I was having problems opening the doors from the outside on my '48 M16. In fact, I was actual bending the door handles trying to actuate the latch. The passenger side wasn't as bad so, I did that one first. With the knowledge I gained from doing the passenger side, I did the drivers side and took pictures to share.
First, I mounted the latch in my milling machine.
You can see the rivet that needs to be drilled out to remove the cover.
I drilled the river 7/16" deep and tapped it to #10-24 screw.
Cutting off the head of the rivet, the stamped steel cover popped right off.
These two pics show how badly the latch was worn.
You can see the threaded hole in the standing rivet.
With a little weld and some shaping, I recreated the mating surfaces.
Some locktite and a truss head screw, the latch is reassembled.
Of course, everything was greased upon assembly.
The inside actuator showed no wear so, I didn't have to mess with it. I did take measurements of the locking pawl on the passenger side so I can make one for the drivers side to add a key lock.
I now have to break the habit of using too much force to open the doors. Neal
First, I mounted the latch in my milling machine.
You can see the rivet that needs to be drilled out to remove the cover.
I drilled the river 7/16" deep and tapped it to #10-24 screw.
Cutting off the head of the rivet, the stamped steel cover popped right off.
These two pics show how badly the latch was worn.
You can see the threaded hole in the standing rivet.
With a little weld and some shaping, I recreated the mating surfaces.
Some locktite and a truss head screw, the latch is reassembled.
Of course, everything was greased upon assembly.
The inside actuator showed no wear so, I didn't have to mess with it. I did take measurements of the locking pawl on the passenger side so I can make one for the drivers side to add a key lock.
I now have to break the habit of using too much force to open the doors. Neal
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