door lock philosophy

gridleak

gridleak

Senior Member
My car locks by sliding a knob on the drivers side and by a key on the passenger side. Is this normal? It doesn't make much sense to slide the knob on the drivers side shut the door and go around to the other side to lock the car and to open it by unlocking the passenger side door , reaching thru and moving the knob to unlock the drivers side.
There is no slide knob on passenger side only on driver side.
 
In the Model A era, you were expected (perhaps required by law?) to exit a car parked in an urban setting at the curb from the passenger side door, not exit out into the traffic in the street. And to reverse this when entering the car.

So it was common when getting out to lock the driver's door, move across the front seat, get out, close and lock the passenger door.

This is another reason people would pull up the gear shift lever and rotate it 90 degrees out of the way, when moving across the front seat (besides kissing their sweetie!).

And when parked on the side of a street at night where there were no street lights, you were expected to leave your parking lights on so other drivers could see you were there (hence "parking lights" -- why else would you need them?). This resulted in many dead batteries, hence the utility of the hand crank to start.
 
With the door panel off, I tied a loooong boot string to the lock shaft, ran it forward, over the inside door handle shaft, let it hang down below the door. Put the panel on, tied a knot in the string, barely below the door & cut off the excess string. A quick tug & I was in like a BURGLAR! I was tired of puttin' grooves in my shins from reachin' in over the R/H runnin' board. THAT HURTS!!
Bill W.
 
If you don't like sliding over the seat or walking around the car, you can remove the slide lock on the driver's door and install a locking handle. You might even be able to find two locking handles keyed alike. Good luck, Bill
 
Lift the gear shift up and move out of the way, slide across the seat.
Or get out on the driver's side and just reach thru' passenger side and lock it. Agree with horse-crap, mud puddles, grease slicks etc..Me thinks that's why God invented sidewalks.
Can you imagine with so many dirt roads w/o sidewalks mud would be everywhere.
 
Bill in SoCal said:
If you don't like sliding over the seat or walking around the car, you can remove the slide lock on the driver's door and install a locking handle. You might even be able to find two locking handles keyed alike. Good luck, Bill
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Yo, Other Bill,
I don't have it on yet, but I did buy a new locking handle for it. I'll have SO MANY keys, I'll have to color code them!
But, not to wurry, NOBODY steals stuff in our town & my Buddy, Ken, pilots the POLEECE helicopter at night & watches our neighborhood when he's BORED. SEE, I tole you thet I have "FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES"!!!
Bill W.
 
Willie Krash said:
Lift the gear shift up and move out of the way, slide across the seat.
Or get out on the driver's side and just reach thru' passenger side and lock it. Agree with horse-crap, mud puddles, grease slicks etc..Me thinks that's why God invented sidewalks.
Can you imagine with so many dirt roads w/o sidewalks mud would be everywhere.
Click to expand...
At my folks old house, I liked it better before they put in sidewalks. There was sand & you could get a good "BURN OUT" going & then hit the pavement & go SCREEEEEEEECH:D:D:D We did this once, at 2:00A.M, after we got the dragster finished, & around the block & didn't even get arrested:eek::eek::D
Bill W.
 
Heck the model A was a step up. Henry didn't even put a door on the driver's side of the model T! I love the look a new passenger gives me when I ask them to move off the seat so that I can get out....
 
Mike V. Florida said:
Here in Ft. Lauderdale it still is illegal to exit the car on the drivers (traffic) side of the car.
Click to expand...

Mike do you slide over and get out? Can't imagine that. Do you park on the left side curb?

So why didn't Henry put locking handles on both sides? He was looking after all of us? Hmmm. Yea. Probably because he was soooo cheap.
 
That is one reason that the column-shift was a popular item when Henry introduced it to the Ford line in 1940. Sure made it easier to slide over to the passenger side with the floor-shift out of the way.
 
Years back I had to order all new handles as the originals were shot. I called Mac's and got the 2 door handles and the rumble lid handle all keyed the same. I also modified my "repo" pop out to fit the key and got a lock made for the front tool box that accepted the same key. So.... one key fits all. And yes the drivers slide lock always seems to slide shut when parked where the passenger door is hard to get at.
 
I knew that it was illegal to exit from the drivers side in many places. I wonder how many of these laws are still on the books.
 
If you notice in many of the old movies and TV shows, they are frequently seen entering and exiting the car from the right side and sliding across the seat. Even in Mayberry!
 
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