Close-up of a fabricated steel latch mechanism with pins and bus…

I was sweating these latches, but they came out at least as good as I expected. The door can be installed without touching the latch, and the latch handle only needs to move ~1/2" to release the door. But swinging it fully forward (as shown) pushes the door free from its tracks. The latch pivots on brake pedal shaft bushings and is assembled with a single bolt. The handle is offset both to hide it under the body, and for a possible future mod to the grille guard.

Owner caption October 2013 · Photo 5005 of 6546