Technical Dreaded Curse: Suicide Door Flying Open

This worked for me

 

Dan Hay, I drove my 39 Fordor like I was a teenager, and it was my mom's station wagon for years. Only problem with rear doors was a buddy's drunk, dumbass girlfriend who decided she was pissed at him and was getting out of the car one night. Thankfully I was going slow and had just pulled out. He was lightning quick and caught it before it opened all the way.
Never had it open by accident.

 

Les, consider yourself lucky that you were only doing 30MPH. I was asked to look at and make a recommendation on a Gibbon's bodied '34 Ford, 3 window, that the door opened at 75 plus during a drag race. The door was off the car and still attached to part of the "B'' pillar. It hit the rear fender with such force that it pushed the front of the fender into the quarter panel about 2 inches and the only reason it stopped is because it hit the tire. It was a nice car at one time and my recommendation was to re-body the car. He offered to sell me the car for a ridiculously small amount but at the time I just was too busy with work. A $20 suicide door safety lock could have prevented it. Believe it or not, an "Automatic Rear Door Safety Lock" was an accessory item available for '46/'48 Ford Fordor Sedan's because of the suicide rear doors, so Ford knew of the possibility of the rear doors opening.

 

pics of the tool

 

Nice!

 

If it's an original hinge they bend real easy so hit it with a hammer snd it'll go back where it belongs.

 

The builder of my '32 three-window coupe installed some sliding bolts to secure the doors. The slides were mounted on the kick panels and the bolts went through the frame into a receiver in the front of the doors. I have not used them, but glad they are there.

 

That tool redoxide posted would be easy to make out of a piece of steel flat bar.