Door Latch

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Major System Category: Body (Door)
Task: Install door latch
Parts: Door latch
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs:
Time Requirement: 4 hours
Date Started: November 19, 2012
Date Completed:  November 19, 2012

Originally, I had the door latch and striker as part of the same task (i.e. the latch closes around the striker and that's what keeps the door closed). I started working on the doors prior to putting an engine and transaxle in the car. The only way to get the engine and transaxle into the car is to remove the body shell. This is already complicated by the rear hatch hinges and the front hood latches. Both of these have to be disconnected before the body shell can be removed. Installing the striker, adds a needless complication to the removal process. So this part will have to wait until after the engine and transaxle are installed (sometime in 2014).

This is the latch attached to the mounting bracket. Factory Five purchased the latch from a third party. I am pretty sure they machined the mounting bracket.

Likewise the doors have to be removed from the car before the shell can come off. The doors seem less problematic that the hatch hinge and hood latches, because by the time I have to remove the doors - everything related to their fitment should be in place per the arrangement of the hinges on the doors.

The curved part is the cut out area where the latch is exposed as part of the door. 

The latch has a similar arrangement in terms of adjustment as the hinge does. The work area for the latch is very tight, and difficult to work with. The hinge and the latch need to be tightened down together. This happens prior to window placement, since the internal frame needs to be solid so the window tracks can be attached. There are a bunch of pieces here and they all have to work together.

This is the latch mounting bracket connected to the internal frame on the rear side of the door. To the right of the internal frame, the opening for the external door handle is in close proximity to the latch controls. This will be covered up and closed in as I am opting for shaved door handles and internal door poppers.

Placement of the latch is dictated by the formed cut out area for the latch and the depth of the latch inside the door. In other words, enough of the latch needs to be visible so the striker can properly mate with the latch. I already have some issues with the drivers side hood latch and I don't want to repeat that mistake here. Eventually, I am going to have to adjust the hood striker to line up a little better, but I am holding off until the body shell goes back on for good (i.e. after the engine and transaxle are installed).

This photo shows the internal frame connected tot he latched, the rear window track and the  cables going back to the motor, and the internal door popper. The items still missing at this point is the glass, the fixed tracks, the filled in exterior door handle (i.e. shave door handle), and the internal mechanism to open the door from the inside of the car.

I used the Dremel with a cut off wheel to cut the fiber glass and open up a slot for the latch mechanism. The fiber  glass is very thin here as it is on the hinge side. Once I had the latch comfortably exposed, I tested the latch mechanism by pushing the striker into place.

Door Hinge

<< Preliminary Fit                         Power Window Motor and Tracks >>

Major System Category: Body (Door)
Task: Door hinge
Parts: Door hinge and internal frame
Prerequisite Tasks:
Additional Costs:
Time Requirement: 5 - 6 hours
Date Started: November 11, 2012
Date Completed:  November 14, 2012
The door hinge, the internal frame, power window motor, window tracks and the latch really need to be part of the same discussion. If you just install the hinge without thinking about everything else, then you are going to end up taking everything apart and redoing things anyway. the latch and hinge are on opposite sides of the internal frame. The power window motor and window tracks  happen before and after this section.

Front trim panel for driver's side door. I found it useful to have a table next to the lift  as a work area.

I am going to break things down into multiple sections. The major consideration here is that each of these systems have to worked together. This is what makes the door construction a pain. Unlike so many other things, where you can focus on one item, you will need to keep all of these items in mind as you build the doors:

1. Hinge
2. Power window motor and tracks (not attached)
3. Latch
4. Door poppers (optional component)
5. Shaved Handles (optional component)
6. Side mirrors

Hinge plate set in place so I could get a preliminary placement prior to cutting holes. I added sound proofing to the interior of the door. I would strongly recommend this as the doors seem kind of thin.

The manual makes this entire process sound like a pleasant walk in the park. While there is nothing overly complicated, there is lots of adjustment. Let me repeat that: THERE IS LOTS OF ADJUSTMENT.

The hinge and trim plate set in place on the door. Everything seemed so simple at this point. However, I have read enough on other builder blogs to know this is anything but simple.

The first thing I notice is that the manual makes everything look very simple to fit together. It does fit together, but not easily. If you follow the instructions and measurements, you will be off to a good start.

This is a close up of the hinge plate and the internal frame as they fit inside the door. They are not  bolted together yet. The black metal piece is the window track.

The front door trim panels are smaller than they look in the manual. it is easy to miss them in the sheet metal box. I found a Dremel tool with stiffer cut off wheel to useful in cutting the openings for the hinge plate. Burrs and jagged edges can be smoothed out using a sanding drum. Anything bigger is going to get in the way. These doors are not that large, and it seems they get smaller as systems get installed.

This is a photo much further along in the process for the door build. It shows the  hinge plate and internal frame bolted together. Some of the electrical work is complete and those cables snake out through the opening above the hinge plate.

There are two sets of bolts to work with. The first set connects the hinge plate to the internal frame. (Keep the socket wrench handy, you are going to need it to move things around.) the second set of bolts connect the front of the hinge through the square holes for the trim plate. There is a certain amount of adjustment room for these connections. However, these adjustments become more limited when the latch is attached on the other end of the internal frame.