1950s 1955 Eldorado Driver's Door Adjustment - Not Fully Closing

[Cadman-iac]

  That's interesting, I haven't looked into what the part numbers were for these, mainly because I don't have a parts book that covers that far back.
 If it doesn't seem to make a difference, you shouldn't have any problems getting another one.
 
 Rick

[Lockhouse]

Rick,

You were right all along. I don't know why I just didn't compare the striker plates.

The driver's side is definitely damaged. The passenger side is a little worn but not too bad.

So I definitely need a new striker plate as well. It's part number 4664972 and is a standard GM part of the era.

One question - if I completely undo the striker plate, do I need to get behind the door jamb (take the side trim out etc) to hold the back plate in place whist I replace the striker plate?

Best regards,

Andy

[Cadman-iac]

  Hi Andy,

 If you remove the striker, you don't need to worry about the anchor nuts falling into the quarter panel.
 I just double checked mine and they used a cage behind the anchor to keep it in place yet still allow it to move for adjustment.
 I believe yours should be the same way. However, just to be safe, if you remove just one screw and replace it with a much longer one as a precaution, then remove the second screw. With the longer screw or bolt then you can test whether or not the anchor is in fact captured within a cage. If so, then you can remove the longer one without fear of it falling inside the panel.

 Before you remove the old one though, use something like a felt tip marker or another kind that is easily removed, and make an outline of your striker so when you put the new one on, it should be very close to being in adjustment.
 Just be careful when you go to close the door, as it may move up or down and chip your paint.
 Hope you can locate a good striker soon.
 
 Was your latch bad, or is the problem isolated to the striker?

  Rick

[64\/54Cadillacking]

I had to readjust my striker plates on my '54 because some of the doors weren't latching correctly. The problem I have now is that the drivers door doesn't close shut and is loose in the striker plate even with multiple adjustments.

Do you guys think using some black tape could fill in any wear areas so the door latch will be able to catch the striker better?

I always thought these door latches were a kinda weird design. They seem sturdy in all, but I think the design was unnecessarily complicated.

[Cadman-iac]

I had to readjust my striker plates on my '54 because some of the doors weren't latching correctly. The problem I have now is that the drivers door doesn't close shut and is loose in the striker plate even with multiple adjustments.

Do you guys think using some black tape could fill in any wear areas so the door latch will be able to catch the striker better?

I always thought these door latches were a kinda weird design. They seem sturdy in all, but I think the design was unnecessarily complicated.

  How much of a gap do you have between the door and the quarter panel? If it's too large, it doesn't let the latch fully engage with the striker.

I think a lot of this kind of issue is caused by shops that will jack up or lift the car using a point too far behind the front suspension, and it flexes the frame and body. This pulls the latch forward with the door while the quarter panel is dropping towards the rear, as the car flexes in the middle from the excessive weight of the front end.
The factory designed the vehicle to be supported by the suspension, not points in between.
I believe that is the reason for the extra flat piece on the 56 wedge on the latch. I think it was intended to try to prevent the door from pulling away from the striker when the body is flexed from bad roads or whatever might cause it.
But that's just conjecture on my part, I don't know why it was added.

Now I do know that there were shims that were used to move the striker towards the door. I have a pair that were on my car. They're not very thick, but it might be enough to make your latch hit deeper into the striker for a better hold if you can find a pair.

I also believe this design is flawed and the reason why the new 56 4-door hardtop used a completely new design latch and striker.

  I think the 2 door 56's and all the earlier years with this design strikers are made of pot metal. Not very safe actually. The catch in the latch assembly is the only thing that keeps your door shut, and if it wears enough, well.....?

 As for filling up a gap on your striker to get the latch to hit the second catch, it might work for 1 or 2 times, but tape isn't a good solution. It won't stay in place long, and the pressure from the roller on the latch will push it out. The adhesive won't hold enough for this to work.

 Is the latch actually fully fitting into the striker, just not moving into the secondary catch?
 Or does the latch only reach the edge of the striker, like the door is too far forward?

Rick

[Lockhouse]

Was your latch bad, or is the problem isolated to the striker?

Rick

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the details re the cage.

The actual latch mechanism was OK but a little worn - I've probably been a bit over eager in ordering a replacement latch\striker, I should have hung on and found a new striker plate and tried that first.

Best regards,

Andy

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Hey Rick,

I'm going to have to go inspect the car tomorrow or on Sat to see exactly what's going on. I'll try to readjust the striker plate again to see it will catch. It's so finicky and touchy though. I remember having to adjust the strikers on the front passenger and rear doors since the doors weren't closing completely shut either as the latch would loosely have slack in striker.

One of the past owners of the car used it in weddings and events many years ago, so the door strikers and latches I am sure are probably worn a bit because of all hundreds if not thousands of times random people have the shut the doors.

[Cadman-iac]

Hey Rick,

I'm going to have to go inspect the car tomorrow or on Sat to see exactly what's going on. I'll try to readjust the striker plate again to see it will catch. It's so finicky and touchy though. I remember having to adjust the strikers on the front passenger and rear doors since the doors weren't closing completely shut either as the latch would loosely have slack in striker.

One of the past owners of the car used it in weddings and events many years ago, so the door strikers and latches I am sure are probably worn a bit because of all hundreds if not thousands of times random people have the shut the doors.

  Your doors shouldn't be too hard to adjust, being a 4 door sedan. I've been thinking your car was a 2 door, so some of what I have mentioned earlier doesn't apply to you.
But when the door is adjusted, the first alignment should be the rear of the door to the B pillar, then the upper and lower clearances.
You never want to align the door with the front fenders, it's the other way around. The fender should be aligned with the door once the door is properly aligned.
If the rear of the front door is properly aligned, then you need to investigate why it doesn't close properly. This also applies to the rear doors, they are surrounded by the body on all sides, and unless the car has been wrecked at some point in time, it should be fairly easy to align the doors.
Because there is a piece of the B pillar that sits between the outer edge of each door, you can align the front door by itself.

Only on a car where the B pillar is hidden, (no part of it is exposed to the outside of the car), is it necessary to start with the rear door and work forward, but this applies to newer models, not yours.

When you are trying to adjust your striker, are you moving the whole thing in or out, or have you tried to move just the top or bottom of the striker? If it is not positioned correctly, the latch roller may not be able to enter the groove or channel far enough to make the latch reach the second position.
  And moving the striker up or down will affect how the door closes too.
Also, the little black plastic wedge on the striker needs to be able to move freely because it does apply a small amount of tension or pressure on the latch wedge to help prevent the door from rattling within the striker. If yours is stuck, try spraying something into it to lube the shaft and the spring behind the wedge.
It's a delicate dance between the two parts to get the door to close properly, but well worth the time and effort.

I know exactly how hard it is to remove the latch assembly from the door, but if you suspect that it's not moving like it should or needs to be lubricated, it is a good idea to pull it out. This also allows you to clean it of all the old dried grease and dirt so you'll know that it is working correctly.
The really great thing about how the latch fits the door is that there is not any adjustment for it. It goes in one place.
Trying to lube the latch while it's still in the door isn't very effective, as you can't get to all the moving parts. And the spray lubricant will drip inside the door and make a mess.


Rick
 Edit:





 These are pictures of 55 parts car rear doors. I think somebody has changed the right latch assembly because it's got the extra flat piece on the wedge. You can easily see it in the picture. These will fit into the 55 doors, but I believe this design of latch with the flat piece on it is a 56 design, but I don't know that for sure. Just going by what I've seen on other cars.

 I've pulled the front door latches and they're in a box somewhere, I just need to figure out which one.

[64\/54Cadillacking]

So it appears that the striker was badly worn on my car with a deep groove above where from the ball latch catches.

Fortunately, I was able to acquire a nicely used striker from that '54 Fleetwood parts car a few months ago, and I decided to finally install it.

Well, all is good now. The door shuts perfectly fine after installing the new used striker.

So it did whined up being the striker, and not the little ball latch. Here are some pics of the old and new/used one. As you can see, there's a slight difference from both strikers, the old one has this small round rivet looking thing, and the other striker doesn't, although they are from the same year make and model Cadillac.

I wonder if changes were made for parts depending if it was an early or late in the year '54 Caddy?

[Cadman-iac]

So it appears that the striker was badly worn on my car with a deep groove above where from the ball latch catches.

Fortunately, I was able to acquire a nicely used striker from that '54 Fleetwood parts car a few months ago, and I decided to finally install it.

Well, all is good now. The door shuts perfectly fine after installing the new used striker.

So it did whined up being the striker, and not the little ball latch. Here are some pics of the old and new/used one. As you can see, there's a slight difference from both strikers, the old one has this small round rivet looking thing, and the other striker doesn't, although they are from the same year make and model Cadillac.

I wonder if changes were made for parts depending if it was an early or late in the year '54 Caddy?

Well I suppose it's possible, mid year design changes are nothing new to GM.
In looking at your old striker and the replacement one, it appears that the channel for the latch roller is shaped differently to me, but that could just be an optical delusion. Lol!! Your replacement one also does not have the stainless wear plate that was riveted to your original one.



You can see what I'm pointing to in this picture, it's the reinforcement that is supposed to keep the latch roller from digging into the striker.
Because your replacement never had one, I'm wondering how long it will last.
I'm glad you got it all figured out and working again. I would just keep checking the striker for signs of wear from here on.

Rick

[64\/54Cadillacking]

Rick,

That's interesting how Cadillac reinforced the touch point of the latch. I wonder if that design was a mid-year cycle update or a later style type striker?

I do see what you mean by the replacement on mine not having the reinforcement piece of metal there.

I was thinking of applying some lithium grease on the wear points to reduce the friction on the striker from opening and closing the door. At the same time, it's not like I drive the car everyday, so the amount of wear will be very minimal.

As far as the stainless shim, I think it's there but it looks very worn, or I could be mistaken? Is there a way that I could plant the old shim onto the replacement striker? Should I grease the shim point and the door latch itself?

BTW is it possible to replace that reinforced piece of metal on the striker by drilling out the rivet and welding in a new piece of steel?

The 2 strikers are shaped slightly differently, especially the bottom lip section of the replacement striker angles downward at a curvature vs the the original one that was on my car. It's these little things that Cadillac changed from year to year that makes it so difficult at times to find parts that actually fit correctly on our cars.

The neutral safety switch, brake booster, front shocks, and horn relay are all parts that are '54 only, including all the A/C related components and brackets.

[Cadman-iac]

  To transplant the stainless reinforcement from your old striker to your new one is not something that I would recommend, simply because of the difficulty in doing so. Let me explain: to get the reinforcement to fit properly, you would need to grind away the area where it sits so it would be a flush fit, otherwise it could create a snag for the latch roller to hang up on, and if it isn't flush, it will narrow the channel that the latch roller moves through.
 I wouldn't recommend that you attempt to weld on the striker either. It looks like pot metal, but even if it's not, it's still a cast piece of unknown composition, and you can do more damage than effective repair without knowing exactly what kind of material it is made from.
 As for riveting the stainless piece in place, again you are working with an unknown metal, you would need to drill a hole in the striker for the rivet, and you would have to use a pop rivet to secure the piece, and when you are expanding the rivet it could possibly cause the striker to split from the pressure of the expanding rivet.
 You are better off just using your new striker as is and keeping an eye on it for any signs of wear.
 Yes, lubricating the roller would be helpful, and since you don't use the car very often as you said, I don't believe you'll experience many issues.
 I hope this answers all your questions.

 Rick

[64\/54Cadillacking]

To transplant the stainless reinforcement from your old striker to your new one is not something that I would recommend, simply because of the difficulty in doing so. Let me explain: to get the reinforcement to fit properly, you would need to grind away the area where it sits so it would be a flush fit, otherwise it could create a snag for the latch roller to hang up on, and if it isn't flush, it will narrow the channel that the latch roller moves through.
 I wouldn't recommend that you attempt to weld on the striker either. It looks like pot metal, but even if it's not, it's still a cast piece of unknown composition, and you can do more damage than effective repair without knowing exactly what kind of material it is made from.
 As for riveting the stainless piece in place, again you are working with an unknown metal, you would need to drill a hole in the striker for the rivet, and you would have to use a pop rivet to secure the piece, and when you are expanding the rivet it could possibly cause the striker to split from the pressure of the expanding rivet.
 You are better off just using your new striker as is and keeping an eye on it for any signs of wear.
 Yes, lubricating the roller would be helpful, and since you don't use the car very often as you said, I don't believe you'll experience many issues.
 I hope this answers all your questions.

 Rick

Thanks for the advice Rick.

I'll just keep the replacement striker on the Caddy, and grease the friction areas to reduce wear.

It's not worth the hassle of trying to repair the old striker which can cause problems like you said.