Progess Door Latch

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.

These notes are to be used with the supplied drawing.

Dimension A is the total length of the latch holding stud above the base plate. This
dimension is determined by fitting a thin nylon washer for a little friction, a plated
washer, the latch, another plated washer and finally the stainless steel (for polishing)
acorn nut. The acorn nut should be snug and the latch should be able to move back and
forth in the slotted hole but still be tight enough that it does not flop around and will store
in the upright position. You may encounter a little interference between the hidem strip
above the striker, I did. I solved this by tacking the hidem strip down to the panel and
adjusting the first plated washers thickness to move the latch higher on the stud.
 

Dimension B is the length from the stud to the front edge of the hook in the latch and this
is the dimension that creates the locking feature. This is likely to vary slightly from car
to car because of the door gap. Install the base plate on the upper portion of the striker
and measure from the stud to the rear edge of the door handle. This will allow the latch to
swivel down behind the door handle and then you can push it forward (slotted hole) to
latch the door handle. There should be about 1/8" movement back and forth in the latch.
 

The only really important dimensions in this entire project are the holes in the base plate
and dimension B. The base plate must use the existing striker attachment screws. If
dimension B is too large it may allow the door handle to move too far back before
engaging the latch and this will allow the door lock to "unlock".

The image below is a thumbnail that will expand if clicked.