Door Catches

This page owes its existence to experiences from members of the UKMGBBS and reports such as,"...About a mile from home at 50 mph whoosh. Passenger opens clear to the fender. Not good. Of course the stop is broken, fender scuffed, door creased and door paint fubar. Should have listened to those with the safety catch's. ..." Such was the experience of LED Downey.

Here's a suggestion:

Some time ago there was a discussion on door stops on the TD-TF web site. I am using marine drawer locks (for lack of a better name !) which have worked out very well. I also have the additional benefit that I can lock the passenger door when the tonneau is on.

Later identified by Gene Fodor as:
  They are called "Anti-Rattle Fastener". P/N 2221101
distributed by the SeaDog Line.  the nice part about them is that you can
also put a locking device (small lock) through it and it cannot be opened.

And another:

Click Here to view the full copy of the article as presented in The Southeastern Mg T Register mgTalk of October 1988.

Jim Merz, Missouri, USA
The 2" Chrome surface slide bolt is no longer available from National.

I finally found the 2" Chrome Plated Brass Surface Bolts at http://houseofantiquehardware.com
Select Door Hardware, then Door Accessories, Click on Door Bolts and scroll to the bottom of the page to the 2" items. 
Select the finish ( Polished Chrome)  The cost is $7.39 each plus shipping.

And, from Laverne Downey:

another view

And, from Bob Jeffers:

These pictures show security latches added at the factory in Abingdon to a 1936 (?) TA now owned by Dick Little. This car is shown on the cover of the December 2005 TSO. The cycle fenders were also added at the factory when the car was built.

And, this from John Progess: (Note: John's details can be seen at ProgessDoorLatch.htm)

I am sending you pictures of the lock/latch I made to solve the problem in a recent BBS question. I set out to make a latch that would lock the door and also prevent the door from opening in case the latch vibrated and or the frame flexed and let the door latch come loose from the striker. I was concerned that if someone could opened the door with some kind of secondary latch installed it could tweak the door and/or break the latch. We all know how easy it is to get these doors out of alignment. I also did not want to drill any holes in the car or make it unsightly. It is made from stainless steel so it polishes easily and is cheap. The latch base attaches on top of the striker upper flange using the existing screws. When the door is closed and the latch is rotated over the door pull handle the door is locked as the latch prevents you from pulling the door handle back.

And, from Gordon Clark:

I haven't yet installed my safety latches. These are extendable rubber "pull-over" fasteners I think made by Hillman Fastener, that I got from a truck supply company, and they appear to be quite robust. I do have the hardware, and I will send you pix of that. But I will certainly mount the small clip on the body side - probably just above the latch assembly, and the rubber part securing part, on the door. (images not thumbnails)
 

The latest (2/5/2012) is from Larry Shoer: (updated 8/28/2012)

It’s too cold to drive or work very long in the garage.  I did just complete one small project I thought you might add to the T-Talk Technical/Door Catches section.  I installed a pair of door clasps that Klaus Harthof fabricates in Germany.  They are simple, elegant, substantial, and look like they will work well.  Attached are pictures of the clasps.  At the pivot point Klaus inserts a rivet and backing washer.  The chrome door lock assembly screw tightens against the rivet, allowing the arm to pivot easily between the locked and unlocked position.  

 I needed to get two different length clasps from Klaus because the required arm length was significantly different on the two doors.  I recommend a person ordering these clasps from Klaus specify the distance shown in the attachment (“Passenger Door Measurement.jpg”).  [Note that this picture shows a clasp which is too short.  It isn’t able to go over the knob handle.]

 One other refinement I made was to file the backside edges of the clasp as these very lightly graze the hidem.  The edges were a little sharp and I didn’t want them to damage the hidem.

 At last report, Klaus was selling the clasps for 18 Euros and 6 Euros shipping costs to the US.  Klaus can be reached at klaus.harthof@t-online.de

Added 8/28/2012:

The stock Klaus used is substantial (0.077" or 2 mm thick). It appears bright chrome and is a ferrous metal.

The distance of 7.43 cm is a critical distance in that the bend at the end of the pivoting link must clear the chrome knob that operates the door. The 7.43 cm arm was too short for my doors (as can be seen in the picture). (I have a spare set of links that have a span in this area of 6.6 cm and 7.4 cm, respectively. I suspect the car-to-car variation can be substantial.)

Other dimensions of the piece are as follows:
Width: 15.2 mm;
Distance across the riveted section parallel to the long length: 17.4 mm;
Step at the rivet: 11.25 mm;
Bent end that captures the door operator knob: 17.3 mm

Note the cupping in the link that goes around the knob.

I filed the edges of the links so that if the link accidentally brushed the side it would not cut the door trim.

All credit for this design belongs to Klaus Harthof.

More will be added as they show up.  If you have a favorite, please send it me and I'll add to the list.