51 b3b left door latch springs

[gramps1951]

hi folks my left door latch springs broke has anyone here been able to locate the springs or has anyone here come up with a quick fix for his problem? thanks neil.

[Desotodav]

We talked about door latch springs a while back Neil. I attached a photo of the 3 latch springs at #31 in this thread... http://p15-d24.com/topic/32792-door-latch-repair/page-2?hl=+door%20+latch%20+spring . I found that I could have stainless steel replica springs made but they were going to be pricey.

 

You might find that this Ebay seller over your way may have something that will help you... http://stores.ebay.com/Joes-Auto-Door-Lock-Springs?_trksid=p2047675.l2563 .

Edited November 9, 2013 by Desotodav

[gramps1951]

thanks i'll check it out beats a rope.

[HanksB3B]

Extremely difficult part to find.  Best bet is to find an old door mechanism.

 

A picture could help,

 

Hank   

[gramps1951]

if I find another latch that spring will most likely fail in time

[gramps1951]

looks like this setup

[HanksB3B]

True, everything fails in time, but you are not going to find a new one unless it is custom made.

 

Hank 

[Desotodav]

Neil, those door latches (in that photo that you attached) are a couple that I sent to Hank a short time ago. I would imagine that they are a little rare in the USA as they are made for a left side external door lock (the same as Jeff recently fitted to his truck). Your latches will be similar to those, but I need to establish which spring you need before I can help you further - check your PM box as I sent you a message.

[gramps1951]

I have returned your message thanks. neil

[gramps1951]

my actual  latch

[HanksB3B]

That looks to be about as well used a door mechanism as I've ever seen.  

 

Hank 

[Jeff Balazs]

Yes finding replacement springs for one of these is sort of like the quest for the Holy Grail. And not the funny one either!

Fortunately the Aussie version was a perfect fit. The only difference was the size of the mounting screws at the inside handle. No big deal. Thanks again Davin.

 

I tried quite a few sources and all I drew was a blank. Even tried making springs from ones that looked close with only moderate results. This is just not an easy fix.

 

Jeff

[Desotodav]

Looks just like an old truck door latch without springs to me Neil   - PM returned.

 

No worries Jeff. I think that fella on Ebay that I posted the link to would be the most likely source for latch springs as he seems to have plenty of different ones in stock - I don't have any affiliation with him, but I'm glad that there are people like him around!

 

I was working on having these door latch spring sets made in stainless a while ago and have decided to have a limited amount of them made soon. I just need to have the Springmaker do a bit more work on getting one of the springs an exact match for the original and then we're good to go. I'll post again when they are available to those in need, but imagine that they will run in the vicinity of around $10 per spring.

[Jeff Balazs]

Davin;

That is a bargain compared to the effort I put in without getting a solution. I tried several vendors and while some had springs that looked as if they would work......none were correct. Most just said sorry charlie.

I am sure others will agree with me and applaud your efforts at getting these made. The mechanism I took out just needs these springs to be useful to someone else for a long time to come.

 

Jeff

[Desotodav]

That is a bargain compared to the effort I put in without getting a solution. I tried several vendors and while some had springs that looked as if they would work......none were correct. Most just said sorry charlie.

 

 

I certainly had some fun tracking down someone that could make them here in Oz. It's funny, the two Springmaker's that I have used actually enjoy these sorts of jobs as they treat them as a "challenge".

I spoke with the Springmaker this morning and he will have the door latch spring sets made up for me - they will be an exact replica of the original ones (but in stainless steel). I told him that I might be in USA in early April 2014 yet, so they need to be ready by then. 

[gramps1951]

even tho I have my left door now fixed I would buy a couple of sets for backup. thanks. neil

[Jeff Balazs]

Davin

Btw : That ebay vendor was one of the ones I contacted with no luck. As it is with so many of the things we need for our trucks.....these vendors have everything.......but the stuff we need.

 

As a sidenote my son in law and I spent about 3 hours carefully browsing the Long Beach Swap meet today. The sum total of our Pilothouse specific finds was one hubcap. I could have easily built several similar vintage chevy trucks from the parts and reproductions I saw laying about. Oh yes I did get a reprint of a 51-52 B-3-C Drivers manual for my glovebox........but that doesn't really count as they are easy to find.

 

Jeff

[ggdad1951]

I certainly had some fun tracking down someone that could make them here in Oz. It's funny, the two Springmaker's that I have used actually enjoy these sorts of jobs as they treat them as a "challenge".

I spoke with the Springmaker this morning and he will have the door latch spring sets made up for me - they will be an exact replica of the original ones (but in stainless steel). I told him that I might be in USA in early April 2014 yet, so they need to be ready by then. 

 

Davin, I too would get a few springs JIC for my trucks!   Are you going to visit Minnesota if you hop the small lake?

[Desotodav]

Davin, I too would get a few springs JIC for my trucks!   Are you going to visit Minnesota if you hop the small lake?

I'll post when I get the door latch springs in Mark. I hadn't realized that they would be so hard to find over your way. I figured that you'd want some of the door latch springs as you have at least one set of every other different spring that I've had made so far 

I have given thought to visiting over your side of the world to make the BBQ next year. I've organised vacation time from work already, but have a few factors that may prevent me from travelling abroad yet. The BBQ is definitely on my wish list though - be it 2014 or 2015? There are many member's over that way who I would really enjoy meeting. I need to start training though as I reckon that Hank will have me riding some grueling mountain bike challenges with him soon after I arrive!