The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors Altman Easy Latches by Trique Manufacturing.

Following a recent fender bender I've been considering upgrading and buying a set of the 'bolt in' Altman easy latches for my '50 as my originals are getting somewhat worn.
Thankfully in the instance above the door(s) stayed shut,but i've considered the consequences had the doors actually popped.

I've read there has been some quality issues recently regarding some components that appear to have been outsourced.
Apparently a small pot metal part fails causing the lock to jam,have any of you using these experienced any problems?
I've been led to believe in order to actually open the door after the fact can result in damage to the door itself.

As many of you know i'm on the opposite side of the pond so I have to consider shipping and duties etc so they aren't that cheap either,even more so as the $/£ rate kinda sucks right now!
Any warranty/replacement situations that might arise are compounded by this and add to the fact my truck is a daily driver so being off the road for any reason is also very inconvenient to me,especially as replacements could take some time.

Any comments/input are welcome,

Are your hinge pins good and tight? Sloppy hinge pins lead to sagging doors which beats the latch mechanism to pieces.
I have completely disassembled mine, cleaned them up and TIG welded new metal where excessive wear has removed metal. I used the passenger latch as a guide as to how much metal was missing (passenger latches don't get used as much as the driver's side, so the wear isn't too bad).
Carl

I have considered offering a service for repairing original latches for folks in need, but I am afraid that the cost would be prohibitive.
Carl

Yeah Carl,the hinge pins are good,I rebuilt the drivers side last year and yes the passenger side had seen very little use,the P.O. must've been a loner.

I've already had to replace the latches once already and was liking the idea of true bear claw ones for that extra security.

I've heard good things about the Altmans but hopefully they'll address this quality issue soon before I fall out my door!

I had nothing but trouble installing. There was mis-alignment between the latch and the square rod extending from the door handle. Followed their directions to a T. Ended up modifying their latch to work on my truck. No answers why.....
Also, there is no lock ability with the set I bought. On a good note they work well after I spent two days modifying for proper operation.
STAY STOCK STAY HAPPPY! And 300 clams richer. My two cents--

It does take some experience to do these. The first one we did was nothing but trouble. Second one was easier but the handles drooped until we swapped some parts around. third one was easy an worked out OK. But no locking with out a modification in the door that's not easily done you have to use electric locks.