SwampLedge
Member
Not a rant, just posting this in hopes it’ll help someone.
My ‘28 open cab pickup came with a reproduction door latch (outside handle) and no striker plates nor wood. The cab was in sorry shape. Now that I’ve got the cab rehabilitated and solid, with interior wood installed, it was time for striker plates so the doors could latch shut. I purchased the proper striker plates from Snyder’s and found they would not work with the latches I had, as the face of the latch was too “thick” to fit between the striker plate’s tongue and mounting surface. So I figured it was time to bite the bullet and get the proper style latches and set these things up once. But Snyder’s price (BTW, they are my favored parts source because they’ve usually got what I need, ordering is easy, shipping reasonable, and the stuff arrives quickly) was a bit steep for my retiree’s budget. Battlefield Model A parts had both latches with handles, striker plates, dovetails, and hardware for the same money as one latch from Snyder’s. So I decided to try them, figuring that at least the latch and striker plate should work together.
The parts from Battlefield arrived this morning, and they look very nice and like they will work. When I compared the striker plates I was “struck” by the physical differences. The one on the right is from Snyder’s, it’s a nice looking die casting. The one on the right is from Battlefield, it looks like a heavily powder coated sand casting. Note, however, the difference in angle and contour of the latching “tongue” between the two parts. The Battlefiield striker plate will work with their latch, except the latch itself doesn’t retract quite far enough to clear the striker and allow the door to open. This problem is minimal and I’ll fix it by milling a few thou off the striker.
Like I said at the beginning, not a rant; I’m grateful for all the vendors who risk their finances to supply our habit. Apologies for the incorrect rotation of the photo.
My ‘28 open cab pickup came with a reproduction door latch (outside handle) and no striker plates nor wood. The cab was in sorry shape. Now that I’ve got the cab rehabilitated and solid, with interior wood installed, it was time for striker plates so the doors could latch shut. I purchased the proper striker plates from Snyder’s and found they would not work with the latches I had, as the face of the latch was too “thick” to fit between the striker plate’s tongue and mounting surface. So I figured it was time to bite the bullet and get the proper style latches and set these things up once. But Snyder’s price (BTW, they are my favored parts source because they’ve usually got what I need, ordering is easy, shipping reasonable, and the stuff arrives quickly) was a bit steep for my retiree’s budget. Battlefield Model A parts had both latches with handles, striker plates, dovetails, and hardware for the same money as one latch from Snyder’s. So I decided to try them, figuring that at least the latch and striker plate should work together.
The parts from Battlefield arrived this morning, and they look very nice and like they will work. When I compared the striker plates I was “struck” by the physical differences. The one on the right is from Snyder’s, it’s a nice looking die casting. The one on the right is from Battlefield, it looks like a heavily powder coated sand casting. Note, however, the difference in angle and contour of the latching “tongue” between the two parts. The Battlefiield striker plate will work with their latch, except the latch itself doesn’t retract quite far enough to clear the striker and allow the door to open. This problem is minimal and I’ll fix it by milling a few thou off the striker.
Like I said at the beginning, not a rant; I’m grateful for all the vendors who risk their finances to supply our habit. Apologies for the incorrect rotation of the photo.
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