Engine Lid Latch

@Alan Merklin         Just wondering if you had any experience with putting another spring or something to fix this. @Gordon Nichols

I made a bracket from a piece of aluminum angle and attached a spring from a D-cell Maglight.  I got the spring on eBay.  I got the rubber piece on top from the hardware store.  I tried a couple different heights for the rubber thing.

The spring has a small diameter loop on the bottom the flat head bolt with washer go through.

I like Mike's solution (a lot!)

He should sell 'em.

Mike has the fix !

Here is the new part which is available and I am considering getting, I think Lane has one.  

It seems so simple that anyone can make it. Can We?  

Essentially, you see the top two holes on any latch and they made a metal rising bar that lifts up on the PIN.  with the spring attached.  Simple and Neet concept.  Mike's as well is simple to do but this seems like it belongs     Sorry Mike. 

@aircooled this one you can make and sell  

Where did you get the photo?  Is it available to purchase somewhere?

I like this better than my solution if it is available.

IaM-Ray posted:

I was just looking at my engine lid latch and when the engine is hot it seems that cable for some reason opens the lid but by the time I get to the back the latch is locked again.  Once the engine is cold it works fine.  So it is either a two man job or something else. 

Now I saw somewhere that there is a new latch available with a spring release but I was wondering if anyone had any other work arounds.  Essentially the new style has a plate attached to one side of the upper hole you see and a spring attached pops up once the main latch is released and prevents the latch from re-engaging. 

I think Bruce @aircooled could make one easily .

 

 

I'm noticing the same thing in the heat, Ray. I had added a couple of small, clear rubber, glue on standoff pads earlier this Spring but have now added one more layer of them and solved the problem. They're hard to find but I got a pack of about 30 for about $6. at Lee Valley Tools.

If you look at the latch photo immediately above this post, that assembly has the hole for the little kicker lever, plus the notch on the other side for the spring to attach to on the left side (check Ray’s photo a few posts up).  All that is missing is the lever itself, that looks like it could be made up in less than an hour and attached with a pan-head bolt.  Looks like a nice project for this weekend.......

I see a kit of parts in the future.

I am thinking about it but not sure where I can get the metal with the bottom tab for the spring.  I have no clue where and who is the supplier.

Again, where did the photo come from?

IaM-Ray posted:

Here is the new part which is available and I am considering getting, I think Lane has one.  

It seems so simple that anyone can make it. Can We?  

Essentially, you see the top two holes on any latch and they made a metal rising bar that lifts up on the PIN.  with the spring attached.  Simple and Neet concept.  Mike's as well is simple to do but this seems like it belongs     Sorry Mike. 

@aircooled this one you can make and sell  

@IaM-Ray

From where on the internet did you get this photo? Was it a generic photo search, word search, parts catalog, etc?

@Michael McKelvey My builder is now selling those and I think SE does as well as Lane has one. 

I started to look at it and I figured it had to be existing out there. So here is one..  fiat-124-spider-1968-74-

I have not yet found a supplier of NEW parts other than my builder but when I looked at the picture they sent me I just thought duh... that is the original latch with a sprung lever.  Who has a 3D printer handy  

The Fiat part looks like a bit of mirror image.

You might mention who your builder is for those who don't know.

Michael McKelvey posted:

The Fiat part looks like a bit of mirror image.

You might mention who your builder is for those who don't know.

I thought it was obvious   IaM-Ray =  IM Ray 

Some might think you are just doing "I am Ray" with Trump type capitalization and not realize how clever you are.

I guess I was just playing with you guys. ))

@Michael McKelvey if you look at the device it is such a simple addition it seems like a no brainer. 

Please let us know if you do purchase the part from IM.  I went to their website and there is no part listing I could find.  I did notice they only offer electric vehicles now.

I think @chines1 sells them and would be your source @Michael McKelvey

Subject talked about in 2013

Robert M posted:

IaM-Ray posted:

Here is the new part which is available and I am considering getting, I think Lane has one.  

It seems so simple that anyone can make it. Can We?  

Essentially, you see the top two holes on any latch and they made a metal rising bar that lifts up on the PIN.  with the spring attached.  Simple and Neet concept.  Mike's as well is simple to do but this seems like it belongs     Sorry Mike. 

@aircooled this one you can make and sell  

@IaM-Ray

From where on the internet did you get this photo? Was it a generic photo search, word search, parts catalog, etc?

Robert just a note that Midwest might be your source above link for fiat.  For those who might have a slightly different latch this guy says that their are 100's of different latch types made by Italian companies, some have very small nuance differences, latch position, directionally left or right etc.  and he will send me info on what he has if your trying to retrofit something special. 

here is an ebay one.  but I would like to have the measurements and more picts.  @Michael McKelvey

we have them with and without the helper spring/bar

@chines1, it the one with the helper like the one in Ray's picture?

When I contacted you some time ago about what was fitted to Tom Blankenship's car I got the impression it was somewhat different.

What is the price for the one with the helper?

Thanks.

yes it is the one with the helper, we have both.  I'll have to double check the latches but I seem to remember the ones with the helper pull the opposite direction vs stock, and due to the helper can't be flipped around.  Shoot me an e-mail and I'll take a look.

I also seem to remember that the one you have with the helper pulls from the other side according to what you previously told me.  That's why I asked if it is the same as the one in Ray's photo.

If it pulls from the other side it is not the same.

@Michael McKelvey Well I got my new latch and installed it from my builder.   Works like a charm.  FYI, I had to reuse the spring from my old one on the cable side, as which ever car it came from it has a really strong spring which makes pulling the remote cable near impossible to open the latch.  

Hence I put on the old spring which is not as strong and it opens like a charm and pops the lid up just a bit.  I think Carey has these too for you guys south of the 49th. 

Here is is installed and a pict of how it opens with a good fingers worth open so it does not reclose when the cable is hot.

Honestly now that I have it in my hands the old latch could have easily been modified by simply creating the small plate shown and adding a spring.  Look at the first pict you can see the V plate and the RIVET that is missing from the original latch. 

I think the ones Cary has pull from the other side.

I bought a used, but new condition Fiat 124 front hood latch on eBay last fall for around $35. Like Ray, I put a weaker spring on it. So far it's been perfect as a deck lid latch replacement.

Mike

Mike way to go ... the latch is Italian and I saw it on the fiat 124 site as well

All these companies source out to the same producers.

Hey the new latch is working like a charm !   Using the old spring from the original .... you pull it and the lid sits proud of the body for easy opening 

Closes really well too

I ordered a Fiat 124 hood latch from Midwest Bayless.  Their various hood latches and trunk latches are very similar but some pull from the left and some pull from the right.

I looked again at one on eBay and saw that it is in Egypt.

If you call Midwest they are very helpful... just saying 

your old spring will work with the new unit to reduce the amount of force you need to open. 

What I like to is when you close it it is an easy press down and it latches nicely.

Good luck with it 

I ordered a Fiat latch similar to what Ray has installed.  If it works I will make a gift of my bracket and spring to someone.

That's the spirit Michael  

This all is getting more complicated than I expected.

I received the Fiat latch.  It is a used latch that has been cleaned up and replated in yellow zinc.  Unfortunately, the plating flakes off.  I also got a latch cover.

My pull wire has a crimped on loop on the end I didn't want to undo so I rendered my old latch unusable getting it off.

The hole for the wire connection doesn't align with the wire tube in my car so I decided I would drill and tap a hole above it and put in a #6 machine screw to attach the loop in my wire.  It took multiple drill bits including 2 cobalt to make the hole and when tapping the hole the tap broke off.

So, I used a piece of safety wire to tie the pull wire to the latch hole and slot.

The moment had come to try it.  That is when I discovered that the post slot in the latch is more narrow than the slot in my old latch and the post on my deck lid is too big.

Michael, I use a 5/16" bolt as the decklid post. Once I tightened the bolt I used an angle grinder to make the contact areas of the post narrow enough to fit the slot in the latch.

Mike

I didn't think of grinding on the post. I was thinking of making the slot wider.  It doesn't need much.

You can always replace. The bolt