kiwiherald Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 As requested, a solution to the humorous-yet-slightly-dangerous problem of doors coming open mid drive.Please note, the doors shown here have no glass or winders in them, I'm not sure if a normal door would have as much room for the latches.First off, the latches, These are from a Honda City, but any newish car has the same latches, shown next to the original Herald latch and catch.Phase 1: The new latches were mounted in the 'dip' of the door, this puts them in a central position and requires little modification. The problem here is that only two bolts can be used and the latches are too far away from the door post for the catch to sit flush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 To make the external door handles work I made a little triangle rocker out of 10mm steel that bolts to one of the old latch holes and attaches to the new latch via a shortened rod (second picture) The rocker is a little stiff and needs some fiddling to get it working perfectly, but the door opens and closes fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 Phase 2: To allow the catches to st flush on the door post I cut out and replaced the 'dip' in the door with flat steel, this also allows the latch to be mounted properly (with 3 bolts) and could also give more room for the door glass and mechanism. The resulting patch is barely noticeable with some panel work, and best of all, it appears factory to those who don't know!For the inside handle, I'm working on a piece of rod to open the door, but have found that a tight piece of rope works fine.I've also installed modern door locks on the inside-upper edge of the door, with a rod down to the latch to make them work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted December 29, 2008 Author Share Posted December 29, 2008 For the door post catch I made a threaded plate to sit behind the post and drilled two new holes for the catch to sit properly.Both doors now close by them selves (no need to push hard to get them shut!) and have the benefit of not flying open around corners. Plus the new locks provide more security, though original locks could be retained. The cost? both latches, plus locks, catches, window buttons and key were NZ$18 from a wreckers. Add about $30 for materials (steel, welding gas, etc) and you've got a cheaper, safer alternative to CV latches or a bungy cord!If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Excellent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted December 29, 2008 Share Posted December 29, 2008 Nicely done - I like it! Was there a reason why you didn't use the original location?Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie55 Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 Well engineered solution. Good job.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heraldmanblue Posted December 30, 2008 Share Posted December 30, 2008 nice one thanks, thats another job on the list, still i get my bungee straps back lol ;D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted December 31, 2008 Author Share Posted December 31, 2008 Thanks for the comments!Nick - The reason for not putting new latches where the old ones were is that the old ones sat too high for the mechanism to work the new latches, hence the little crank and the lower position. You can actually see in the second picture were the original latch went and where the crank and new latches are.Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zendervision Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Fantastic bit of work there, Kiwiherald! I don't have the door-flying-open problem, but I'd love better locks and easier closing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhumphries Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 Searching in the garage yesterday for somethings (I didn't find !) I came across the complete lock set off my old 1500 Midget.These would be perfect for a Herald as push button for operation instead of rod/lever/bellcrank and they locate into a substancial plate on B post.Paul Humphries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 Paul, Midget latches sound like a good idea, are you going to try them out? - they'd make for a more period looking door as well.Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulhumphries Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 kiwiherald wrote:Paul, Midget latches sound like a good idea, are you going to try them out? - they'd make for a more period looking door as well.Cheers Now I found the Midget latches I will definatley see how easy they would fit.I'll dig them out and take a photo idc to show how suitable (or not) others might think they could be.Paul humphries Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zardoz Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hi, saw the Honda latches once before on a Herald in Christchurch, it is a nice solution except he did not use the original door handles. Where in NZ are you located? Seems NZ is a good place for modifications! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deleted User Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 paulhumphries wrote:Searching in the garage yesterday for somethings (I didn't find !) I came across the complete lock set off my old 1500 Midget.These would be perfect for a Herald as push button for operation instead of rod/lever/bellcrank and they locate into a substancial plate on B post.Paul HumphriesGood call, I was going to have a try with a Spitfire 1500 lock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 Hi Zardoz, Good to meat another kiwi here! I am in Tauranga at the moment, but I go to university in Auckland. maybe its that inventive New Zealander nature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordleonusa Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 kiwiherald wrote:Hi Zardoz, Good to meat another kiwi here! I am in Tauranga at the moment, but I go to university in Auckland. maybe its that inventive New Zealander nature! Be careful with your spelling, that might mean something else?And I thought Kiwi's only meat sheep!Just kidding! ;D ;D ;DL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiherald Posted January 5, 2009 Author Share Posted January 5, 2009 Whups!Well spotted :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordleonusa Posted January 6, 2009 Share Posted January 6, 2009 Glad to see you took my email in the lighthearted spirit in which it was intended.Actually, I am mostly just jealous of where you live!Tauranga is just too beautiful a place to drive a Triumph.Best Regards for the new year!Léon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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