The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors door lock on passenger side only?

I was taking my doors apart to blast them and noticed the door lock only on the passenger door. It just seems a little strange to me. is this normal?

yes it's normal, up to the 60's sometime - do a search here and in general truck talk and you'll find lots of speculation about the reasons

Bill

just watch leave it to beaver, they alway's get in on the passenger side and slide over.I think it was a safety thing as not to get hit in traffic from the drivers side.

grub: your right on!

yeppers as Grub & alvin stated ..you can really BLOW your mind on parkin lights back then ! ..lol

Makes you realize why the column shifter and sidewall mounted parking brake pedal were such neat ideas. THINK about it.

When the previous owner of my 55 1st edition replaced the locks, he evidently fixed this: he installed matching keyed locks in BOTH doors and the glove comaprtment. I am grateful for that, although the passneger door lock seems reluctant to be locked from the key, but locks fine by pushing the interior door handle forward.

Interestingly, the glove comaprtment door will ONLY open if you insert the key AND simultaneously psuh the button USING the key to do so. Even when UNlocked, the glove compartment door will unlatch via button but NOT open without someone applying simulatenous PULL force to the drivers side edge of the door. BY using the key, you evidently keep the lock unlatched while pulling on the key slightly to open the door.

I attribute this to incorrect installation of the actual latch in the dashboard. I know it had to be like this for a LONG time, as the driver's side edge of the glove comaprtment door has worn paint where someone evidently stuck somethining thin (not just a finger)between the door and the dash to help pull it open!

Is this part of the "history and patina"??

Jim G

I changed out the cylinder on the driver side handle to a keyed cylinder so I have keyed entry from both sides. To do this you can buy a whole new lock set from the catalog or take another old keyed handle along with your other keyed handle to a locksmith and have them key it the same. I did this and it was much less $$$ than the new lock set.

Naw Chip, The Beaver slid in the passenger side cuz that's the side with the camera!
Denny G

Personally I could never understand why the driver's side of the car is in the path of moving traffic. It seems if the Brits and the Yanks started driving on the other side of the road drivers wouldn't step out into traffic to get in and out of their cars.

Hmmmmm?

That would result in SEVERE visibility problems for PASSING other cars. Basically, you'd have to stick the non-driver side of the vehicle into the opposing lane before you could see if there was an oncoming car or not!

The current reality is the lesser of the evils.

Jim G

Well, since I lock my truck's doors(both) because for some odd reason I feel that someone might actually try to steal my truck(who in their right mind would, I don't know!) and when I do this, I unlatch the ventipane and open it to unlatch the door from the inside.

It was at one time agaist the law to open your door into traffic. Didn't mater if said traffic was 20ft or 20miles, just the way the law was written.

This is my daughter’s theory for locking the passenger side only.
"Guy opens the passenger door for girl, girl slides over and opens the driver side door while driver walks around to get in." Just good manners, makes as much sense to me as any of the other hair-brained guesses.

How you coming on that truck Jordan? Got your license yet? We haven't been hearing to much lately, hope your not running out of steam. That's what happened to me back around 1956 or 1957 with a '34 Studebaker coupe. I sold it to buy something that ran when I got my license and to this day I regret not keeping it.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Ahaaaa! I can now step from the drivers side straight on to the sidewalk when I park! (LHD in the U.K.) : Still won't be able to lock it though.
It just means Mrs Jock gets to shuffle over to the passenger side! Either that or she can dodge the traffic and lock/unlock the door!

I think in some states and provinces it is still illegal to exit a vehicle on the street side. I know here it is illegal to walk your sheep down the main road at noon!!