i am having problems with the drivers side door. it closes properly at first but as soon as i hit the first bump in the road the door seem to pop open. not all the way but it catches on the latch and rattles until a slam it shut . its a never ended battle any ideas. i have a 1959 chevy apache
Scribe around the latch in the position its in now then adjust up a little or down a little and see where its happy. Bob
The latch has 2 positions. I don't know if you are aware of this. I don't mean to insult anyones intelligence here. The best thing to do is open the door and check the action of the latch. Push it with your thumb to simulate what it does when the door closes. It should snap one step, then push again to the fully closed position. Then, gently close the door until you hear the first click, you should have another 1/4" to go before the door closes properly. On the frame the catch assembly has a 'ramp' that the door latch slides up as the action is made. These ramp pieces wear over 50 years and may be causing some of the slop that allows your door to pop open. Good luck Chris
As Chris mentioned , this is a two stage safety latch , careful adjustment of the Striker is very important . I've had pretty good sucess in de-greasing them then soaking in a dilute solution of Phosphoric Acid and water , then dry off and re-lube with white grease from a Foo-Foo can (OSH , Lowe's etc.) . occasionally they simply wear out and you'll need to find a NOS one on Flea-Bay or wherever . I am told there's one good re-pop company for door latches , certainly I've never seen a good one , I wound up buying N.O.S. latches (both sides) after my passenger side door popped open whilst turning left in traffic , good thing SWMBO wasn't riding ! This is one more reason you should install and USE seat belts ! .
