Boot lock striker plate problems

[jagnut66]

Hi,
Has anyone done any adaptions to their boot lock striker plate?
No matter how I adjust mine conventionally, namely via the bolts, the lock refuses to catch it properly and the lid can easily be pulled open , even when it's locked.
Obviously the lock is in its original position.
It has a new weather strip around the rim (body not lid) but surely that just means you'd adjust the striker plate to suit, at least that's what I did on my old two door and that locked fine (and stayed shut) after.
I'm at a bit of a loss as to what to try next, I even bought a new replacement from a certain well known supplier but that's even worse than the original (not even sure it's meant to be for a Minor).
Thanks and best wishes,
Mike.

[Sleeper]

Mike

Could be time to take the backseat back out and torch in hand squirrel down to se what's happening?

John ;-)

[simmitc]

Has the car had any restoration work? I have seen his problem where either the panel(s) around the opening or the the lid itself have been repaired, and the correct alignment has not been achieved. If the angles are not correct, then the lock will not properly engage. Also, if the lock is worn, then it will not be secure, so it may be worth replacing the lock as well as the plate.

[jagnut66]

Hi,
Well I slept on this overnight and came to the same conclusion as 'sleeper', I popped the clip at the top of the back seat and dropped the back down.
As you can see, despite my efforts it was only catching on the edge.

Sally's boot lock and striker plate adjustment 1.JPG (46.29 KiB) Viewed 1357 times

This explained why it only just caught and could be easily 'pulled' open, even when locked.
So the first thing to address was the striker plate.
As 'simmitc' already guessed, this area was subject to a replacement bottom section (below the boot lid) and whilst I can't say whether it really shut and locked any better beforehand, I certainly wasn't going to start cutting it all apart again to try and realign it at this late stage, not unless there was no other option anyway.
Now I required the plate to move sideways but the only movement from the captive plate in the bodywork, that the bolts screw into, is up and down.
The striker plate holes allow some sideways adjustment but not much.
So I extended them, tried again, extended them some more and then fine tuned the adjustment, until I was happy with where it sat and that the locks latch was now fully engaged. To reinforce it where I had enlarged the oblong holes on the end to the point that there wasn't one anymore , I made a double holed plate that tied both side bolts together and reinforced their grip when fully tightened down, so that there is no flex or movement of the (redesigned) striker plate.

Sally's boot lock and striker plate adjustment 2.JPG (178.95 KiB) Viewed 1357 times

Sally's boot lock and striker plate adjustment 3.JPG (615.18 KiB) Viewed 1357 times

Next, thinking on 'simmitc' comments on the lock itself, I took a look at it.
I found that the 'wobbly' movement of the latch can be adjusted out by tightening the central slot headed screw, which in my case proved to be loose.
However, as this would move over time with the opening and closing of the lock, weakening it again, I decided this might last better with the addition of a suitably sized star washer.
It always pays to hoard spares, even old nuts bolts and washers.......
Something to note here, is that when I Carefully undid this screw, I found that it already has a small star washer that sits in the hole, so if you adjust one yourself be careful not to lose this, it's very small and does come out (or fall out) with the screw.
So back in went the slot screw, with two star washers now, one that sits in the hole and the new (old) one that (hopefully) grips the head of the screw and holds it in place, now that it has been firmly tightened back up.

Sally's boot lock and striker plate adjustment 4.JPG (606.8 KiB) Viewed 1357 times

The boot lid now shuts, holds shut and locks.
And needs a key to open it again, just as it should..........
Phew!!
Best wishes,
Mike.

[jagnut66]

As a side issue, I thought I'd raise something that I have mentioned before, regarding safety on older design boot lids, like mine, that have a static prop stay to hold it open rather than the later sliding version that locks in place.
As we know, the early one slots into a hole by the edge of the boot opening and can be very prone to being knocked out or blown out by gusts of wind, whilst the last one can cause damage to the boot lid itself, the usual thing it then lands on (and I know this from painful experience) is your head.....
OUCH! would be an understatement.......
So I have drilled a small hole in mine, through which passes an 'R' clip, which holds it in place very well.
And saves on the aspirin.....
Best wishes,
Mike.

Sally's boot lid stay safety R clip 1.JPG (578.07 KiB) Viewed 1341 times

Sally's boot lid stay safety R clip 2.JPG (563.68 KiB) Viewed 1341 times

Sally's boot lid stay safety R clip 3.JPG (585.1 KiB) Viewed 1341 times

[simmitc]

Excellent work. As well as star washers, Loctite can be used to secure the screw. Although a completely different mechanism, I added star washers to secure the locks on the rear doors of the Travellers.