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Door pops open whilst driving!


Tipidave

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Hi all

once again looking for some pointers to get me going in the right direction ...

the drivers door on my 1200 convertible will often pop open ( bit disconcerting on round about!) and requires slamming to shut. On initial inspection it looks as though maybe the clasp is not seating all the way down? Also the check strap on the a post seems loose and makes quite a clunky noise ... not sure how to gain access to investigate/ repair... any ideas on either gratefully received 😀👍

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Also check that the locking peg in the door mechanism that engages with the striker plate flips over easily and positively. There is a little spring in there that should give a distinct “over-centre” action. (Flip it to the shut position with a finger, return by pressing the door handle button). Without this they tend not to latch fully and the door pops open.  If found to be sticky, try lining first.

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The striker wedge must be free there is a weeny spring that helps it slide/return, they are not available as replacements

If ones failed its a sh unit or fit  diy concoction of your own

This simple  wedge stops the latch from lifting over the striker with body movements  by taking out any clearance

But belt and braces all proper convertibles have the hasp and tongue as shown earlier.

Pete

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3 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

The striker wedge must be free there is a weeny spring that helps it slide/return, they are not available as replacements

If ones failed its a sh unit or fit  diy concoction of your own

This simple  wedge stops the latch from lifting over the striker with body movements  by taking out any clearance

But belt and braces all proper convertibles have the hasp and tongue as shown earlier.

Pete

Pete

I have often wondered what the slider does, all I knew was that if it was not free to move, the door could open going around corners!

When Heralds were new did you have to slam the door shut to make them close or is it old age (sagging body shells) and misaligned door/bodies? 
I guess I need to go to the TSSC offices and play with the cars in the display.....

Mike

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Mike, i had a1959 948 herald in 1966 I dont remember having to slam the doors but if I had the body would have left the chassis

It was all as rotten as possible managed to keep it rolling till 68 and sold it  for £65  still cant remember how the doors shut

Try the showroom cars is good idea but they might be suffering lack of use symptons   , bit too far  away to  dash up and try some 

Many hard to shut are down to having been sold the wrong section door seal  

Its a flip seal not a balloon ,

Best place for a selection of designs is c o baines , who make all these type of seals (There are others)

https://coh-baines.co.uk

Pete

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1 hour ago, Pete Lewis said:

Many hard to shut are down to having been sold the wrong section door seal  

Its a flip seal not a balloon ,

Just a simple flap seal, how I miss Rarebits4classics for excellent stuff like that. Thankfully I bought a roll of the stuff from Bill for my 1200 that I haven't used yet, so can fall back on that.

Round or oval seal won't allow the doors to close properly.

One question Dave - is it a genuine factory convertible or a saloon conversion?

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In answer to question it is a genuine convertible. 

I may be being very dumb... but what is the slider and the wedge that have been mentioned .... I have manually  tested the peg and I am pretty sure that it is behaving correctly. Bit of resistance and then snaps down with a satisfying clunk. Use of button then raises it back up.

Could it be as simple as a worn striker plate?  

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The slider is on the aluminium part on the B post. At the bottom. It is supposed to easily slide, and takes up any play. 

A few squirts of WD40 and poking it with a screwdriver should get it moving easily, then a bit of oil every now and again.

But you haven't answered about teh anti burst catches. Without them the door gaps can open up (alarmingly so) if they  are not fitted.

You may also need to adjust door hinges to more the door back a little, or indeed up/down. 

It is useful to watch the doorgaps as you (actually an assistant is better/safer) drive around and see what is happening. 

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5 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

Mike, i had a1959 948 herald in 1966 I dont remember having to slam the doors but if I had the body would have left the chassis

It was all as rotten as possible managed to keep it rolling till 68 and sold it  for £65  still cant remember how the doors shut

Try the showroom cars is good idea but they might be suffering lack of use symptons   , bit too far  away to  dash up and try some 

Many hard to shut are down to having been sold the wrong section door seal  

Its a flip seal not a balloon ,

Best place for a selection of designs is c o baines , who make all these type of seals (There are others)

https://coh-baines.co.uk

Pete

Hi Pete, this is what I’ve got on my Vitesse. Would this explain having to slam the door to shut ?

6507D32A-8C0B-4E6D-851F-9464ACAC202C.thumb.jpeg.b2fbfdff89a6926366bdd62eca3b9d53.jpeg

Paul

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The preferred / original type was a single rubber flap, along the lines of the one in the photo below. Some of the versions of the tubular / round type are too thick, and won't allow the door to close sufficiently tightly, so that either the door sits proud of the bodywork, or else won't engage the locks at all.

flaptrim.jpg.f04b65a328644b85448f1d01481e29c6.jpg

 

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36 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

The preferred / original type was a single rubber flap, along the lines of the one in the photo below. Some of the versions of the tubular / round type are too thick, and won't allow the door to close sufficiently tightly, so that either the door sits proud of the bodywork, or else won't engage the locks at all.

flaptrim.jpg.f04b65a328644b85448f1d01481e29c6.jpg

 

Sounds like what I have. Can the one above still be purchased ?

Paul

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Seems so, that photo was taken off the net a few minutes before my post. I tried a Bing search for 'flap seal rubber door trim' and got dozens of results.

A firm called East Kent Trim Supplies seems to stock for the Herald - see profile 134 at the bottom right.

http://www.classiccar-trim.com/phdi/p1.nsf/supppages/eastkent?opendocument&part=4

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33 minutes ago, Tipidave said:

Sorry not to answer... yes I have got the anti burst catches! 😀👍

i have found the slider frees it off and put some moly slip grease on it... seems fine with a good spring return . 

The catch of the antiburst (ie not the hook part) should also slide easily. Again check/lubricate. And check it engages!(seen one recently that doesn't, and needs "something" doing as the hook is tilted on the doorframe)

I have also had to put packig behind the catch part on the bpost if the doors would not adjust enough.

Some pictures may help (but tricky to show the "almost engaged" position)

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31 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

When i first ran  into bubble  seal problems I first did a bodge,  ie ran a stanley blade to slit one side of the bubble

Its not easy to cut it neatly but makes a great difference to door slamming

Pete

 

Hi Pete , good idea . I’m going to remove the seal initially to see if the “bubble” is causing the problem

Paul

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18 hours ago, clive said:

I have also had to put packig behind the catch part on the bpost if the doors would not adjust enough.

Some pictures may help (but tricky to show the "almost engaged" position)

I don't think anyone's Herald will ever be as bad as one of mine from a few years back.... now THAT'S what I call packing...

doorgap-1.jpg.33b16a9f6acc8267f43226dd90f944ab.jpg bpostcatch.jpg.075dcfcb40371aebc559574ce97a0d84.jpg

 

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