do you still keep the locating wedge - or is it no longer required. has anyone 'just' done one on a 35-40 and still have the door cards off mini or the big ones is it worth getting the pre-fabbled plates shirley you dont 'just' bolt the pin to the thin b-pillar ? thanks
No, you don't need the dove tails any more. I use the medium size rotary latches and hardware from Carolina Custom Hot Rod Parts. I like to use the prefabbed pieces because it looks neater and save time on the install. Yes, you weld the plate into the B pillar and that is quite adequate. Its going to take more time than you think, if you do it right. I just posted some pictures of my new install on my 34 Ford. (Link below)
I like the look of the dove tails personally so I retain them and reinforce them (on my roadster). Oh, and don't call me Shirley!
The striker pin acts as the locater with the bear claws latches. The threaded plate spreads out the contact area to hold the pin solid and hold the door solid but also covers the larger hole in the pillar that allows you to adjust the pin. I don't think too many of us are that perfect at drilling a hole exactly where the pin needs to go for everything to line up right with no adjustment.
where do you get these? - -ahh these are carolina with the nice pressed recess, looks factory so i need the ones with two levers - one for door pull and one for door handle? so now i nsimply need to spend three weeks getting the doors no not droop
The bear claw latches center with the latch, as stated. There is more to it, but that is your simple answer. There's too much to type on my phone. Send me a PM if interested in my latches. See signature below. Sent from my SM-A102U using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Bear claw latches are cheap Chinese BS. I have had them on my shoebox and they suck. You hit a bump or lean on the door and they will come open. I replaced mine with hotrodlatches.com. He is a member here and are made in the USA. Check out his website. CN
Bear Claw is a trademark of the dreaded Hoffman Group. More reputable manufacturers use other terms, notably bear jaw.
I put the double-jaw style bear jaw latches in a '40 tudor about 35 years ago. I left the stock dovetails. Can't hurt to have them in place. Hopefully your doors align correctly and the dovetails aren't needed to shove the door into place.
so i thought, hmm what I will do is - because you can get them in right and left hand drive...so they have key barrels in either side.... is buy two fiat 500 door handles, left hand drive and right hand drive -drivers side.. kind of look like 38/9 handles, IF a smidge bigger, be simple to do, make the barrells the same the beauty being because the hinges snap on them all the time, they are ten a penny replacements. NOT SO the lock moves that little rod down to lock the electronic door lock, not mechanical. so anyway even if you fit a double click pincer latch into a non locking 35-40 door and use the stock handle it won't be able to lock anyway!! ffs, what a ball ache...... yes, something about not being able to use an early style of door handle that can act like a forward facing hook and catch a childs satchel strap or something For Fiat 500 Outer Door Handle Chrome Offside (OS) 735592012 735592026 UK | eBay i'm glad the handles are only £5.99 or $8.50 delivered so its simply something to think about, which is you don't need 'remote' key fobbed central locking merely mechanical central locking -actuated from turning the key in the drivers lock so why is there not a slender double click pincer latch that has a solenoid in it that pulls and pushes a pin on the non drivers side latch i.e. there be no key barrel in the passenger lock put key in drivers lock and turn flicks a switch and both door latches for slender doors, lock and unlock, to enable the rod from the handle to function someting like that. or how would you do it.
if you decide to make up your own "latch kit" make sure the latch comes over the top of the striker , and the get rod repair plastic clips in the "help parts" at your local oil store , then regular rod may be bent to work for linkage , biggest problen ive seen also has been people make the linkage too tight and pops the latches or using door handle stuff that arent sprung to return ,,, ok so now a TOP SECRET part for the inside door handle because im a giver ,, 56-64 vw beetle inside door handle mechanisms in repro they are damn near flat are sprung are left and right and are the same spline as gm as long as you use set screw handles (can i say billet style here?) and are usually about 10 bux a piece from all the vw repop houses ,, rember you want enough swing in the linkage to were the handle swings as it did stock or roughly as it did , keeps em from poppin when ya dont want em to and the handle must be sprung or put a return spring on the pull rod somehow ,, fabricator john miss you dad
ahh, I had not even considered the inner door release needed to be spring loaded I can't understand why they cannot make these things so they can be locked and unlocked. pretty crap really I mean, IF you used the original non locking door handle from a 39 remove the original inside sliding locking latch - i locks fit one of these and it don't the stock fiat 500 door actuator isn't too big this is the side that has no barrel - just a handle rod to open so there is a motor inside it that engages the lever to open thats the drivers side - lock presses on blue fitting to release the lock mechanism to enable the rods to pull the latch open /\ that wont fit in a 39 truck door? if it did, would it be a simple matter of giving it 12 volts - no computer controlled remote central locking merely when the blue lever is actuated by the rod from the key/barrel it switches the latch enable, when in the other position, doesn't /\ note the red one has a slot so it can't ever be accidentally opened so the whirring sound in your central locking is simply a little motor with a worm gear moving a pin across to engage the other lever so you can open the door.
The Jalopy Journal
