When I first joined this terrific e-mail list, I caught the tail end of a
thread about
opening MGB trunks once the latch fails to work. I had just acquired a 79 B
with
that exact problem. The previous owner, of course, claimed "it worked fine
last
time I used it."
I finally got to working on it this past weekend, and got it opened, and a new
latch
installed. Following is the verbose story.
First I hacksawed off the exposed part of the push-button. Then I just dug
around
inside the latch with various screwdrivers and pliers, bending and breaking
things
until they could be pulled out the little hole. I started to use a drill at
one point, but
it quickly unscrewed what was left of the lock core, allowing me easy access to
what remained between me and the catch lever I needed to push.
After having gotten the trunk lid open, I concluded that the reason for the
whole
problem was the little bolt head on the back of the latch mechanism came loose.
(As I vainly fiddle with the key and the push button, I heard it drop onto the
trunk
floor.) In fact, while examining the new truck latch I bought, I noticed how
easily
that bolt comes loose.
With the new latch in place, and that bolt tightened as much as I dared, I of
course
opened and close the trunk several times. Then it quit working again! D'oh!
After
all that time I was right back where I started! (Maybe I should have drilled
holes
from the interior bulkhead after all.) I messed with it a little more, finally
getting it
open.
Enlisting the help of my wife, I crawled inside the trunk to see what was going
on.
(Not easy for someone of my size.) I found that the catch lever was not being
pushed far enough to clear the loop. (Forgive my lack of proper names for
these
bits and pieces.) That is, the button needed to be pushed further.
Since the trunk latches tightly, I was reluctant to start adjusting the
placement of
any of the latch parts. So I took the plate that pushed the lever from the end
of the
push button of the old latch, and stacked it onto the end of the push button of
the
new latch, making the "ell" of the push plate longer. Now the catch lever
pushes
open enough to clear the loop every time.
Crude picture:
----------- <-- original push-plate from new latch
| ----------- <-- old push plate added
|
I'll get some thread locker for that bolt, and some super glue to ensure that
the
extra push plate doesn't slide around, and I think it'll be set. I suppose the
proper
solution is to have a new push plate made at a machine shop, but this solution
is
cheaper, and seems to work just fine.
Another problem solved! Now, what's next on my list...
--
Keith Gernert
79 MGB
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