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Refurbishing Spider Door Latches

6K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  rooony 
#1 · (Edited)
I spent a few hours today looking for more bits to take to the platers. For the first time, I took a look at the door latches that mount to the door jam. Until today, the thought never occured to me to take one apart. It was far easier than I thought. Now, you can see how to refurbish yours.

Please note the series of pictures were take at various stages of taking each unit apart. So, some will be of the left piece and some the right piece.

Start by slipping a flat-head screwdriver under the metal bracket. Begin wiggling it to carefully prise the bracket off the two plastic studs. Be very careful as the plastic is probably very brittle and may easily break. After you get one started, slide the screw driver over and begin to pry the other side up. Don't try to pry one side all the way up the first time. Work each side carefully, a little at a time.

After removing the bracket, remove the small metal collar at the base. That's the part the latch grabs when the door is closed. To remove the slider (for lack of better words), flip the piece over and stick a small instrument through the slot (the flat-head screw driver in the picture did not work). Work on the opposite side of the slider and push the rod against the spring until it can be pushed out.
 

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#2 · (Edited)
Here are all of the components of one of the latches. The bracket and the collar can be sent to be replated. The plastic pieces can be carefully cleaned. I used a tooth brush and some strong liquid cleaner. Next, I used a little Soft Scrub (a cleanser with mild abrasives used to clean sinks and toilets) to clean up the finish a bit. If the piece has any dry rot, the Soft Scrub will help get rid of some of the dry look. To finish restoring the surface, I used a little polishing compound. They are far from perfect, but should look ok when placed back on the car. Upon reassembly, apply a little lithium grease to the slider surface and rod.
 

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