Bear Claw/Electric Lock Question

I have installed bearclaw locks that I got from Carolina Custom, along with electric door locks. I will also use a remote control unit that he sold me to actuate the locks.

Here is my question. I'm sure that 99% of the time, the electric locks will work. (I will be able to get jumper cables to the battery if it goes dead.) How can I come up with a "fail safe" method of opening the doors if the electric locks fail?

The car is a 41 Plymouth with running boards. The lock mechanism must be move upward to unlock. If I put standard lock pulls on the inside, I'd still have to screw up the glass or the seals to get a slim jim or wire inside of the door.

Has anyone figured this one out?

Thanks
Rock

 

To provide a back up system to unlock the doors in the event of an actuator failure or electrical failure I install a choke cable and housing from the lock through the door and out under the car so that I can manually unlock it. This is easy and inexpensive.

 

I've used the same setup.

 

Cool! I guess you just use a chain or something flexible in the connection from the cable to the lock. Correct? Do you do it for just one door?

 

I got an easy one for you. I got a hood release cable assembly from a bone yard, and drilled a hole in the wall between the left fender well, and interior, just above my left foot as I sit in the drivers seat. Kind of above the dimmer switch area. I ran it backwards from the fender well, into the interior, behind the kick panel, through the door jamb, down along the bottom of the door, and up to the bear claw. Now should the electrics fail me, I just reach up inside the left fender, and pull the release. Sometimes I amaze myself.

 

I ran a cable from the arm in the lock out thru the fender well on the drivers side (I have a manual cable to open the hood) but you could run it any ware to get at it when power fails.

You can cruze the hardware store and look in the patio door section for pulleys , cable , crimp fittings etc.
The pulleys, for the get out switch are actually patio door wheel units great for changing direction in your cables.

I just used 3M panel bond and glued the workings to the door panel inside.

 

Back up pull cables are are great!

 

How about a cable when the bear claw is in the door............a bit trickier.

 

Pretty sure thats what these guys are talking about. You run the cable through the jamb and door in the front and it just flexes a little when you open and close the door.


Scot

 

I think you're right. I've had the cables both ways.............with the bear claw in the jamb and in the door. My latest build has them in the doors and I used a bicycle hand brake cable for a release with those patio door pulleys to change the direction of the door opener solenoid cable.

 

My latches are in the door I welded some brackets on some 3/16 brake tubing inside the door and ran a cable inside the tubing that is accessible with needle nose pliers through the drain hole at the bottom of the door

 

Can't run a rod or bracket off the lock cylinder like most of your mid-50s up cars do?

 

This is an OLD post, but a good question nonetheless....I use Bicycle brake cables a lot, some of the higher quality ones are great pull cables and are dirt cheap and available from a lot of different sources.....
a clamp on the mounted end in the door and a loop on the pull end [I use an electrical wire crimp on terminal to form a secure loop]

 

I install a choke cable and housing from the lock through the door and out under the car so that I can manually unlock it.