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Re: [Healeys] BT7stuck door latch

To: "'datsun-roadsters@autox.team.net'"
Subject: Re: [Healeys] BT7stuck door latch
From: Charlie Baldwin <mgcharlie@comcast.net>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2010 09:59:28 -0400
Charlie,
You got the solution!  I'm going to change your terms a bit to explain 
the problem further.  To me the strike is the thing being struck by the 
plunger.  The strike is the thing mounted on the body of the car in the 
door jamb of the B pillar.  The plunger is the thing with the beveled 
end that engages with the strike and inside the mechanism inside the 
door.  There is a lever that both the interior and exterior handles 
interact with to push the plunger toward the front of the car to unlatch 
the door.
The problem as you have explained is the small tang that the lever uses 
to move the plunger can break off.  The reason that it breaks off is 
that the wrong material was used to make the plunger.  The originals 
were made of steel, probably machined from a block.  In the after market 
ones available today which look very nice and match the look and size of 
the originals perfectly, the plunger is cast and then machined.  From 
the gray color of it, it appears to be cast iron, which of course is 
quite brittle and a horrible application for a part like this.  Where it 
broke one can easily see from the graininess that it is cast.  The 
originals are a nice silver colored steel.
Cont. on second email

Charles Ulrich wrote:
> I just went through this with my BT7.  Problem was the aftermarket latch
> mechanism.  The striker has a tang on the inboard end which broke off, leaving
> the striker engaged while all the rest of the mechanism seems to work.  We had
> to completely remove the latch mechanism, which isn't easy with the striker
> engaged.  Then we replaced the aftermarket striker with an old one.
> Hopefully, you didn't throw away your original!  Good luck!  Charlie Ulrich
> _________________________________________________________________

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mgcharlie.vcf]
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