More on Door Latches

[tonywy]

So I got door latch shims- Thx again JMiller- and installed them. Pushed pulled and moved everything and they seem to be good. My only concern is how far does the pin go into the striker. Mine go about half way and seem solid. Is this how they are supposed to be ?

[CraigS]

No. The slightly curved end of the striker should be just barely above the surface of the latch cover. This is the best pic I could find. Not an FFR but the latch is similar. If the cover were on the latch it would almost be flush.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50450826477_f574f68052_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2jSaF2P)door latch (https://flic.kr/p/2jSaF2P) by craig stuard (https://www.flickr.com/photos/152454123@N04/), on Flickr
BTW, remove that visible spring and work some grease inside where the piece slides. The internal spring is plenty for good operation. These will make it much easier to latch and to open.

[j.miller]

Here's the deal.... The pins are die cast pot metal. Driver and passenger are different diameters. Neither one will seat all the way into the hole without drilling the whole out. I use one bit for both holes but I'm not at the shop and I don't recall which bit I use. A little oversized is not a bad thing. Now, another thing. If you hold the handle and retract the pin to the stop you will find the tip of the pin is just above the opening on the latch. I file the top of the pin down until it retracts all the way into the hole (if not you will always have trouble opening the latch. NOW ! The spacers I sent you....we (me, Kleiner, SRP call those small hole spacers. You need to put small(#8) washers between the latch and the plate so it doesn't bind…….I swear I could write a book on these latches. Like Craig said (remove the visible spring)...da Bat

[Jeff Kleiner]

I'm glad da Bat got here first because he saved me from having to type the exact same thing! I don't remember the exact drill bit size either (mine has a piece of blue tape on it that says "striker") but I think it's 7/16-ish. After drilling I use a countersink to put a little chamfer on the hole.

Jeff

[tonywy]

Thx all, got it.