door latch adjustment

[jwtdvm]

My old door latch was always having to be slammed to catch--it would open fine but tough to close--Got another latch which seems better--not as "loose" as the old one---installed it and have gone down hill since--have to really slam it to latch and then have to press handle and tug HARD to get it open--no adjustment available on the door part (my newly installed part) so I have been messing with the striker plate---moved it all over and cant seem to solve this--guess I dont know what I am doing--even move it out with some washers and thought I was onto something there but did not pan out---HELP-- I came across an old post from Rich Muise but the search feature took me to a 128 page post--not to the part about the door latch so I thought I would start anew--thanks--On a side note does anyone know the correct size glass setting tape for a side window???

[RICH MUISE]

It takes a bit of fiddlin' with the striker plate to get it correct. First, I've got to ask, have you done anything recently with the door seals and/or windlace? Either of those will make it hard to close for a while.
The starwheel on the doorlatch doesn't have any adjustment...it's pretty much all in the striker plate. When everything is adjusted correctly, the striker plate will lift the door approx 1/16". That small plate with the two countersunk holes performs that function. Behind the starwheel on the latch, if you look you will see a bearing/roller. That bearing riding up on the mentioned plate is what lifts the door. It is needed to keep some of the door's weight on / supported by the striker plate to keep it (the door) from rattling/bouncing up and down, etc. That's the up and down adjustment.
The in and out adjustment is determined by the starwheel needing to grab TWO teeth. When the door is only grabbing one tooth, the door will be ajar, but you won't be able to open it without pushing the outside door button (or inside handle). That's the "new for '57" safety feature of the newly designed door latch assembly. If you are only grabbing that one tooth, the striker plate has to be moved OUTWARD.
The striker movement is facilitated by floating cage nuts in the B pillar. You may want to take a look at those to make sure they are moving freely. Also, use masking tape to temporarily mark the striker location before you loosen the screws for adjustment.

[jwtdvm]

I will try to move it out a little more and see if that helps---I actually ground out a little if the body to faciliate moving it all upward as the "hat" over the star wheel was hitting the front edge of the striker---my other door does not seem to do that----do you know what type of "misadjustment would make you have to pull extremely hard to pull the door open???-the button on the door handle seems to work fine but it takes 2 hands and some umph to get the door back open.--My weather stripping is fairly new but settled in ok---I had no problem opening door prevoiusly--just took 2-3 tries to latch--now with new star wheel part of latch I had to slam extremely hard to latch and then almost impossible to open and like you said the "star wheel" part has no adjustment so how did replacing just that get me in a worse situation???

[RICH MUISE]

Sorry, went out of town for a few days. Good question on why things changed with just a door latch (with no adjustment) exchange. I'm not aware of any door latches except '57 mercury, that are different, but close enough to the '57 Ford, to be installed. There are differences in the station wagon latch also, but I don't think you'd get it installed with all the levers and rods hooked up, etc. So, assuming you reconnected things like the door lock and inside handle levers, I think we can probably eliminate a wrong latch.....but not entirely yet.
Did you lubricate everything? With the door open, and the door button pushed in, can you rotate the starwheel? If you have any Dykem (toolmaker's dye), I'd apply some to the hood over the starwheel and close the door to see if it is rubbing anything on the striker...it shouldn't be.
Got pics?
Not sure it'll make a difference, but what model are you working on?

[djfordmanjack]

the new star wheel latch part might have a different offset than the old worn one. meaning the star wheel is either closer to the body B post or more to the front towards the door frame. this could cause binding inside the striker plate. Ford had factory shims, made from some kind of cardboard or soft fibreboard. they are stacked ( as many as will be needed) and put between the body B pillar and the striker plates in case.
also needs considering: not only can the striker plate be shifted out and in, and up and down, but to some degree it could be rotated counter- and clockwise ( just a little) this can also lead to some binding, which I have observed on my 2dr wgn.
another point: Go check your door gaps and where the door sits in relation to A and B posts, or if door seems to be misaligned at dogleg area of A- pillar.
there are many things that can go wrong on door alignment, from worn hinge bolts, to minor accident damage way to severe rust problems with having rocker panels or floors replaced, and especially worn body mounts and rubbers, even bent chassis. let's hope though, none of that causes your problems.