Door safety catch

[Bill_qaz]

Does anyone know how does the spring locate in the front door striker (1st catch) My spring has popped out and cannot see how it locates to stay in?

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[ManyMinors]

I think the spring can only come out once the catch is damaged/worn. The spring fits in from the rear where a plate is attached with rivets. They're not usually repairable and new ones are not expensive.

[mike1864]

There is a little pip on the back of the moving part to locate the spring, with the other end sitting in a slight hollow in the riveted plate.
So ManyMinors is right. Furkling it back in is nigh on impossible. So it's a plate removal job, with the consequent problem of re-fixing it.
If/when you DO buy a new one, check that its mounting hole spacing is the same as your original. I had one from a rogue batch, where the spacing was a mm wrong, and it wouldn't align with the threaded holes in the pillar's captive plate. The supplier - David Manners - remedied the issue.

[Bill_qaz]

Thanks Guys, at £18 + delivery for a repro lm being tight and will have a go at refitting the spring. I have a bid on fleabay for a nos one as the drivers side is mullered

Outbib

[svenedin]

Last time I bought a new boot catch it had been made by WBH (Weston Body Hardware in Redditch). Very good quality. Presumably door catches are made by the same company? It seems WBH has been taken over though...

Stephen

[simmitc]

If the catch is cleaned thoroughly, then the rear plate can be secured with superglue or JB Weld or similar. Clamp until set, but once fitted to the pillar, then the plate will be held in place anyway.

[ManyMinors]

You've probably realised but 2door and 4door are different.

[Bill_qaz]

You've probably realised but 2door and 4door are different.

Yes thanks, different widths, even in pics 2 door is easy to spot as less material either side of screw holes

[mike1864]

It's not clear if the OP has a 2 or 4 door.
But on my 1956 S2 convertible the hole spacing of the fitted catch (and therefore the back plate) is 38.5mm.
I have a spare catch that has a 40mm spacing; so presumably that's what David Manners sent me, that didn't fit.
My first (and only) experience of this catch was on boarding the Dover ferry, when my wife couldn't get out of the car.
The "chin" of the catch (that hits the catch body, preventing the whole caboodle swinging out) had fractured. So the sprung-loaded catch bit firmly into the rear face of the door, rendering it unopenable. Fortunately there was a small gap to get in with with screwdriver and release the impasse. I did without this halfway catch till I got home.

[Bill_qaz]

Hi Mike its a 4 door as per my avatar.
Long nose pliers two small screw drivers and perseverance and I managed to get the spring back in
Don't know how long it will stay
But drivers side the spring has left long ago and the wedge is a bit mangled, I hope it stay in flush and I dont have your issue
I will replace the catch when I find one at right price (cheap)

[mike1864]

Hi Bill. So are your fixing centres 40mm, perhaps a variance from the 2 door’s 38.5? In which case my gash one was never a rogue; just wrong for a 2 door. And I don’t need it!

[Bill_qaz]

Hi Bill. So are your fixing centres 40mm, perhaps a variance from the 2 door’s 38.5? In which case my gash one was never a rogue; just wrong for a 2 door. And I don’t need it!

Thanks Mike, I'll be over to the storage and measure it Sunday and let you know .

[mike1864]

Given that the body is not markedly different, I'm suspecting that my variant item resulted from the manufacturer simply converting 1.5" to a close (but not close enough!) 40mm "equivalent". Fine if just fastening into wood or a steel panel. But useless for a tapped backplate.

[Bill_qaz]

Given that the body is not markedly different, I'm suspecting that my variant item resulted from the manufacturer simply converting 1.5" to a close (but not close enough!) 40mm "equivalent". Fine if just fastening into wood or a steel panel. But useless for a tapped backplate.

Just measured and the hole centres on my 4 door are 40mm
Sent you a PM

[Bill_qaz]

Thanks Mike

[mike1864]

Bill reports that the catch with 40mm mount spacing that I sent him works with the front door (ie B post) of his 4 door.
To close off this query, can other members (with a micrometer!) report whether their car (MM, 2 or 1000, 2 or 4 door) features this 40mm spacing, or 1.5".
2mm doesn't sound much, but it means they are not interchangeable!

[Bill_qaz]

As reference the rear door catch on series 5 4 door is this type, show on ESM site.

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Two different front types are listed.

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[mike1864]

Curious. I don't think the one I'd found had that change of slope on the striking face. But it was 40mm screw spacing, not 1.5".
Bill, does it work?
I wonder why there are two (maybe three?) variants of such a simple part.

[geoberni]

Curious. I don't think the one I'd found had that change of slope on the striking face. But it was 40mm screw spacing, not 1.5".
Bill, does it work?
I wonder why there are two (maybe three?) variants of such a simple part.

Interestingly, there is a difference in the Car/LCV Parts Manuals, but it doesn't correspond with that listed by ESM...
Note, all the drawings are the same, illustrating the notched edge that ESM identify as DCH112

4 Dr Rear, fair enough has a combined Plate-striker and Dovetail handed, RH (AAA 1578) LH (AAA1579)

4 Dr Front..... AAA 3317

2Dr (Saloon/Traveller/Tourer)............AAA 3337

LCV has the same as the 2Dr (despite the door being the same as the front of 4Dr??).

However, while GPO (Postal and Engineering) have the exact same AAA 3337, all other Van/Pickup/Cab have a packing piece under it (not illustrated in the Parts Manual) but given as ADA 2848.

Any thoughts on this from LCV owners?

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And just to throw another spanner in the works, despite the manuals illustrating the notched style, Basil has the straight slope, however one side it flat backed, the other is serrated, i.e saw tooth.

Centre appear to be 38mm / 1.5"

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[Bill_qaz]

I'm attempting to fit the one from mike tomorrow and will let you know, I only measured the 40mm spacing.
I can confirm the one from Mike has the serrated back and single slope.
Someone also mentioned different width of 2 and 4 door front striker.
Hard to tell from only pic I have as it a bit blurred.

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