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MG TD TF 1500 - Adjusting Door Latches

I know everyone has there idea how to adjust the door latches so they work properly and rightly so, but this is what I did to make the doors close easy with no effort and the latch pin dropping all the way in the hole. I always had to pull real hard on the doors to latch them and sometimes it would take more than one time to get them to latch, but saying that, they would never drop the latch pin all the way in. So, I tried something that worked very well. I took two 1/16th flat washers and placed them behind the plate where the threaded screws go. I had to glue them so they would stay in place while putting the plates back. After tightening the screws tight, the door closes with ease and with the push of my thumb I can hear the pin slam home completely in the hole. The door is tight. Did the same to the passenger door and the result was exactly the same! The 1/16 inch washers aligned the holes perfectly and the doors are a dream to close with no effort. Just thought I'd throw that out there as another idea if you have the same problem as I did. PJ
Paul161

You've got the right idea, Paul. Couldn't tell you how many shims/washers it takes to get that sacred, second click. You'd be amazed at how many pieces would fall out if you removed the door latch assemblies from a given car. Bud
Bud Krueger

I guess you're saying you packed the rear of the lock PJ? If you study the sketch from Anglo Parts below the A pillar is shown with the timber rebated to carry the striker. The depth of this rebate will affect the relationship between the lock & striker. The deeper the rebate the less the lock requires packing. With new bespoke un-rebated timber the lock will of course need to be packed substantially or the pillar rebated. It follows that with the correct rebate no packing under the lock is required.

I'm just about to install my refurbished hinges (new sintered bronze bushes) to the driver's door & plan to install the lock without any packing. As stated on an earlier thread I've modified the lock & striker fittings & eliminated all of the wood screws by introducing a new plate at the front of the lock (with one reoriented captive nut) & by introducing two more captive nuts @ the striker. This will not only give me much more adjustment but also a more secure lock & striker. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

This pic shows the new lock plate being installed. The brass item at the top right is a threaded insert used to fit the new plate. Each of the brass screws on the lock locate with a captive nut. The plate on the right is yet to be modified for the other door. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

Peter I dont see any allowance for the thickness of the door upholstery panel in your image, maybe your screw length allows for this.

As I have previously mentioned the upholstery panel is under compression forces when the lock assembly screws are tightened. With time and door closures the thickness of this panel alters so the lock/striker relationship requires adjustment, I am wondering whether Paul has had to resolve this.

In my case I fabricated full size aluminium shims that are installed between the lock assembly and the upholstery panel, the chrome lock cover conceals these.
G Evans

Hi Graeme. The screws do have the length to deal with this. On the test installation I'm using a piece of the panel ply under the lock & some trim under the striker. The panel compression you mention, though slight, is unavoidable as far as I can see. This may well, in a few years time, require the lock to be removed & a thin shim placed under each corner screw, between the plate & the panel. This would require the removal of the door card so rather than staple the panel to the door I intend to use small countersunk screws in the hidem. This adjustment could also be made at the striker by removing the trim panel & deepening the rebate slightly. In any event I guess I'd be long gone before this becomes an issue. Hopefully when the time comes the next custodian will appreciate my modifications & just maybe wont refer to me as a DPO. -:) Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

If any of your "A" pillars are new they may be thicker than the original.
I had replaced one of mine (25 years ago). I never realized it was different until I could not get the door to latch properly. I found it was about 7/32" thicker. Of course the mortise or rebate was the standard depth. This moved the striker further into the car. If I tried to add shims the door handle would not engage the door lock properly.

I had to make the rebate or as I call them mortise deeper.

I made a stop for a 1/4" Forstner bit. The Forstner Bit provides an almost flat bottom. I set it up to drill holes about 3/16 deep. I drilled many holes just leaving a thin wall between them. (First frame, top left frame, this is just the lower half of a mortise.)

I cleared the excess out with a VERY sharp 1/4" wood chisel. (I buff my cutting edges on a buffing wheel until I can shave the hair off my arm.) At this point the half round clearance for the striker and holder had gone.

I mounted a piece of 2x4 to the screws that hold the striker plate. It had rebates to allow the wood to extend to the very edge of the "A" Pillar.
I mounted it to the pillar and marked where the center of the new clearance hole should be. I drilled a 1/4" pilot hole. (Top left frame)

Using a 1" metal cutting hole saw, with the center drill replaced by a guide rod, I drilled through the sheet metal that wraps the "A" pillar and through the 2X4 to for the new 1/2 round clearance hole. (Lower left frame.

I kept checking the fit of the Latch holder as I messaged the depth with the chisel until the mortise was flat and level and at the proper depth.

It did take a bit of work but I got the door to latch.

I still have 1/8 shims under the door latches/locks to get things to line up.

Do not put in the wood screws until you can get things to latch properly. If you have holes plug them.
Once you can close the doors and get things to latch correctly. Then secure with the screws.

Jim B.

Jim B in NJ

Peter, I didn't have to adjust the latch at all, I had done that previously. I put the washers behind the striker plate, item 16 in your illustration, behind the forward threaded screw holes to move the wedge a little further out toward the door. It came out perfectly to align the hole with the latch pin. It was a test at first, but worked out very well. If the doors were heavier, they would probably latch themselves with a slight push. I never thought they would ever work so well with no modifications to the sheet metal or panels. PJ
Paul161

I went with a similar approach to Jim's to create my rebate. Just a very sharp chisel deals with the flat recess but to create the circular half round depression I simply clamped a piece of sacrificial timber to the inside of the pillar as Jim did & used a 1" spade bit, drilling into both the pillar & the timber. As my pillar was the correct thickness I had no need to alter the metal skin. Simple & it produced a perfect result. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Another weird problem can occur if one has replaced either the A pillar or the leading edge of the door wood.

These two pieces need to be EXACTLY even and in the same plane. My A pillar was cut at a slight angle to that of the door. It was impossible to get the latch to work at all until I shaved the A pillar down to be exactly at the same angle as the door.
Lew3

By the way, after having my account here hijacked THREE times, I'm now back with the moniker Lew3.

Cheers,
Lew Palmer
Lew3

The way MG designed the latch fixing allows for them to be adjusted once, at the initial fitting stage! How do you reposition the wood screws if they need moving?


Jan T
J Targosz

Short answer is you can't Jan. This problem goes back to the narrow striker on the TC which had a habit of breaking because over time the wood screws worked loose & put undue strain on the top & bottom fixings. Successive closings by someone other than the owner, (who was probably aware of the problem but had no idea how to fix it), caused the inevitable fracture. (See pic below of the TC striker that was fitted to my car when I purchased it in 1969). Most owners today "baby" the door when closing. Abingdon's solution was to widen the striker on the TD to beef it up. This helped, but didn't address the fundamental problem, which is that the wood screws loosen. I believe the only effective long term solution is to replace the wood screws altogether. This can be achieved fairly easily during a restoration. See my posts above.

PJ it seems the striker & lock not only need to be in exactly the same plane when viewed from above but the striker wedge needs to be in perfect alignment so that the lock tongue engages fully. By adding a pair of washers you've addressed that issue & angled the wedge slightly to ensure total engagement. I agree with you completely Lew. Another relevant factor is the load on the rear of the car. If a gallon of water weighs 10 lbs then a full tank of fuel adds about 120 lbs to the back of the tub. A full tank will have the tendency to raise the front of the door slightly & an empty tank will cause the door to drop at the lock. I plan to adjust the lock/striker relationship with the car on the ground, tank & spare tyre fitted & an extra 60 lbs of weight added to the rear to simulate half a tank of fuel. Cheers
Peter TD 5801

P Hehir

QUOTE
"How do you reposition the wood screws if they need moving?"

END QUOTE.

I have moved mine a couple of times.
Drill a bit oversize to the next larger "Standard" size. Plug with a glued dowel. Let the glue dry well and prune flat and start over.

Jim B.
Jim B in NJ

True Jim but it's a bit like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. It's just a matter of time before they fail again. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Peter;
I did not mean to down grade your solution, only to answer the question of moving a screw.

I have been working for at least two months to get my doors to close and finally they do. I had to bend the hinges a bit and move the rear bottom door lip out a bit, but finally after redoing the mortise and realigning the screws I HAVE GOT IT!.

One more thing I could mention in this thread, I think its germane, the adjustable cross brace that many of us are using.

Put the turnbuckle adjustment on the bottom. You will need to redo it from time to time. By having it on the bottom, you can undo the door skin bottom only (I used screwsto affix the skin) and reach in an turn the turnbuckle to get the door to match better.

Like most, when I made min I put the turnbuckle in the middle. WRONG!. I think Mort did his more correctly and at the time I wondered why.
I should have put mine right ant the mounting tab.

Jim B.

Jim B in NJ

No worries Jim. Plugging is a solution but the real issue with the lock/striker installation is one of poor design. I also agree that Mort has come up with the best turnbuckle fix as his can be adjusted from under the door without removing any of the trim. Now that is a great bit of design! Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Ok, maybe I'm a little touched, but I'm so amazed at how well my doors latch, I have to open and close one as I walk by, just to make sure I'm not dreaming. Love it! Funny what brightens our day. PJ
Paul161

There is no way you can make adjustments and then put in the wood screws. If you leave them out of the door catches the catch pegs may fit into the holes in the wedges but there can be a gap between the base of the catch and the door panel. Put the wood screws in and the door will not lock properly. The solution -goodness knows


Jan T
J Targosz

I'm struggling to understand your issue here Jan. Is the problem with the wood screws in the lock or the striker or both? The solution will involve using washers as packing as suggested above & as others have done. If the holes are in the wrong place then plug & re-drill as Jim suggests. You'll also need a fair amount of patience & perseverance. Something made with malt may also help.. Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Hi Peter,

It's the ones on the doors that I was referring to but the ones on the body are just as bad. I fitted my doors whilst the body was still in primer. The first issue was the lack of the door trim panel. You really need a full sized dummy panel, or the real thing. A 4"x 4" piece of plywood covered in vinyl isn't good enough. The full size one bends to the door curvature. I fitted the door lock to the body striker by hand, closed the door and fitted the two rear, threaded securing screws. I found that I could latch the bolt in the lock with just these two screws but not when I had fitted the wood screws. I eventually solved the problem using shims cut from a plastic milk bottle. The issue I have with the wood screws is you can glue and plug incorrect holes but for how many times? The best advice you have given refers to the malt. I live across the road from the Glengoyne Distillery. If you ever see a bottle above a bar have a wee one and think of me!


Jan
J Targosz

Surprised to hear that the 4" x 4" trim covered ply didn't work Jan as that just sits on the frame. My approach will be similar except I'm starting with the lock fitted to the door then offering up the striker to ensure clearance at the tongue. Once satisfied that I have full engagement I'll then fit the striker to the A pillar. As I have now eliminated all the wood screws that gives me 8 points of adjustment at the lock & 6 at the striker. I still expect to encounter some issues ensuring both items are in exactly the same vertical plane. This I'll deal with at the striker by adjusting the depth & angle of the rebate. My goal is to not only have no wood screws but no shims either. Agree with your comment about the malt but getting rid of the wood screws comes a very close second! Cheers
Peter TD 5801
P Hehir

Paul
I was able to use a nut from the local hardware store on each bolt behind the plate. I left it a few turns lose so I could wiggle the bolts to line up and get them started. they took up with the friction as I tightened the bolts. did not have to glue or worry about them falling off. the new angle let the doors close nicely.
TLW Wright

This thread was discussed between 13/08/2015 and 19/08/2015

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