Doors pop open

C

COOTER

Senior Member
I have a problem with my doors popping open in my Tudor when I'm driving. Is there an easy fix for this? New springs, maybe?
 
Along with what Jim mentioned I had one with bad body blocks Do that...
Make sure your strikers are adjusted properly...
 
Yes, both of the above . I had to add new longer oak blocks & epoxied them in .
The driver door was driving me bonkers till I realized what was causing the problem. I found shims under the striker plt helped but didn't completely cure the problem.
 
In a Model A, always tell your passengers, "DON'T LEAN ON THE DOORS"!!!
I once saw an A.M.C, Pacer, with tastefully installed, DEAD BOLT LOCKS, on both doors!
Bill W.
 
35 years ago, saw a car full of nitwits trying a California glide making a left turn, passenger door flew open, chick leaning on the door holding an infant in diapers, to save herself she threw the baby, it landed face first on the road. Can't remember type of car, but not the best thing to watch...
 
I generally find it is the door latch and striker that are worn. As you mentioned, a weak spring or the latch striker worn where vibrations allow the latch to slowly give way.
 
This may sound parochial these days, but just a caution in case a new Model A owner has a Fordor or Town Sedan where the "front-opening" back door opens automatically ............ just hope this type of back door is not on the passenger side where it snags a pedestrian or a guy on a bicycle .......... or on the drivers side .......... a back door that just snagged an 18 wheeler.
 
My '31 CCPU passenger door was popping open-finally I couldn't get it to stay closed. The latch in the door was just too worn and sloppy. A new US-made one made it close like new, and it wasn't too bad a job to change it
 
BILL WILLIAMSON said:
In a Model A, always tell your passengers, "DON'T LEAN ON THE DOORS"!!!
I once saw an A.M.C, Pacer, with tastefully installed, DEAD BOLT LOCKS, on both doors!
Bill W.
Click to expand...

As a kid in the '50's, that was an early lesson from Dad, too. "Don't lean against the doors. They might pop open!" And they did, especially on washboard gravel roads. Maybe this is one reason why 2 door sedans were so popular with families. We kids could bounce around in the back seat without falling out of the car!
 
40 Deluxe said:
As a kid in the '50's, that was an early lesson from Dad, too. "Don't lean against the doors. They might pop open!" And they did, especially on washboard gravel roads. Maybe this is one reason why 2 door sedans were so popular with families. We kids could bounce around in the back seat without falling out of the car!
Click to expand...

When I was 5 years old I opened the rear door on my dad's 1950 Studebaker that my mom was driving. I learned real quick that that wasn't the thing to do while driving about 40 MPH. They do make good air brakes though. The air rushed in and my mom hit the brakes. :D
 
I had the same problem with my 31 Tudor. Worn springs in the door latches. I replaced both and ended up taking the shims out of the striker plate on the body. Now they are real solid.
 
Mitch//pa said:
Along with what Jim mentioned I had one with bad body blocks Do that...
Make sure your strikers are adjusted properly...
Click to expand...

Dad's pickup did that when I was riding in it once, the door was shutting too tightly. An exciting ride, we made a curve at the bottom of a hill, had my arm up on the door. It popped open and me hanging on the swinging door about took out a row of mailboxes. A funny story, but a bit too exciting...
 
When my family was moving back in 1946 I fell out of the back of our '37 Dodge pickup, we had neglected to fasten the tailgate chains, fortunately Mom was going very slow. Landed on my head, perhaps this is the reason I'm like I am today???
 
I found that cold weather can dull door latch springs.
Hot weather my latches were fine, but on a cold day or first thing on a cold morning and like clockwork a door would pop onto the 2nd catch.
 
Besides saving your life in case of an accident, lap & shoulder belts keep you in the car when the door flies open going around corners. Don't ask me how I know.

Glen
 
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