The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Is It Possible to Break Into an AD?

I posted on Interiors but not sure if that is the right place. I can't get the door to open on my '47 AD. The key moves to lock and unlock the mechanism but the latch won't allow the door to open. Is there a way to break in (without breaking the window)? A tow truck driver tried without success. Thanks for any suggestions.

around here someone would unlock that sucker in seconds..
are you saying both doors are locked..

Yes, both doors are locked.

Tow truck driver without a slim Jim? Blasphemy!

Will a slim jim work?

The driver tried but I don't think it worked due to the design of the door latch system. The connector between the handle and the latch is in a recess behind the door panel.

Rusty,

I do not know if a slim jim would work.
I was asking a general question.

Maybe 52Carl knows if one would work?

take out the back window.....

Rusty,
Try to access the interior through the battery opening. I have heard of a person unlatching the battery door from below, and with a stick push the passenger door handle back, off the lock position.
Kent

As Kent said, if there is any way you can reach the door handle itself, then you just need to move it to unlock the door.

Thanks for the ideas. I ended up doing what Alvin suggested. The back window weather strip was old and hard and was on the 'to do' list (although it was low on the list). Will now see what the issue is with the latch mechanism and fix/replace and put in a new window rubber.

So did you just cut the old rubber?

We have done several driver side outside key locks on the 47-51 and I do not believe a slim jim would work. If the designers of the AD door latches were still alive they should be sent to prison. Once open I wouldn't close them again till they had bear claw latches (Trique Latch). Many an AD door has popped open while underway so the very minimum needed for kids is a good seat belt. The picture shows your type latch. On the right side is a part with a series of notches in it and just above it is a lever (pawl)that is bent at a right angle which drops into a notch to latch. There's really no way for a slim jim to hook under the pawl to release it. Wouldn't you know it, you asked the time and got the history of clock making.

http://s32.photobucket.com/user/coilover/media/doorlock004.jpg.html

I am replying here for the exposure to the topic. The AD door latch system can malfunction and caused the handle to go into the lock position when closing. Somewhere in the manual this problem is mentioned. I would suggest leaving the no-draft window unlocked.

By Slim Jim, I obviously was referring to a tow truck driver's skinny assistant who can reach the inside door handle through the battery hole in the floor. (Well, I should at least get partial credit for creativity, in spite of flat out lying.)
BTW, great tip Kent!
Carl

I took the locking strip out then cut the rubber. There is no vent window in a '47. I gotcha, Carl. Yes, points for creativity!

Mine has locked me out a couple of times. In reply to truckernix's comment about the manual, I think they just say to keep things lubricated there. I've oiled mine and it seems to be working better right now.

When I've been locked out, it's been because the driver's door handle was down (locked), and the pass door was locked with the key cylinder, and the key cylinder wouldn't unlock for me. What I've done is use a couple of flathead screwdrivers to force the driver's window down just 1/4" or so, and then drop in a U-shaped length of speaker wire to lasso the door handle and pull it up. Have had to do it a few times, once with a hailstorm quickly approaching, and I managed to get inside in less than 2 minutes that time... First few tries took a little more fishing and figuring out. I tried string once, but it hangs down between the door handle and the panel, hence the need for a thin flexible but not too flexible wire to be just rigid enough to reach out to the handle.

I have a locked toolbox secured to the inside of the bed, so I keep a few feet of speaker wire in there, just in case.

I'm not sure when they changed this, but in 1947 the door handle locks the door when the handle is turned towards the back and unlocks the door when it is pushed forward. I also looked at the battery cover and space is very limited in that area although it could be an option. The latches are original as far as I know. I will check things out and try the window method as EchoBravoSierra suggests.

It is not very helpful in this case but, I do old school and keep a spare hide-a-key hidden under the rear bed.

If none of the above work it,s easy to remove the rear window. Just take out the bead and use a nylon pry bar to pop the window out.

Sounds like my handles are clocked 90 degrees off from that- unlocked points toward the front of the truck, locked is angled downward from there, and pull up to open them. It's quite possible someone clocked my handles differently at some point in my truck's life- It's the only AD I've had experience with, so I don't have any other point of reference.