For most, when that beyond all recognition pile of holy rusted tin shows up in the garage, we’re so infatuated with big dreams that even the worst of projects won’t send one running for the hills, for better or worse! Then once the initial excitement winds down its time to retreat and review the damages; followed by a reconnaissance mission with various catalogs to estimate what kind of dent this project is gonna put in your pocket book. However, once the initial assessment is conducted, one will soon find out they have only peeled back the first of the onion’s layers and have overlooked an abundance of problems.
One common area is door latches. Once you swallow the condition of the doors and what it’s gonna take to fix them, it’s time to realize that it’s not only the cosmetic portion of the assembly that has seen better days. Just like the rest of the mechanical pieces involved in the truck, the latches and striker plates are pretty much shot as well. After years of use the latches have more slop in them than a seventh grader’s mess hall! Although it doesn’t sound like a bad thing, it’s one of those situations where every action has a reaction; only this reaction has a chain reaction!
When the latches wear down several problems ensue. For one, when the door isn’t sucked up tight into the weatherstrip around the jamb it allows for all kinds of wind and road noise to seep through the gaps. Couple those noises with the clanking and banging of the door itself against the jamb and before you know it, you got a symphony of sounds pouring through the cab. Another area that is affected is door alignment. A key point in aligning the door is utilizing the latch. When the latch isn’t securing a strong bond it can cause lines to be off cue, which can cause things too look funkier than some Lady Gaga getup! The miracle elixir is to install late-model-styled bear claw latches.
Here’s the Autoloc kit, straight outta the box. Everything needed to install a set of bear claw latches with electric solenoids is included in the kit.
One company that has a diverse lineup of products to help aid in the installation of various components is Autoloc. Autoloc sees the importance of high-quality latches, pins, solenoids—really, any and all components that round out a door package. One kit that will bring things full circle is their power bear claw latch kit, which will outfit your ride with all the necessary upgrades. The kit comes complete with bear claw latches, mounting plates, pins and power solenoids, which are great for those looking for shaved door handles. The cool thing about this kit is it is all packaged together in a compact, all-inclusive design, which makes installation a breeze. The heart of the kit is based around the bear claw latch that features dual claws with an extra large striker bolt. To boot, the all-steel latch operates around a three-stage latching system with five coil springs that give the latch over an inch of throw. Making installation a breeze is the conveniently designed installation kit that features steel mounting plates designed with stamped screw holes and precise machine cut latch openings for the ultimate in operation and alignment. The kit also features a floating mounting pin boss for easy alignment. Autoloc also offers the option of manual or power latches. For those opting to go handleless, the kit is outfitted with a 13-pound two-wire hook-up actuator capable of handling most shaved door handle applications.
The pin plate is already fabricated with the floating mounting boss on the backside of it. The plate will mount where the stock striker plate mounted, as shown here.
To show the ease, installation and efficiency of this kit Star Kustom Shop is going to install the Autoloc kit in a ’55 Chevy truck. Follow along as this key part to a quality door package is tackled from beginning to end. CCT
Because of the pin’s mounting boss on the Autoloc plate, the plate setup won’t sit into the stock recession in the jamb, therefore, a 2x2-inch square needs to be cut from the center of the jamb recession.
