Door Latches

 Well i did promise an update ASAP regarding fitting the door latch. I had fitted one previously on the offside but i didn't get any pictures i was happy with. So here is a little write up of the nearside.

With the door card in position and held in place with the latch (very important as it spaces the latch off the door skin) i started by firstly checking that i could get a nice close on the striker. I did this by cutting some blocks of wood to hold the striker mounting plate up against the inner lip if the door slam. This can be a little tricky as you are trying to get a good close position so the door gap is even all the way round and the height of the door against the front and back scuttle. For me the nearside was simple but the offside will require a little more prep work before a paint finish.



Once i was happy with that the striker plate is bonded on using a good splodge of P38/P40 (P40 here) to bridge the gap and add some strength. The wooden wedges put back in to add the support, then close the door, adjust all the alignment and leave it to set. Do not be tempted to have a bash at opening/closing the door. You will just knock everything out of place.

Once cured off i then wanted to beef up fitting of it all. In my opinion the doors getting closed puts allot of stress into the striker and mounting plate, so if i did as the manual suggested and just used the P40 and wooden wedge then i just feel it wouldn't last long before working its way loose. Not forgetting it will have the road vibration as well as the door opening and closing so needs to be fairly solid.



So once the P40 had cured i could remove the wooden wedges and i simply drilled a hole through the door panel and the striker mounting plate (one below, two above) i countersunk the heads so they wont be visible once the door seal goes on, and also they will be painted when it goes into paint. I secured them with some nylock bolts and spreader washers so now with these tight even if the P40 does split, the striker wont move back or forth. Now to test the door latches nicely..... and it does!!! Happy Days!!

 Last little bit on this task is to secure the rest of the door card. Again because i don't want any fixings showing or ripples under the leather i just am holding it all in place with some self adhesive velcro. This is really sticky M3 bond, unlike some of the cheaper stuff from hobby shops, and it holds it all lovely.

So another task ticked off the list. one stage closer to completion.... but still a long road ahead of me!!!

I'm still saving for the money for the wipers, so that will hopefully be my next update!