Door Latches and Catches

[Russ Dickey]

This is a two part question:

With regards to the door latches, I've notice that mine are getting harder and harder to open. What's the proper method of lubricating them?

With regards to the catches, what's the trick to keeping them tight? Mine are constantly becoming loose and flopping around, only to have my passenger try to close the door and have it bounce off the catch. Just a stupid little peeve of mine....

Thanks for any advice!

Russ

Unique 289FIA - Viking Blue

[excelguru]

As for the striker portion (the part that attaches to the main body), I had the same problem and decided to use some red Loctite on the bolt. Fixed that problem.

As for the catch (on the door) mine still work themselves loose once in a while and I go back and re-tighten them. I'm afraid to put the Loctite on these as I might need to remove them someday and the Loctite makes removal a pain (unnecessary worrying?). I'm also worried that the constant retightening of these may eventually strip out the threads in the door. Then I'll really be in a pickle. Maybe I should just say the heck with it and epoxy the screws into to the doors permanently... [}:)]

I'd like to know about the best lubrication method, myself.

Keith :)
Unique Motorcars (http://www.uniquecobrareplicas.com)
Southern Automotive (http://www.southernautomotiveengines.com)
Bruce Bunn (the painter) (http://www.jodecoautobody.com)

My Photo Album (http://members5.clubphoto.com/keith355593/owner-429c-1.phtml)

[excelguru]

As for the striker portion (the part that attaches to the main body), I had the same problem and decided to use some red Loctite on the bolt. Fixed that problem.

As for the catch (on the door) mine still work themselves loose once in a while and I go back and re-tighten them. I'm afraid to put the Loctite on these as I might need to remove them someday and the Loctite makes removal a pain (unnecessary worrying?). I'm also worried that the constant retightening of these may eventually strip out the threads in the door. Then I'll really be in a pickle. Maybe I should just say the heck with it and epoxy the screws into to the doors permanently... [}:)]

I'd like to know about the best lubrication method, myself.

Keith :)
Unique Motorcars (http://www.uniquecobrareplicas.com)
Southern Automotive (http://www.southernautomotiveengines.com)
Bruce Bunn (the painter) (http://www.jodecoautobody.com)

My Photo Album (http://members5.clubphoto.com/keith355593/owner-429c-1.phtml)

[eliminator]

It's normal for the door's to open hard after the body settles on the frame. You need to take the latch off thats mounts to the body. Put it in a small vise and take the stainless steel nut off and remove a thick washer and replace it with a thin one, (usually Unique has the two sizes odf washers, one thick and one thin after the nut). You will have to play around with the washers as they act as shims. Then tighten the large nut and your ready to go. Adjust so the doors open and close easily, I personally dont slam my doors and all my passengers get instructions on how I want my doors closed.

Eliminator

[eliminator]

It's normal for the door's to open hard after the body settles on the frame. You need to take the latch off thats mounts to the body. Put it in a small vise and take the stainless steel nut off and remove a thick washer and replace it with a thin one, (usually Unique has the two sizes odf washers, one thick and one thin after the nut). You will have to play around with the washers as they act as shims. Then tighten the large nut and your ready to go. Adjust so the doors open and close easily, I personally dont slam my doors and all my passengers get instructions on how I want my doors closed.

Eliminator

[Brent]

Eliminator,
Have you noticed the rear of the doors dropping? I have noticed on alot of the older Uniques the owner seems to raise up on the rear of the door when latching it. Seems like as adjustment is required on the hinge as well. I would like to hear what everyone has run in to after things have settled.

Brent

[Brent]

Eliminator,
Have you noticed the rear of the doors dropping? I have noticed on alot of the older Uniques the owner seems to raise up on the rear of the door when latching it. Seems like as adjustment is required on the hinge as well. I would like to hear what everyone has run in to after things have settled.

Brent

[eliminator]

Brent,
I have also noticed that, the door will scrape across the paint on the body if not adjusted correctly. Wonder how many people think to put some lubricant on the two big hinge bolts that hold the door on!! Hope I never have to adjust my door again, once you put the carpet in you cover up all the adjustment bolts. So far mine have not moved.

Eliminator

[eliminator]

Brent,
I have also noticed that, the door will scrape across the paint on the body if not adjusted correctly. Wonder how many people think to put some lubricant on the two big hinge bolts that hold the door on!! Hope I never have to adjust my door again, once you put the carpet in you cover up all the adjustment bolts. So far mine have not moved.

Eliminator

[Mike Geddes]

Latches and Hinges.....What a pain in the ass.
I've been playing with mine for 11 years.
I stopped the body striker catch from swivelling by smearing the assembly with regular clear silicone....then tightened it up...has not moved again.
The door side latch assembly is a real pain....always eventually comes loose......I never slam the driver side door...close it..lift it...manually latch it.....the passenger side is not too bad.
My final solution may be to cut out the corner of the padded door panel so that the latch sits flat on the door structure...the padding allows flexing of the assembly.

Door hinges...gease the pins....but they will still go out of ajustment....I constantly.....once every 2 years , have to re-shim the drivers door...no problem with passenger side...but it gets equal use.

The doors on the 427 (on mine anyway) are dimensionally different by one quarter of an inch....the driver side is the larger of the two.
The leading edge of the drv. side door constantly hit the body.
After much re-shimming and grinding down of part of the leading edge we have kind of got the problem resolved.

Onto hinge covers......good case for NOT putting on hard glued covers....You WILL have to re-shim the hinges......use clear silicone and the Unique supplied plastic.....they come off and go back on easy.

You will have noticed ...I am a great believer in clear silicone...there's tubes of it in many areas of my 427.

Wow...we do all this moaning and groaning...but we love our Cobra's.

Mike

Mike Geddes

[Mike Geddes]

Latches and Hinges.....What a pain in the ass.
I've been playing with mine for 11 years.
I stopped the body striker catch from swivelling by smearing the assembly with regular clear silicone....then tightened it up...has not moved again.
The door side latch assembly is a real pain....always eventually comes loose......I never slam the driver side door...close it..lift it...manually latch it.....the passenger side is not too bad.
My final solution may be to cut out the corner of the padded door panel so that the latch sits flat on the door structure...the padding allows flexing of the assembly.

Door hinges...gease the pins....but they will still go out of ajustment....I constantly.....once every 2 years , have to re-shim the drivers door...no problem with passenger side...but it gets equal use.

The doors on the 427 (on mine anyway) are dimensionally different by one quarter of an inch....the driver side is the larger of the two.
The leading edge of the drv. side door constantly hit the body.
After much re-shimming and grinding down of part of the leading edge we have kind of got the problem resolved.

Onto hinge covers......good case for NOT putting on hard glued covers....You WILL have to re-shim the hinges......use clear silicone and the Unique supplied plastic.....they come off and go back on easy.

You will have noticed ...I am a great believer in clear silicone...there's tubes of it in many areas of my 427.

Wow...we do all this moaning and groaning...but we love our Cobra's.

Mike

Mike Geddes