Outside door locks on pilothouses - am I crazy or what?

[TrampSteer]

OK, now that I have a running truck I am starting to see more of the details that I missed before. Things smaller than the frame that had to be replaced. Today's problem stems from nearly locking myself out after 50 miles on the odometer.

 

There was the sudden memory recalled from my youth of HOW to lock the door. Then the slightly scarier problem when there was no lock on the driver door. Thankfully the passenger door was still unlocked - because the key didn't fit the lock that was there.

The whole thing got me to thinking. Why is there is no door lock on the driver door? It doesn't look like it is shaved and finished. So I went on-line here and after looking at nearly a hundred trucks, I only ever saw one door lock on the left side - and that was a Fargo. So I still have not found one on the driver's side.

 

Am I seeing this right? There were no key locks for the driver's side? Anyone know what the reasoning behind this would be? If you were only putting on one outside accessible lock I would have thought it would be on the passenger side but I would have been wrong.

 

I'd love to hear even a decent made-up story.

Mike

 

 

[Young Ed]

It was (and still is most places) illegal to enter a car from the street. So they only put the lock on the pass side. You were intended to push the handle forward scoot across and then lock the pass door from the outside. Good news for you you can't lock the doors without an external key.

[BigDaddyO]

If you ever watch old movies especially from the 40's and 50's, they all get in and out of the passenger (right) door.

[Desotodav]

Have a chat to Jeff if you get a chance Mike. He installed a door lock mechanism that I sent over to him from Oz so that he could have a driver's side door lock - our external door locks are in the left door of the trucks here in Australia.

If you are keen to undertake the project, I'm sure that Hank still has a couple of them that my mate Peter dropped off to him when he flew over to CA.

[Dodgeb4ya]

It was (and still is most places) illegal to enter a car from the street. So they only put the lock on the pass side. You were intended to push the handle forward scoot across and then lock the pass door from the outside. Good news for you you can't lock the doors without an external key.

I'd love to see the law enforce the never enter a car fron the street side on a typical modern bucket seat car!

[HanksB3B]

Have a chat to Jeff if you get a chance Mike. He installed a door lock mechanism that I sent over to him from Oz so that he could have a driver's side door lock - our external door locks are in the left door of the trucks here in Australia.

If you are keen to undertake the project, I'm sure that Hank still has a couple of them that my mate Peter dropped off to him when he flew over to CA.

 

That's true, I do.

 

Hank 

[Young Ed]

I'd love to see the law enforce the never enter a car fron the street side on a typical modern bucket seat car!

Oh I completely agree. There's no way I could do it regularly in our Mazda 6. I think the only time the law comes into play is if you are stupid and open your door in front of an oncoming car and get hit.

[Jeff Balazs]

Mike;

Don't do it. I kind of like having the only Pilothouse in the world with factory door locks on both sides.

Actually it is a pretty easy conversion.....just have to drill 3 holes.

 

Jeff

[ggdad1951]

if set up CORRECT, it should be IMPOSSIBLE to lock your keys in a PH truck.  You have to lift the drivers handle to lock it, and if you do, the door should NOT be able close it with the handle in the "locked" position.  Then of course you can ONLY lock the passenger side with the key.

[Jeff Balazs]

if set up CORRECT, it should be IMPOSSIBLE to lock your keys in a PH truck.  You have to lift the drivers handle to lock it, and if you do, the door should NOT be able close it with the handle in the "locked" position.  Then of course you can ONLY lock the passenger side with the key.

True enough. But it is much more practical to have a key lock on the drivers side......at least in the environment Mike and I live in. with the possible exception of parallel parking on PCH during the summer I can't think of any situation where it would be better to have to use the passenger side to exit.

 

Jeff

[Young Ed]

True enough. But it is much more practical to have a key lock on the drivers side......at least in the environment Mike and I live in. with the possible exception of parallel parking on PCH during the summer I can't think of any situation where it would be better to have to use the passenger side to exit.

 

Jeff

Jeff even with adding your extra exterior lock you still can't lock your keys in the truck. If you flip the handle forward and shut the door it unlocks again.

[Jeff Balazs]

Jeff even with adding your extra exterior lock you still can't lock your keys in the truck. If you flip the handle forward and shut the door it unlocks again.

That is correct. Not really a key or lock out issue.

What is nice is to be able to walk up to your truck when it is locked and just open the drivers door. I am in the habit of leaving the passenger side locked when I am running solo. Trust me when you live in the land of parking lots and parking structures this just works a lot better than the original configuration.

 

Jeff

[NiftyFifty]

I was working on remote keyless locks, but I cheaped out on the actuators and the main one burnt out in my test and fit phaze. I see that as a better option then the original door locks, but you need a strong actuator and then to build a way to release if your battery dies or you lost a remote

[48Dodger]

Living out in the boondocks for so long, I get some bad habits.

 

I leave the keys on the floorboard when I get home, and every now and then leave them in the ignition.

 

Last week...during the day...I left the keys in the ign for many many hours. Does it ding? Yes. Did I listen? no.

 

Does Stockton have a higher crime rate then Los Angeles??...yeees.

 

geeesh.

 

48D

[pflaming]

Yep, I hear Stockton is 'chop shop' capitol of CA. Whatever, ON LOCK SAMS has the best Chinese food ever. Love their prawns in a black bean sauce. tip: their parking lots have high fences and on the site guards. Take no chances there.

Edited September 25, 2014 by pflaming

[DJ194950]

48d, where you live I can understand leaving keys in for any amount of time.

 

Stockton or even Lodi   -Not a chance!

 

Good ol Stockton where anything/everything needs to be locked down/tied down. used to work there for 3 years. At work cars where parked behind the building out of site. One car stolen from the lot when I worked there.

 

For the out of state-er's- Stockton,Ca, = Made #1 or 2 nationwide, auto theft, foreclosures. unemployment, murders per # of pop. Also largest city bankrupt city in US before Detroit.

Glad I don't live closer!

And I don't work there anymore.

Tim's place is very rural and Quiet!.

 

DJ

[Jerry Roberts]

I live in Stockton . I have a long walk and feed the birds every morning . I am 67 years old and 165 pounds . A few days ago while feeding the birds a big guy cussed me out . He is about 45 - 50 years old and about 280 pounds with a lot of muscle . I feed the birds near a marina and he didn't like cleaning the bird poop off from his sailboat . He didn't even say please don't feed the birds , just started right in with his cussing me , a stranger to him .  I didn't say peep as I thought that he might attack me physically . I will continue to feed the birds and when I next see him I will try to get his boat and dock number and perhaps a name as well . I will then report this incident to the police and the marina office . I do like Stockton though , having moved here from the frozen north about 35 years ago . 

[DJ194950]

Weather is Ok, too. Nice delta breeze, better than Modesto 30 miles south somewhat but not too cold mostly.

 

One good thing if your talking downtown marina is the P.D. office is 2 blocks away!  Others not so much. Not many cops left after the Bankruptcy.

 

Enjoy your bird feeding!

 

DJ

 

Sorry to get so OT! to all!

[TrampSteer]

Thanks Ed, Daddyo: I would NEVER have guessed that. It does make a weird kind of sense. Now I have to watch Chinatown again. Lot's of Dodges in that one.

 

It's not that I need one Dave,Hank and I don't want to be ruining Jeff's chances at a Guineas entry - however I do really like the idea of that solution.

 

Jerry, makes me want to go there just to feed birds.

 

Love the OT - I'm with What Paul referred to once as it's entertainment value!

My daughter (14) says not to worry about keys and such. There are only a handful of people that would figure out how to start it with that big button on the floor. And  after having driven her around through several stop and goes and she still had to ask how I was changing gears even though she was watching me move all those levers around, well ... you should have seen the shock and awe on her face when I showed her how three-in-the-tree works.

Edited September 25, 2014 by TrampSteer

[Merle Coggins]

Sounds like my girlfriend watching me drive my truck and trying to figure it out. I had to explain the double clutch sequence.

Merle

[MBF]

Foot starter and 3 on the tree make it almost theftproof for today's band of dimwitted thieves.

[Jeff Balazs]

Mike;

Theft deterent and lock out arguments aside it is still a very practical addition to one of these trucks. Go for it while this is available as they won't be around forever.

Jeff