I am restoring a 1949 mercury and have had no luck at all finding replacement door locks. It's a 4 door and I have put in solenoids but they were cheap and I got what I paid for. I removed the locking mechanisms and lubed them. However, they felt like they were on their last leg. You really had to pull on the handles to get the doors to open....so I figuered I'd throw in some solenoids and problem solved....not the case. Long story short the solenoids are cheap and if i activate them with the doors open it makes the clamp slip and I have to pull the door apart to fix it. My question is ...does anyone know somewhere where I can buy all new locks....I need a new barrel lock for the trunk as well. I dont have a key for the current door locks so even if I got the solenoids to work correctly I still wouldnt be able to lock the car with a key. I'd really like to just get all new locks and solenoids for the doors and a new barrel lock for the trunk. I am at the point now where I am ready just to pay someone to do it right. Do you guys think I could find someone to just put in all new modern door locks? Would it be better to go to a locksmith or a place that specializes in car restoration? Thanks!
49 latches work really great compared to the 50/51's, are the strikers wore? do you have a door popper on each door? does anything look bent? you can usually get the 49's to latch with 2 fingers and open just as easy..you can try papke in huntington beach for the parts, but your gonna pay for them...
Yeah I've hear Papke has all the parts...but like you said....not cheap. nothing looks worn but I cant see whats going on internally. What do you think about switching over to modern locks? Is it possible to do without major modification? Thanks!
I'm a little confused here, if you have solenoid operated doors then you have shaved doors. That means you don't need locks. You could use a keyed electric switch to de-activate the solenoids to truly lock the car (i.e. someone watched you hit the button with your shoe from across the street). Or are you referring not to locks but a good way to latch your doors closed? Many people convert to modern bear claw latches for a good solid door latch. Some welding and cutting required.
I do have have solenoid operated doors but the handles are not shaved...they are still there. ps - u pretty much answered my question...i wanted to know if it was reasonable to switch over to a modern style latch. thanks!
The Jalopy Journal
