Door latch stuck

[fusion]

I am finishing up a very long total rebuild of a 1976 280z.  I have hung the doors back on the body and am putting the door hardware back in.  The latch mechanisms came with the car and appeared to work well, although I got the car as a roller and really didn't open and close the doors much before the complete teardown.  I thoroughly cleaned the mechanism, fully oiled every joint and reinstalled.  All door hinges totally rebuilt.

The striker plate that came with the car had a broken spring so I purchased aftermarket strikers from Zcardepot.  I mounted the striker and spacer plate to the body. 

I have no weatherstripping on the car yet.  Door locks not installed either.

I started with the passenger door and it seemed to dial in quickly without any drama. 

The driver's door, however, had plenty of drama.

Initially the door would go into the striker like one click but not fully. I kept trying to move the striker around but wasn't sure what the strategy was other than trial and error. 

I had been fairly gently closing the door into the striker but wasn't seeming to get anywhere so I closed it very firmly and it latched.  Hooray - or so I thought.

I lifted the door handle to open the door but the latch didn't release.  I reached in to open the inner handle and same thing.  I looked inside the door at the mechanism and the pawl (what I am calling the piece with the spring wrapped around it) had not rotated back even though the lever that connects to the door handle was raised up.  

I have to say after 45 minutes of trying to rotate the pawl back using various tools with no success I was getting a little panicked.  I was finally able to wedge my arm in the right place with a screwdriver on the stop arm and get some leverage on it and it released.

With the door open, the mechanism in the door rotates easily with my finger and locks in place.  When I lift the door handle it snaps back as expected.

I'm wondering if the clock spring is too weak or maybe I had the striker in just the wrong spot to cause this? 

Can I unhook the clock spring where it hooks into that little tab (sitting at about 1oclock in the picture) and make an extra wrap to get more spring tension?

Are the striker spacers always used?  

What is the strategy for positioning the striker plate?

Any other thoughts or comments are appreciated. 

 

Thanks

 

 

Edited July 26 by fusion

[grannyknot]

Try raising or lowering the receiver/strike plate slightly, sometimes the latch on the door will ride up and jam.

[zKars]

Lube the liveing daylights out of it, especially the outside bit that comes in contact with the striker. Operate by hand until it works like butter. 

Alignment wise, the C shaped opening into the striker where the door latch has to fit through as you close it is fairly close tolerance, as long as it go more or less straight into the striker you have that part right. It’s the in-out alignment that determines how your door fit flush wise. Will have to weather strip on to complete that alignment. And then if your door hinge pins are sloppy the door might have to be lifted a bit to get into the latch cleanly. 

[cgsheen1]

I also don't see the dovetail body piece (10-  ASSY-DOWN STOPPER DO(OR) 80581-E4100) below the door striker. Not necessarily a must but definitely a help as it also can provide a little push to open the door and also help with the alignment of the door to the body. 

As noted above, it's the alignment of the striker in relation to the door latch that is the problem. The rotating latch should never end up jammed against the striker or it won't be able to turn (rotate) and release. The striker on the body needs to be aligned so the round latch doesn't touch it's sides - only the lobe(s) coming out of the latch. The oblong lobe should contact the striker first and begin the rotation of the latch that's necessary for the door to close and reopen properly. When aligned properly, the round lobe rotates and comes to rest in that bottom groove on the striker when the door is closed. The lobe is the only part of the latch that should be contacting the striker. (There are two lobes - one with a rounded end - the other is oblong. The oblong lobe contacts the striker first (and from the factory has a hard-ish rubber covering which is generally non-existent in most Z's after 40+ years of use)) If you had x-ray vision, you could see all this first hand...

 

 

To recreate the factory oblong lobe covering, I use a piece of 3/8" plastic tubing first cut to length the width of the oblong lobe, then slit down the length of the tubing and pulled apart to create a "C" which can be slipped over the oblong lobe. This adds the width the factory intended and helps the door to close and latch smoothly. Research "Slamming Door Issue" for info. 

Edited July 26 by cgsheen1

[fusion]

Thanks guys. 

@cgsheen1, any pictures of the lobe covering? 

[Terrapin Z]

Steve sells a kit for the mechanism. 

https://www.240zrubberparts.com/product-page/240z-lock-mechanism-set

[Patcon]

Steve's website very often shows out of stock but he will make them on order. All of his parts are hand made here in the US

[fusion]

Thanks guys.  Do the other parts other than the lobe cover make a worthwhile difference?  

I'd be interested in making my own lobe cover, looks like from the 240zrubberparts picture a piece of 3/8 fuel hose would work?

[cgsheen1]

If DIY - 3/8" plastic tubing works best (will last longest and easiest to replace if you need) - think plumbing supplies. Doesn't matter if it's poly or PEX but you're looking for slightly flexible - NOT vinyl or rubber.

something like this (maybe home depot, lowes, or ace hardware): https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3%2F8+od+tubing+water+line&crid=4Z2MEURM8G1N&sprefix=3%2F8+tubing+water%2Caps%2C174&ref=nb_sb_ss_ab-sx-reranking-v3-desktop_3_16

https://www.homedepot.com/s/3%2F8" poly tube?NCNI-5

https://www.homedepot.com/p/3-8-in-O-D-x-20-in-PEX-Toilet-Riser-with-Plastic-Compression-Sleeve-P1-20DL-F/100552807 (yup, plastic supply tube for toilet (closet (as in water closet)) or lavatory (as in bathroom sink) or kitchen sink (as in kitchen sink...))

Edited July 31 by cgsheen1