Spitfire door will not open from outside

[tonyl999]

The drivers door on my 79 spitfire 1500 suddenly stopped opening from outside. I have to reach in and open the door using the inside handle. I've removed the door card but can't see anything obvious. Anybody have any suggestions? Thanks. 

Tony

[Graham C]

There is a C shape clip which has a split pin passing through the the top and bottom of the clip. Try pushing the clip up the pin. If this cures the problem secure the clip in place with a electrical chocolate block connector.

Graham

[tonyl999]

1 minute ago, Graham C said:

There is a C shape clip which has a split pin passing through the the top and bottom of the clip. Try pushing the clip up the pin. If this cures the problem secure the clip in place with a electrical chocolate block connector.

Graham

Thanks Graham. I'll give it a try.

[Mjit]

Another one I've had is the pin holding the plastic arm+scren assembly fall out.  Think a split pin fixed that one.

[Pete Lewis]

there is a little yellow clip that breaks and the rod falls out 

the door reemote on many triumphs was made by a sadist  typewriter contortionist  but the spitty has to be the worst

far too many links clips springs slides and it makes meccano seem like rocket science 

some use a hole saw to open up access tot the back ofthe latch 

Pete

[tonyl999]

15 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

there is a little yellow clip that breaks and the rod falls out 

the door reemote on many triumphs was made my a sadist  typewriter controtionist  but the spitty has to be the worst

far too many links clips springs slides and it makes meccano seem like rocket science 

some use a hole saw to open up access tot the back ofthe latch 

Pete

Thanks Pete. I shall look forward to this later!

[tonyl999]

25 minutes ago, Mjit said:

Another one I've had is the pin holding the plastic arm+scren assembly fall out.  Think a split pin fixed that one.

Thanks for this. I shall have a go later.

[Pete Lewis]

the trouble is the access inside is limited  as soon as you stick your hand in you loose sight of what you are attempting 

so a nice big hole in the inner case makes sense 

dont forget the tin of sticky plasters at the ready   we dont like blood 

Pete

[tonyl999]

6 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

the trouble is the access inside is limited  as soon as you stick your hand in you loose sight of what you are attempting 

so a nice big hole in the inner case makes sense 

dont forget the tin of sticky plasters at the ready   we dont like blood 

Pete

Hmm...you're painting a nice picture here Pete!

[Pete Lewis]

well herald  and vitesse have nice flat rods/strips and built for the war  spitty is a combination of coat hangers and odds and sods which if you 

dont photo when removing will never be the same without strong tea and some happy mushrooms   Ha  ! and a good manual to show the breakdown 

of what the heck goes were

then theres the inner lock lever we tried 3d printing  they are now available in metal but i caant find the link  its on here somewhere 

[tonyl999]

27 minutes ago, Pete Lewis said:

well herald  and vitesse have nice flat rods/strips and built for the war  spitty is a combination of coat hangers and odds and sods which if you 

dont photo when removing will never be the same without strong tea and some happy mushrooms   Ha  ! and a good manual to show the breakdown 

of what the heck goes were

then theres the inner lock lever we tried 3d printing  they are now available in metal but i caant find the link  its on here somewhere 

So there is plenty of evidence of previous bodges sorry repairs but these seem to be connected to the locking mechanism rather than the door opening mechanism. I think I will remove the exterior door handle. It's only two nuts. What can possibly go wrong...

[tonyl999]

2 hours ago, tonyl999 said:

So there is plenty of evidence of previous bodges sorry repairs but these seem to be connected to the locking mechanism rather than the door opening mechanism. I think I will remove the exterior door handle. It's only two nuts. What can possibly go wrong...

It turns out it's a black plastic piece that's snapped as in the photos. Both Canley and Rimmer don't give a part number and say you have to buy the complete handle. Anybody know if it is available anywhere? Thanks in anticipation. 

[PeteH]

Looking at it. Some judicious carving of one those nylon blocks used for fixing cabinets might create a usable replacement?

Pete

[tonyl999]

11 minutes ago, PeteH said:

Looking at it. Some judicious carving of one those nylon blocks used for fixing cabinets might create a usable replacement?

Pete

Good idea Pete. If all else fails I may give it a go. Thanks for your help. 

[Pete Lewis]

pretty much all triumph locks are willmot breenen  makes    

not much in spares is listed but they were taken over by http://www.westonbodyhardware.com/wp-content/uploads/WBH-Catalogue-2018-compressedv2.pdf

page 59 shows a similar   idea to the spitty  amybe a call will locate some old parts   ???

pete

[tonyl999]

Hi Pete. Thanks for your latest message. I contacted WBH but they cannot help. They want the original part number (which I cannot locate) and they also have a minimum order number of 25 items.  I have now sent some photos to a 3D printing company to get a quote. It may be a lot cheaper than a new door handle.

[DVD3500]

Surely someplace like Spitfire Graveyard could help?

 

[tonyl999]

3 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

Surely someplace like Spitfire Graveyard could help?

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I had forgotten them. Will try them tomorrow. 

[tonyl999]

So this evening I followed Pete's suggestion and filed down a plastic furniture block. Unfortunately one of the screw holes is in the way but it's quite close to the original (photo attached). I fitted the handle back in the car and it will now open from the outside but only if you turn the key at the same time. I'll try and file some more off tomorrow and see what happens. 

[DVD3500]

Look at this video:

There is a dookickie next to a thingamabob that does a watchmecallit...  Might explain how the key and handle work together,.,,,

[tonyl999]

4 hours ago, DVD3500 said:

Look at this video:

There is a dookickie next to a thingamabob that does a watchmecallit...  Might explain how the key and handle work together,.,,,

Hi. That's very helpful. It's a very good video. Thanks.

[Pete Lewis]

the plastic cam slide is available in metal if you search the orig 3d printing posts 

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

On 26/07/2021 at 19:16, tonyl999 said:

It turns out it's a black plastic piece that's snapped as in the photos.

Where exactly does that piece fit? I can't find a good diagram to show.

[tonyl999]

15 minutes ago, Colin Lindsay said:

Where exactly does that piece fit? I can't find a good diagram to show.

So it's the part marked as number 1 in the attached diagram.

[Colin Lindsay]

Thanks Tony; cheapest complete handle I've found online so far is about £40 so worth looking for that part alone.

Wonder if those handles were ever used on any other car of the period?