Hey Alan!
Great job on the tutorial! Thanks for putting it up on the web. Bear Claw
latches are still in use today by auto manufacturers because they're very safe
and sturdy. Basically a large bolt, called the latch stud, is fitted into the
door frame, and the latch has 2 "claws," one above and one below the
centerline
of the stud in the door frame, which wrap around the stud when you close the
door, holding it in place. Check out these links to see a couple of
installations in AD trucks:
Scroll down about 2/3 to the bottom of the page on this oneb&
http://www.commerce.usask.ca/staff/hipkin/burb/interior.html
Or try:
http://www.hotrodsandhemis.com/DoorLatch.html
This one covers installing Mazda Miata door handles and latches in his '53
Chevy AD Series, but most of the info applies to aftermarket or junk yard
latches as well. It does show some of the modification that needs to be done
to the
door and door frame to make them work. Basically, most of the stock latch is
outside of the door, where bear-claw latches will be completely inside the
door. There is where the problem lies, as they interfere with the window
channels.
Hey Wayne!
I found some bear-claw latches that do have locks on them, and got them for
free. We're parting out an '88 F&*d Escort station wagon, and the door latches
on the 2 back doors look like they might just be the ones I need. I'm also
grabbing the rear hatch latch for the barn doors. I'm a long way from starting
on
the body of me ol' panel, but I'm keeping these latches - just in case. Check
the local wrecking yard for 80's 90's Escorts and Mercury Tracers. With 4
different body styles throughout the years, one set just might work for you,
with
a little tweaking that is.
In a message dated 12/15/2003 8:26:21 AM Pacific Standard Time,
owner-ole-trucks@autox.team.net writes:
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 2003 12:58:12 -0500
From: "Wayne" <wroworth@tampabay.rr.com>
Subject: Re: [oletrucks] Door Latches & Strikers
Hi Alan,
Great article! I had the same problem and your right it takes a lot of
patience. I was thinking of putting in bear claw latches but could not get
them to fit my outside handles and, from what I understand, most don't come
with locks. They do operate much better than our older styles and they are
in modern cars to this date. When I searched on the web I found most hot rod
shops carry them in various shapes and sizes.
Hope this helps.
Wayne - '47 1 Ton Panel -
http://www.itswhatsnext.com/engine/47_chevy_home.htm
- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Horvath" <alan@alanhorvath.com>
To: <oletrucks@autox.team.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 11:35 AM
Subject: [oletrucks] Door Latches & Strikers
> I posted a photo-tutorial on my recent learning experience about
> latches and strikers:
> http://AlanHorvath.com/54chevy/doorlatch.html
>
> Someone was saying that bear-claw latches are much better than the
> original style latches ... but I don't know what bear-claw latches are
> -- can anyone enlighten me?
>
> Alan
> http://AlanHorvath.com/54chevy/
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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