One Small Success!

The passenger door latch is operating as designed, so I guess I can claim some degree of success!


It’s been a frustrating process, but the passenger latch now opens with both the outside and inside handles. Before I install it permanently, I want to remove it to adjust one end of one cable, so the latch opens slightly earlier in the handle travel. Right now it releases in the final quarter inch of movement. At least the inside handle works beautifully and releases at half-travel!


 The good news is that the oddball design functions quite well, but the bad news is that the hardware is seriously crammed together in a small space and I’m concerned about possible chafing of the cable jacket with time and normal vibrations from driving. The contact is bad enough that I’ve decided to make additional changes in the driver’s side actuator to reduce the package size and allow minor cable rerouting.  I’m a little worried that those changes could increase the cable pull-force too much, but I have to give it a try since the driver’s door will require more reliability and built-in adjustments than the passenger door, which does not get as much use.


For now, I’m busy fabricating the mirror-image metal parts for the other door and will probably postpone the actuator re-design while I test and evaluate the function of the first one.

The Problematic Latch Mechanisms

The smallest things so often create the biggest problems! I’m still fighting the problem of trying to fit my homegrown door latch controls inside the tiny door space I’m stuck with. I’ve redesigned, rebuilt and miniaturized parts wherever I can, but I’m getting frustrated!

I’ve been trying to avoid using electrical controls like door poppers, but I may be forced into doing so if my latest design won’t operate properly.


My wife did such a good job of hiding her GoPro camera, she hasn’t been able to find it yet, so I’m still playing with my crappy Canon. After resetting everything yet again, I was able to get a couple of pictures to focus, but it seems to change settings by itself while it sits in the drawer.  

Bear claw latch with adapter to operate inside and outside handles individually.

Outside handle actuator mechanism to convert door handle push rod to cable pulling action. 

Maybe I’m doing something wrong with the camera, but it seems that the more things a device can do, the more unreliable it is, and I don’t need or want most of the features available on what is supposed to be a very simple, basic camera for technically-challenged operators like me.

Return from Zombie-land

Ten days lost to the flu, and still not 100%, but a whole lot better than I was a week ago! I lost ten pounds since the flu hit, and I'm now at the low side of my target weight. I'll have to start eating again.

It's been years since I had the flu, even those years when I didn't have a shot. I had planned to get one this fall, but the bug beat me to it. Now I'm behind all the normal work required to own and maintain a home, so not much time to spend on the car project. Since I can only sneak in an hour or two in the shop when the wife isn't looking, I've not been able to start any bigger jobs.

There were some tolerance issues with the door latch setup, so I've had to re-make some of the parts, and that's been the focus since feeling well enough to do some light work. The biggest problem has been designing and fabricating parts that will fit in the cramped area between the window channel and the door sheet metal. It's the proverbial 50 pounds in a 49 pound bag! I'm anxious to finish the replacement parts to see if I resolved the clearance issues.

Tried taking pictures again after fiddling with the settings on my crappy Canon camera, but still can't get the dang thing to work right. I really need to talk the wife out of her GoPro!

This is the only picture that was even close to being in focus.

By next week, the weather should be cooler and more comfortable to work with the big overhead door open, and by then I should be caught up with the yard work...or maybe I'm being too optimistic!