Bear claw latches
- Thread starter tbend19
- Start date
deuce lover
Well-known member
Karl Wescott
Well-known member
Yes. The photo is actually a 1941 Cabover but the door latch is the same.
To do it right it is time consuming and somewhat expensive.
As this installation shows, outside handles, outside key lock, and inside handle are all possible.
We sell/make the components you will need to do it right (or you can make/adapt).
Stay away from the cheep overseas latches. There are at least two good USA ones, the one we sell is Tri-Mark.
http://www.wescottsauto.com/WebCatalog/N-DoorDeckSealsLatchesHinges/BearJawLatches.pdf
Karl Wescott
Wescotts Auto
www.wescottsauto.com
800-523-6279
To do it right it is time consuming and somewhat expensive.
As this installation shows, outside handles, outside key lock, and inside handle are all possible.
We sell/make the components you will need to do it right (or you can make/adapt).
Stay away from the cheep overseas latches. There are at least two good USA ones, the one we sell is Tri-Mark.
http://www.wescottsauto.com/WebCatalog/N-DoorDeckSealsLatchesHinges/BearJawLatches.pdf
Karl Wescott
Wescotts Auto
www.wescottsauto.com
800-523-6279
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petehoovie
Well-known member
petehoovie
Well-known member
blucar
Well-known member
Bear claw door latches are a very big safety addition to any pre-49 vehicle, I have them in my '39 convertible coupe and my '37 pickup.
There are many companies that sell bear claw latch kits for just about every brand of car. Installing the latch kits in a pre-49 vehicle can be very challenging because of the minimal construction of the doors and bodies. In most cases a lot of fabrication and welding is required.
The bear claw latches in my '39 convertible are electric/mechanical w/electric remotes. The exterior door handles are original stock, however, they are fixed in place non-operating dummies with aftermarket inside handles.
For safety sake we retained the original door lock on the right door converting it to a manual override to unlock the door with a key if the electrical system should fail.
On the '37 pickup we retained the original mechanical inside and exterior door handles.
We used GM exterior door handles because the GM handles are keyed/locked within the handle in lieu of locking the latch like all early Fords.
If your memory is still good you can reflect back to 1933-34 when Ford resorted to using GM door locks in a series of cars when it was found that the doors had not been punched, etc., to receive the conventional Ford type of door lock.
The factory workers wanted to remove the doors and send them back through the factory to have the mistake corrected. H. Ford put a stop to that, sending someone out to buy GM style of exterior door handles with the lock built into the handle.
If I recall correctly the story about the lock anomaly appeared in the V8 Times many years ago.
There are many companies that sell bear claw latch kits for just about every brand of car. Installing the latch kits in a pre-49 vehicle can be very challenging because of the minimal construction of the doors and bodies. In most cases a lot of fabrication and welding is required.
The bear claw latches in my '39 convertible are electric/mechanical w/electric remotes. The exterior door handles are original stock, however, they are fixed in place non-operating dummies with aftermarket inside handles.
For safety sake we retained the original door lock on the right door converting it to a manual override to unlock the door with a key if the electrical system should fail.
On the '37 pickup we retained the original mechanical inside and exterior door handles.
We used GM exterior door handles because the GM handles are keyed/locked within the handle in lieu of locking the latch like all early Fords.
If your memory is still good you can reflect back to 1933-34 when Ford resorted to using GM door locks in a series of cars when it was found that the doors had not been punched, etc., to receive the conventional Ford type of door lock.
The factory workers wanted to remove the doors and send them back through the factory to have the mistake corrected. H. Ford put a stop to that, sending someone out to buy GM style of exterior door handles with the lock built into the handle.
If I recall correctly the story about the lock anomaly appeared in the V8 Times many years ago.
PeteVS
Well-known member
Here's your start sitting in a gas station in North Jersey. Don't know if it's for sale or what.
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