Technical Electric door will not open

I recently purchased a 31 Ford 2 door with front opening electric opener. There is a push ****on under back of car recessed in a boxed area between frame only accessible from inside car. Hood Pull inside car. Battery inside car. DILEMMA is either battery is dead or switch went bad..... Therefore I have no way to open car door and get in car!!! Frustration and blood pressure both off the charts . I sure as he** don't want to have to break the gl***.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated..................
Herc in Texas

 

Can you hook some jumper cables to the starter, to maybe power it up?

 

Can you return it and get your money back?

 

Lesson. Always install auxilary manual release. These tools may come in handy henceforth. Axe, jigsaw, clawhammer, oxy cutter.

 

If the Model A still has the original windshield try to open it, sometimes they are not tightened down good.

 

No need for panic. Just find the end of the positive battery cable in the engine compartment, from underneath, and hook up a jumper cable there.

If that does not do it, check to see if the p***enger-side door has a ****on.

 

As others have said use a jumper wire to the battery,personally I would put te door handles back on and s**** the electric solenoids. HRP

 

Maybe call the previous owner and see if he hooked up an auxiliary cable that he forgot to tell you about.
If not, like others have said , try to send power back through the heavy starter cable to charge up the battery - don't forget, it's gotta be on the battery side of the solenoid, or it won't do much good.

 

Hood Pull inside car.
how does that work ? ****erfly hood ! is it maybe a remote & you don't have the key ? mine is a remote , with kill switch that cuts all power . I would be talking to the guy you bought it from . I also left the p***enger door manual .
normally the hidden switch under the car is for emergencys .......... more checking needed ....

 

I'd start by asking the guy you bought it from. If he built it, he may know how to open it. If that doesn't work, you might ask if he has any build pictures showing how the doors were put together. A slim jim to snag and pop the latch might work, but will be easier if you can see what you're aiming for.

Then, once you get it open, either put the door handles back on, or build yourself an emergency manual release so you can get in next time.

 

Pictures would be helpful, especially one of the push ****on under back of car recessed in a boxed area between frame only accessible from inside car.

Are there inside door handles?

 

I have done this on more fords with opening windshields than you can imagine.

The jumper cables to the starter is a good idea that will charge the entire system. You can even charge your battery that way, I have charged many a battery that way, some are juts located in the most inconvenient places.

I was going to say something mean but why ad insult to injury.

Another option is a Slim Jim. You can buy a whole set at O'Reillys cheap.

 

Ah,come on Beeno,say it....A Brick! HRP

 

So.......it has been a few days..........what did you find?

 

Maybe his laptop is locked up in the car. HRP

 

Ahhhhh, the joy not having to plan ahead
Of not having to think past the end of your nose.
Of naivety and bliss.
Of living in the land of Unicorns and solenoids a****st never ending batteries and everlasting parts
Of selling your car
Of not having to work out the pesky details of unlatching a door .

 

HRP, that is funny..............!

 

The guy's first post and hasn't logged back on since. HRP

 

There's no question that the bear claw type latch is superior and far above at keeping model A doors closed.

However, there are several flaming hoops of fabrication and work arounds to make them work correctly in a door that they don't belong in. Or you could just shave the handles and make them electric on solenoids.

The stock latch is what holds the handle ,,, remove the latch and just shave the handle, awesome !!! Add a solenoid - double awesome.

If you Figure out how to hold the handle to the door skin without bending the skin to hell then you need to get the motion down one side of the gl*** to the bottom of the door and back up the other side. Just use a solenoid! Awesome !!!

If you can get the motion around the gl***, you need to also get the motion all the way to the front of the door at the interior handle. Just use a solenoid! Awesome!!!

If you get the motion up to the front of the door, you need to get the window past the mechanisms, thru the maze and past the latch itself. Just use a solenoid.

Ok ok, once convinced that a solenoid is the only awesome way to go since the bear claws are there now and the door goes Click click when it's shut - awesome !!! You now STILL need to figure out how to get a back up safety release cable thru all that mess, one that changes direction, runs thru a door jamb that has an opening and click click closing door in it, one that has enough pull to take up the slack, some place you can get to and doesn't look stupid or out of place like a door handle on the firewAll. Awe hell, that's more work than all of it. Just use a solenoid ! Awesome.

 

I still like door handles,I've been exactly where this guy is in the past. HRP

 

I had a 54 Chev sedan delivery w/ door poppers & a 6" roof chop. pulled into hotel 150 mi from home & hit the opener ****on & nothing. car was completely dead. windows were too small to climb thru. had to climb over the high-back bucket seats to get out the back door. made me think about what would happen if it ever caught fire.

 

I am currently playing with GM starter solenoids on bearclaws. I'm retaining inside manual handles and also making a remote outer manual hidden release. Bike brake cables and or hood release levers are your friends here.

 

I think his bearclaw is in the cowl, the door has a pin.

 

"Front opening" yep could be. But it really doesn't matter much I don't think.

"Hood pull inside". Now is that for a hood catch or is there a hood pull in side the car to open the doors? Wouldn't that be a pisser if it was cowl mounted bear claw with the safety on the firewall but the hood had a latch that was inside the unopenable (is that a word) car.

There's got to be some remote battery lugs someplace, no?


There's a lot of links in the chain of a remote solenoid system that can break. If one of those breaks it should automatically break a window for you with another solenoid.

 

OK Guys
I certainly appreciate all the constructive replies as well as the few "smart ***" replies.....
First off as stated I didn't build this car and believe me once I ever get in it I will have multiple back ups!
Friends of original builder said for some reason there was no
Plan B installed on/in car. I was able to get to the starter from bottom side and have the Optima battery fully charged.I did find a 4 digit fob in with some parts but obviously no code number so even with new batt that doesn't help. Rear push ****on is installed in a boxed area in between frame rails so not accessible. Just tonight I put wedges in gl*** and door and was able to fish the cable which appears to have come off. I am down to having the gl*** house cut a square in the side window and reach in, Hopefully inside lhandle is still hooked up.
What a lesson on poppers. This car is abso;lutely first cl*** in all respect as far as parts paint etc and yet no emergency for door release.
Thanks for all the help

 

Welcome to the HAMB!!!

 

All I can think of is if you ever are trapped and can't get out or tell the rescuers how to get your wife and kids out. The fire fighter will use an axe. I hope it never happens to any of you with no handles

 

Any smart *** smiley face was not directed at you, but the dope that built the car. See its these little details that make a car first cl***. They are figured out, thought out and built and tested and revised long before any paint is done. He said " **** it! Let the next guy worry about it !" You're the next guy, I've been that next guy too.

I hope you get in with minimal damage and expense and wish you the best of luck on correcting the lack of foresight or ingoration of potential issues.

Is ingoration a word?

 

I recall a madcap letter in 'Post Entry' one month in Car Craft 'little pages'...
A guy was welding the chopped top posts back on his 'A' Coupe, from the inside...being very careful, as not to burn the Zebra Skin tuck and roll.
He accidently welded his doors shut, and the windows were too low to crawl out of...and the stripes were driving him "Mad, mad, mad!"

 

I've had many cars with remote doors. First ones used VW solonoids and original latches . Last are bearclaws. All have a simple cable for emergency.
The only one that didn't work was my 1939 Ford coupe trunk that only had a cable pull inside the driver side behind the seat.
On our very first cruise and show we took it to the first Peoria Nationals. The plan was take lawn chairs and a large cooler full of Kool-Aid. The cooler slid over the cable in route 30+ miles to the show. To open the trunk I had to pull hard on the inside cable. Yes it worked. But the down force on the L-bracket on the 39 trunk latch broke the latch.
Ever since 1970 I've had a broken trunk latch. Going to fix it someday!
All other cars have hidden push ****ons and the last remote operated doors work..... so far. Still I put those easy to add simple pull cables just in case. Okay they are not exactly hidden yet out of site.
My first two cars, 49 Dodge and 54 Ford had the little black opening ****ons in the windshield rubber. It rains, freezes and snows in Illinois.
My 49 Ford with side pipes had push ****ons next to the side pipes. There's sand and water in Florida.
Thank goodness for modern remotes, extra cables, and a battery under the right front fender on the last one. Plan ahead.