i put a catch from a neon that I happened to have on hand in my 32. it's steel but looks like it would work for you. i put the catch in the trunk lid and made up a plate with a catch bar to bolt in place on the drip pan. last thing I wanted was something hanging off the trunk lid to bash my head on.

 

Can you lay some glass up and then bond it to the inside of the trunk lid to mount your latch? Ain't glass bodies fun? D

 

That is a poor excuse for a deck lid assembly, that's for sure. I have never understood why some glass body makers go so far astray from stock Ford dimensions and configurations. It just makes it harder for folks to devise workable deck lid latches in this case.
If you could live with an outside handle you might think about a stock 32-34 handle, or a Tee style 35-36 Ford deck handle, operating a pair of rods or bars similar to an overhead garage door handle and latch. You could make up a miniature version of that easily.

 

Don't want this to sound like a testimonial, and not directing this at the OP.
For years now there have been fiberglass mfg attempting to enter the market (and survive) by making offshore quality bodies and pricing them accordingly.
Even a few of the better ones decided to bale possibly due to the new steel bodies becoming available. I'm not saying the Hardcore body is cheaply made because I have no experience with them, but there is a reason Wescott bodies were considered "overpriced" by some buyers that used low price as their main criteria at time of purchase.
There have been many people admit that if they knew the work involved to rectify the shortcomings of the lower priced bodies; they would have gladly spent the difference up front.