Noisy Door Latches - need ideas

Hey Everyone,

I just finished replacing all of the suspension components, wheels and tires in my MK1 Roadster I purchased a few months ago. It was a 20 year old vehicle in great shape when I bought it but it needed a refresh. Taking out the old Mustang donor parts was a heck of a lot harder than installing the new components.

I had the car aligned on Friday and spent the weekend testing it out. It handles like a dream now!

While driving around now with the new suspension I've noticed the original FFR door latches rattle and shake when I hit bumps as well and some of the other interior items like visors, etc. I didn't notice as much before because there were so many other squeaks and noises. It's really starting to drive me nuts so I'm looking for ideas on how to deal with this.

I was thinking about opening them up and looking for ways to tighten some of the components and maybe insulate some of the metal-to-metal contact with heat shrink or film or something.

Anyone have any ideas on solving this?

Thanks,

BillMac

Tire Pressure??

I went with the Nitto 555 G2s. The fronts are 245/45/R17 at 30 lbs. The Rears are 275/40/R17 at 33 lbs.

Drop those pressures to ~23 pounds ...

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Originally Posted by Papa

Drop those pressures to ~23 pounds ...

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I was doing some research on the forums here for alignment specs and I did see a lot of folks running lower tire pressures but I assumed that was more for track than street.

Definitely drop the tire pressure. Also wondering what springs may be in the car. The MK1 I built back in 98 used the stock mustang rear springs and coilovers in the front. The old english door latches never really fit tight in the cobra or any of the english sports cars I have owned that used a similar latch. An appropriate use of weatherstrip and rubber bumpers will help to tighten things up or at least decrease the rattle.

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Originally Posted by cob427sc

Definitely drop the tire pressure. Also wondering what springs may be in the car. The MK1 I built back in 98 used the stock mustang rear springs and coilovers in the front. The old english door latches never really fit tight in the cobra or any of the english sports cars I have owned that used a similar latch. An appropriate use of weatherstrip and rubber bumpers will help to tighten things up or at least decrease the rattle.

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The suspension is all new. Coilovers are Koni's from FFR, new front upper and lower control arms from FFR, rear lower control arm from Breeze Automotive.

Even my Mk4 with new latches wouldn’t stay tightly attached to the door. I ended up putting silicone on the screws to keep them tight in the fiberglass.

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Originally Posted by GTBradley

Even my Mk4 with new latches wouldn’t stay tightly attached to the door. I ended up putting silicone on the screws to keep them tight in the fiberglass.

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That's what I'm thinking. When I first bought the car all the screws on the latch covers were loose. I tightened them up and was thinking about using purple or blue locktite or maybe silicone. Its also the latch lever bouncing around in the clasp.

Ah, well, I have seen some latch repair threads too...

Go back to the stock FFR side pipes and the latch rattle will "go away"!

Have the latches been upgraded? (Search for a latch bolt mod thread)

Are the latch pins going in the holes in the catches or just the groove ?

Must of the cars have a little door noise on big bumps but it can cut down considerably with a few things. First, add 1/2 in "D", stick on weatherstrip the the doors so there is a cushion. Second, Just the latches to catch tight and not allow the doors to wiggle when they are closed. this takes a little time and fiddling with to get right. Third, be sure to check the hinges. On my MK II, the right door bushing got loose and the pin could wiggle witch allowed the door to move, too. I replaced the hinges with the new style, AFTERMARKET hinges that are no longer available. The instructions say newer FFR hinges require welding. I managed to redrill the posts with no welding. I don't know if you can do the same with the FFR hinges.

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Originally Posted by Just puttering

Go back to the stock FFR side pipes and the latch rattle will "go away"!

Have the latches been upgraded? (Search for a latch bolt mod thread)

Are the latch pins going in the holes in the catches or just the groove ?

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JP,

I believe these are the original stock FFR side pipes so I'm not sure what you mean. BTW, I have noticed the mounts aren't the best for my ground clearance. My current ride height is about 4.25 from the main frame rails but the side pipe supports drop down another inch or so. I was just thinking of trying to come up with a better way to support the middle of the side pipes. I'll take a pic tomorrow.

I'm pretty sure these latches have not been upgraded. I've seen that thread here and could try implementing that mod.

Regards,

BillMac

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Originally Posted by FFR 3099

Must of the cars have a little door noise on big bumps but it can cut down considerably with a few things. First, add 1/2 in "D", stick on weatherstrip the the doors so there is a cushion. Second, Just the latches to catch tight and not allow the doors to wiggle when they are closed. this takes a little time and fiddling with to get right. Third, be sure to check the hinges. On my MK II, the right door bushing got loose and the pin could wiggle witch allowed the door to move, too. I replaced the hinges with the new style, AFTERMARKET hinges that are no longer available. The instructions say newer FFR hinges require welding. I managed to redrill the posts with no welding. I don't know if you can do the same with the FFR hinges.

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FFR3099,

This sounds like a good idea. I think one issue is the doors are loose and move when I hit bumps. The weatherstrip idea makes sense and would be easy to try.

Adjusting the latches is where I was headed before I posted the initial question.

I hadn't thought of looking at the hinges.

Regards,

BillMac

First line was suposed to be funny, I guess I could have said with your foot in it the rattle is a lot less noticable. I would have used one of the little faces but they tend to break the forum for me!

My latches have been moded and it seems they are tight when latched! Take the cover off and see if the bolt mod would tighten up the lever or if something else is moving?

Definitely do the door latch mod if it hasn't been done already. Remove the heavier spring. Make sure that the latch is going all the way into the latch receiver, lots of people don't check for "complete" latching and are driving around on the first "step" of the latch.

18 years in my MK-II and the door do not rattle at all . . .

Your side pipes should have a center support as part of the glass pack assembly even if you have the four-into-four style pipes as opposed to the early "J-pipe" style. It's supported by the 2" cross brace under your seat.

Absolutely lower your tire pressure - should be 1# per 100#'s of car weight . . . 2200# car = 22#'s of air with the tires you are running. OK to run rears a pound higher, back end of car is the heavy end. Check your tread pattern by driving thru some dirt and then a clean surface. adjust as necessary.

Doc

Sorry, wrong topic.

Are your latches fully latching? When the door is closed the surface of the piece on the frame should just barely (1/16 inch) be above the surface of the latch cover on the door.

Here's a cheap fix - wrap a couple layers of electrical tape around the post where the door latches. Makes the hold more secure and cushions the rattles. I also do this on my trunk hatch. Amazing how well it works. It will eventually wear down and then just replace it.
-Greg

I use a thin rubber hose around the screw for the trunk latch.
Robert