Tech: Bear Claw Latches 47-55 Chevy Truck

well this is my first "real" tech post aside from PM's.

first let me give credit to Jerry (on the hamb) this post is his idea, and his help is always appreciated.

i did this install in the garge, so that it is appreciated by the do-it-yourselfers in their garages. it took me 3 hours to do including smoke breaks and taking pictures and writing stuff down for this post. should take about 2 hours (an hour a side)

first picture is all tool used for this install.

1)i used a plasma cutter for most of the cutting but a cuttin wheel or sawsall will do
2) my "at home welder" the lincoln 220 mig found at your local LOWES or HOME DEPOT
3)24X24 20 GUAGE peice of steel found easily at your local ACE HARDWARE
4)MAKITA 4" grinding wheel
5)BLUE POINT air buffer
6) 1 flat head screw driver (since i dont have a clutchead driver at home)
7) 3/8" drive ratchet and socket set
8) standard wrench set


first i started on the door side, i cut out a rectangular shape (with the plasma cutter, that covered the stock latch and bolts then with construction paper i cut a template for a filler piece. (I have found that once you make the first template you can use the same for the other side. and its make quicker work when it comes to the cutout and filler piece.) using the 20 guage steel i cut 2) filler pieces at once ( for left and right)
carefully grinding the newly cut template to fill the door, testing for fit as neccessary.................continued.......

 

once the filler panel fit. i taped it into place and used a opening that resembled the finished product (used from a wrecked car) some of you may say "why not just weld that into place. well steel today is much thinner than in the 50's and i feel its more work, and easier to do it this way.
with the latch opening template trace out the opening and cut. you can get your "center" by using the bump that the original latch had for center. to guide you straight
also you will be using the stock hole in the door jamb side of the cab for the catch so you can screw it in, and close the door to find center strike as shown in pics below

 

once you have found center you can comfortably cut the door clearence area for the bear claw mecanism as seen



then pull the door filler panel off, and trace out the bear claw latch itself. including the supplied mounting holes in the mechanism. as shown below


in the last picture i am using a center punch for the holes about to be drilled for the mounting holes

 

once the proper holes are drilled and the latch is secured to the filler panel, set in place and spot weld filler panel to door. i advise that you either pull the window out of the door or roll it all the way up and cover it, as the glass WILL GET DAMAGED.

 

NEXT is the door jamb side itself. when you use a screw driver to unbolt the clutch head screws that hold on the other end of the factory door latch, you will notice a center hole in the deepest portion of the area. i have pointed this out in the picture below.
this is the target area for the new latch striker. we will weld a washer and a nut beneath the filler panel soon to be made for this area.

these first pics are just to familiarize you with this area and the hole im speaking of.

pull off stock latch and clean and prep area for welding

 

going back to the 20 guage steel sheet cut a filler panel that covers the factory dips in the door jamb, but that isnt wider than this area as you will want a real decent welding area

once the filler panel is cut to shape, it should (if done right) fit snug against the end closest to the cad and stop right before the "roll" at the end of this area.

using a sharpie pen i poked through the backside of the doorjamb (inside the cab) through the center hole i mentioned before we would be using for the striker location.

drilling appropriate hole in filler panel and checking for alignment with hole in jamb.

then welded a washer and nut to act as support and a filler between the two levels of sheet metal

and welded filler in place

 

as you can see in the last picture theres is a little gap left behind. that will be filled by another piece of the 20 guage steel sheet.

welded into place, grinded, and buffed with the buffing wheel as shown in the first tool pictures at top of thread.

it is very important that when you are first installing the filler panels, that you check for correct fitment. so that when your doors close, they close all the way in. but be careful!, because these bearclaws latches and the way i have shown you to do them, install so easily , you can almost forget to check the alignment! its almost as if GM intended bear claw latches to be installed!

once the door latches are in, smooth the welds as much as possible then fill with bondo. spread it with your finger for cleaner install. sand-paint- ENJOY!

I believe this is all, again its my first tech post and my fingers are getting tired but if there are any questions and i have left anything out, please feel free to ask, we are all here to help and to learn!

 

HERE YA GO, A FULL PICTURE

 

great tech tip for the flocks who haven't done it yet, like myself........ ooooo by the way when can u come do mine .....joe

 

lol...its actually so easy you will kick yourself!


something i forgot to add.

RB's universal bearclaw latches 45$ for the pair! 48$ after tax

and 10$ for the steel


pretty f'n cheap install if you ask me!

and i did it at home instead of the shop so that it better illustrates how easily it can be done at home

have fun guys!!

 

Good work soldier! I am going to be going through this very process in a few weeks. It is good to see it with so many pics. I had an idea how. It didn't seem like rocket science. This should steer me in the right direction!

 

Do you have any adjustment, or is this a one time deal?

 

I'm doing the same on my F-100...thanks for the info...

 

I ovaled the holes for the latch mounting bolts just in case i needed to move them from side to side for adjustment. but i wish i didnt.
when you think about it, if your door pins are good, and your latch is good
it wont change, unless one or the other goes bad, in that case you need to change it anyways!

 

Did my F-1 kinda the same way, but found the adjustment is important, nice job............OLDBEET

 

bttt

 

Excellent post! I'd love to see any more tech articles on your truck, or any vehicles you're working on for that matter!



Ed

PS- Did you sell the truck yet?

 

Cool write up, Im gonna do the same to my 51.

 

Thanks for taking the trouble to write this up...I am going to be doing mine soon. This is a big help.
Bill

 

thanks guys, how about rating this for me? you know, those silly little yellow stars....lol

 

Things do change...like door seal thickness after time, possible cab shifting, etc. That's where a caged nut for the striker makes sense.

 

Very easy to follow. Great post!!!

 

RF, can maybe give us some tips on installing the caged nut you talk about?

GRSMNKYCUSTOMS - excellent post, will be doing this to my F-100!

Ben

 

Well, you weld the nut cage to the jamb plate rather than a nut. The caged nut gives you fore and aft adjustment rather than a set position. Look at later Chevy trucks.

 

bttt for the night crowd

 

[great post! i've wanted to see how it's done BUT!, i gotta ask, why are you doing this?
new latches are about 35 bucks each for these trucks...

reason i ask is that i have a 50 gmc....

 

Because the factory latches, even when new, suck. Plain and simple. I've been fighting the factory latches on my '53 for 25 years. I've replaced the stiker plates several times and replaced the latches with new ones too. They need adjustment every few months, especially if the truck is driven on rough roads, there is enough slop in the latch when closed that the weight of the door pounds on the striker plate and moves it around. And you have to damn near slam the glass out of the door to get it to shut tight, because it bounces away from the jamb off of the new door rubber before it latches.

A friend of mine just did a similar install on his '53, but reversed the setup so that the latch is in the jamb of the cab, and the striker post is on the door. He retained the factory door handles, which push a button inside the door to activate the solenoids in the jamb. He did it this way because he didn't want to shave the handles and mess with his nice paintjob. Looks stock on the outside. The doors close tight and latch with a slight touch.

Great post, I'm saving it for when I do the latches on my truck!

Pete

 

Gotcha, thanks... too obvious!

Ben

 

like blue skies said, stock latches blows chunks!

 

Hey blueskies!

This may be a stupid question or maybe i'm just not getting it. How did your buddy lock his doors? What keeps someone from pushing on the button and opening the doors?

I have a 56 Chevy truck and want to do the power bear claws and keep the stock handle on the outside but don't know how to lock the damn thing. anybody have any ideas on how to do this?

I agreee stock latches on these trucks do suck! Always slipping!

Thanks!