Broken 40 Pickup Drriver Door Latch

TomT/Williamsburg

TomT/Williamsburg

Well-known member
My door latch jammed and when I finally got the door open, the piece the grabs the striker plate will not come back out - seems like a spring is broken.


Questions:


1 - does anyone have one for sale that I could purchase?
2 - is there a way to repair it?
3- are there any aftermarket equivalents that I can use?



My truck is all together and ready to drive but I cannot with this broken latch


Any help you can give is appreciated.


TomT
 

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If it is a broken spring it should be a fairly straightforward repair. Known "gotcha's": You may have to disassemble the latch by bending folded over tabs. Done cold they will break. Heat them cherry red, then cool and bend. Remove the part, then heat the tabs again and straighten and hammer anneal while red. Then re-install cold. Many vendors will sell a "1938" or "1940" replacement spring, that is good as far as most passenger cars. Pickup/Truck latches often use another spring so you need to go to a vendor who can compare to your original remnants or an original latch with the various replacement springs (I can do that).


The interchange on the latch is 1938-47 Commercial (all pickups and trucks). Not currently reproduced though Drake did at one time.
 
The spring is available you need to pull your latch out and match the spring to the picture of what you are buying. Not all 38/39 were created equal. It’s not a hard job to put the spring in until you busy off a tab. Then it’s welding time.
 
my 40 had the latch pull too far in, past the door sheet metal. Was able to pry it away from area holding it and it popped out. I never pull too hard on the handle anymore. Hasn't done it again in last 10 years.
 
Try to repair what you have as it is a very hard latch to find in decent shape.
 
Not to bad of a spring to replace. Just take care with the tabs as previously posted. Obviously this is a R/H latch; but the L/H is a mirror image.
 

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