[floydg]

3/1982 Spider driver side door storage compartment flaps and does not stay shut. Is there a trigger that is not locking?

Passenger side is locked shut, how do I unlock storage compartment to allow access with hand?

Does the owner's manual state how these storage compartments are to be opened, and closed?

 

[he3r0]

do you mean the map pockets? builded in the doors?

 

[ghnl]

There is supposed to be a springy piece of steel at the bottom, underside of the door pocket - it bears against the door panel to keep them closed. There is also supposed to be a sort of "h" shaped bracket at the top of the pocket opening to restrict how far they can open or close. Often the "h" is missing/broken and the springy metal piece is broken/missing or the section of door panel backing under the pocket opening gives way so it flops out. (they just open by pulling them out).

I'm not sure if the "h" is available so I just made a new one out of a piece of aluminum (~ 3/4"W X 1/16"T X 6"L & bent to the "h" shape).

If you do a search for 'door+pocket' you should find a few threads (some with photos) that should help explain all this (probably better...).

 

[spidryell]

Floydg
You will need to remove the panel to find out the problem. One of mine had a broken panel board below the bottom of the map pocket and both of the doors had broken bracket at the top. I also made my top brackets out of aluminum. Just for clarification it is in the shape of an "h" with the bottom left leg of the "h" missing. I ended up making a new panel out of slightly thicker pressed board. Takes some time and the hardest part was getting the staples to go into the board (pnuematic stapler would have been the way to go)

 

[ghnl]

Here's what the plastic "h" thing looks like (upside down...).

 

[ghnl]

There is a picture of the back of the door panels & door pockets in reply #5 of this thread.

 

[spidryell]

Eric
Thanks, I stand corrected.
I had never seen an unbroken one. The pieces found on the panel and in the bottom of my doors made me think it was not completely "h" shaped. I can see why they broke - not a very good design. Fabricating a double bend is much easier than making a true h shape and seems to work fine since the spring keeps the pocket pushed up against the bracket. Just need to make sure I don't pull it out too far.

 

[kunzman]

Map pocket "h" retainer

Here's what the plastic "h" thing looks like (upside down...).

Are these for sale by anyone?

 

[ghnl]

I haven't found a supplier. I bought one on eBay (I think that's where the picture above came from) then made a couple of copies by bending some 1/16"T X 3/4"W aluminum strip into the "h" shape. There are two screw holes to attach it to the inside of the door panel.

 

[ghnl]

Here's the replacement pocket retainer that I made. The two screws are behind the 'arm rest/door handle'.

 

[kunzman]

Map Pocket Retainers design question

Here's what the plastic "h" thing looks like (upside down...).

Were there different designs for these: one for the Veloce/Quad map pocket design and one for the Graduate map pocket design?

I bought the first two below from e-bay from an '87 Veloce (? I think)

The bottom two are from a '90 Graduate.

Note that the ones from the '87 are sturdier and have three gussets on each. The bottom two actually are two different part numbers, there is a left and a right (gussets are mirror imaged on each) which makes no sense to me why they would do that. But it also makes no sense why they would have two different parts for Veloce/Quad or Graduate map pockets retainers.

Please post which type of map pocket retainer your car has and if its a Veloce, Quad, or Graduate. Just trying to figure out the differences.

 

[spidryell]

I had the type on the right (without the gussets). Junk, don't waste your time putting those back on. Plastic would be brittle by now anyways. Make the set Eric shows out of aluminum and be done with it.