1928 PU door locks

gacannon

Junior Member
I am putting a 28 PU cab back together. I have experience with A's having owned several and taken most everything apart and back together again. No show cars, but I know many of them well.

On this PU cab, its new to me. More like a T than an A in some ways.

Door locks. The passenger door latch assembly has a provision for a key lock separate from the exterior door handle. Mine had a rubber plug in the external door skin hole, but in the latch mechanism, there is a locking assembly.

On the drivers door, the latch mechanism does not have the locking assembly present in the latch. I rebuilt both latch assemblies and do not believe they were ever apart before and therefor I am thinking there is not supposed to be an lock assembly on the drivers door.

I saw a key lock for Model A's that looks like it would fit right in the hole on the passenger door. There is a casing mounted right under the door skin with a set screw in it so I believe that kind of separate lock assembly is what goes on the passengers door as an option I guess. many have the rubber plug mentioned above.

My question is, how do you lock the cab if the drivers door does not have a separate lock assembly. Handle with key lock?

The 28 29 PU's had the vertical interior door handle to open the doors.

Not knowing these PU's very well, does anyone know if the cabs could be locked up. Locking door handles will do the job, just wondering what the original set up was or options.

Second question:

I have a complete 1928 PU that I have owned for 40 plus years. It has standard A 28/29 coupe or tudor doors and the body sub frame incorporates both bench and tudoor bucket seat mounts, both! The back of the cab is made right on the sub frame like it belonged there form the get go. Doors do not have the vertical interior door latches. It has a Left Hand E brake also.

I know they mixed and matched over the years. I got the PU all in one rusty piece back in 66. Just don't see how the sub frame can look so factory if it were cobbled up and if so, it was done very professionally. Rear of cab is standard 28/29 with mail pouches, wood door jams and all.

Ever heard of such a thing?

Third question:

28/29 PU top wood work. I make everything myself. Have lots of dried white oak. Anyone have anything in the way of drawings for the cab top assembly. Have photos from the web to go by and that will be enough for me, but any further detail is appreciated.

This cab really saw its day and it was really rough. ITs sentimental to me however so I am nursing it back to life to again serve man.

I don't restore A models to perfection never have. I drive them and have fun in them. I do however love to know things about them. I have put well over 150K miles on model A's since 66. Cussed them, kicked them, threatened to sell them in my younger years. Had many a scary emergency stops with those darn mechanical brakes with E brake added in. Ha Ha. But I love them.

Any information form the forum is greatly appreciated.

Bob in Ga. Age 61
 
Bob,

I have only seen one (1) CC 28-early 30 door with a key lock on the right side and that one came right off my 1929 CC Truck. Weather it was added on later I have no idea.

I believe Marco has some great photos showing the wood in the top of the CC body but I do not know just how you can access them.

Pluck
 
Bob,

I've seen several 28-29 Closed Cabs made out of the remnants of a Tudor sedan.

As far as the door lock-

I had an early 29 CC Pickup. The driver's side door would lock by pushing the knob & lever all the way to the back- the lever would be perfectly vertical when it was locked. The passenger side had a standalone cylinder lock in the door which I suspect was original but have no way to verify it.
 
Luke's information was correct for my cab. I did not know it, but the drivers door interior latch handle, if pushed all the way back, locks the door. This works if you push the handle back and then close the door. The exterior door handle will not open the door. I rebuilt both lock assemblies, but never noticed this difference mechanically.

The passenger door has the locking assembly built into the latch which accepts a small square shaft.

Now we have determined that the drivers door will lock and not have any means of unlocking it from the outside, the passenger door must have a key lock on the outside in order to lock up the cab.

Since the passenger door had the locking assembly built into the latch, I guess it was an option to get the cylinder lock which would mount into the hole (covered with rubber plug) on the passengers door. Behind the door skin, there is mounting casing to accept such a lock.

Since the PU's were made as cheap as possible with no thrills, I guess Ford wanted some more pocket change for the key lock. But that said, he would not have integrated the key locking assembly in the passenger door unless it was an option. Surely people were not that honest back then and wanted to lock their cabs.

If I install a key cylinder lock on the passenger door, I can lock the cab now.

Thanks Luke, I had no ideal that the drivers door would lock with the interior door handle like it does. Never would have know it. without knowing that, the drivers door seemed to need a keyed exterior door handle in order to lock it.

Appreciate the forum's information very much.

I will put forward with this old cab.

Bob in Ga.
 
82-A Closed Cab door locks

For the 82-A closed cab, the left side is locked as indicated by LukeDahlinger. If your handle will not move back, then there is a problem with the flat spring. It is likely there needs to be some grease applied to allow the end of the spring to ride out on the handle when it is pushed back. This can be accomplished by removing the door lock from the door (see attached picture). The handle has a indentation that the spring snaps into to hole it in the lock position.

The closed cab came with the rubber plug in the right door. The panel delivery (used the same door) came with a cylinder lock. The cylinder is held with a
headless screw on the door side (original screw is a headless, slotted design).

Vendors sell cylinder locks (also used on '28 Fordor).

Most A's only had a key lock on the right side. The left door was locked via a latch on the inside of the door.
 

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What is the diameter of the rubber plug, and what is the diameter of the hole it plugs? Is the original plug flat, or is it convex?

Right now I'm looking into getting some Phaeton top rest hole plugs made. I should have a quote on the project later today or tomorrow. It would be nice if the same plug could be used for both purposes, because there will need to be enough demand to make this project get off the ground.
 
My door, which lacks a plug, has a 13/16" hole. The plugs I have seen are pretty flat.
 
Snyders have the rubber plug A80303-8568 .... $8-50 .... the lock is $12-50.?
 

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