I have "poppers" on the doors of my 37 Chevy sedan with a 45 pound solenoid to "actuate" or pull the latch. The latch on the p***enger side works well, but the one on the driver's side won't pull. I find that if I operate the remote and give the solenoid "a little help" then it will pull the latch and open the door. I have purchased a "restoral kit" for the latch and had that installed with no luck. Either I need suggestions on how to get this to work or I may possibly need a driver's door latch that doesn't have quite as much tension.
It is a factory latch. I'll get down there and take some pics tomorrow. I believe my easy chair is calling me right now!
Can the solenoid be mounted a little differently in such a way that it has a bit more mechanical advantage?
The latches on my 37 are fairly hard to turn the handles on. May be that to have electric doors, you’d need to swap to a modern latch design too. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
What you need to do is simply lube them up. Best if you can remove the unit from the door and give it a good cleaning. Visit a locksmith and ask for a good spray lube - not WD40. I've done this to 6 sets of these units (37 and 39 Chevy) and they all ended up working like brand new - the trick is getting the lube on the moving surfaces which is why you remove the striker mech from the door. The lube I use is called Lok Shot. Bonus side note: my locksmith actually had NOS GM key blanks and made me a set for my car. Added bonus: Use the lube for every key tumbler and all your locks work perfectly!
OK, here's where I am. The 2 doors have different mechanisms for actuating the latch. The p***enger door, shown in the picture, has a lever and fulcrum mechanism and it works quite well. The driver's door has a single pulley mechanism and doesn't work at all. The new 45 pound solenoid does not have the strength to pull the latch (around the pulley). I have the door latch out now so I don't have a picture of that. I would think the pulley would give a mechanical advantage, but I guess not. I have had the driver's latch out and had a kit installed in it to restore it. At that time, my machinist lubed it quite well. My son and I have decided to design a lever and fulcrum mechanism, with an L shaped lever for the driver's door. I am hoping that will resolve my problem.
Your problem may be as simple as having a door that is ***embled from something other than the right parts. There shouldn’t be a pulley mechanism at all. http://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/fisher/1937_38/3738fmcs028.html A single pulley only changes direction, it does not add mechanical advantage. Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Well, doesn't that just throw my suggestion right out the window I was going on the ***umption there were original door striker mech's in there. Sorry.
Rusty J. I am having issues with left side (driver) door latch on my 39 Master Deluxe 2dr. sedan. Could you contact me at toms63fury@gmail.com Thanks
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