Door slam plate

[peterg]

Having acquired the last plate from Bristol's my other plate has succumbed too. A friend has offered to mould an new one for me but he has suggested using zinc instead of aluminium.

Could any metallurgist advise whether zinc is suitable or whether I should stick to aluminium?

Also is there any demand on this forum for these plates?

[Geoff Dowdle]

peterg,

I'm not a mind reader and I'm sure other forum members are not ,
what model Bristol to you need the part for .
400 , 401 - 3 , 404-405 & 406 all have different locks and striker plates .

I assume you are wanting a striker plate .

Geoff

[peterf]

Geoff,

From Peter's previous forum posts you could "assume" that he has a 403, the only problem with that is it can make an Ass of U & me !!
However better a 403 than a 400 where once the door slam/striker plate fails you toss the rest !!!

Cheers

Peter F

[peterg]

Yes, it is a 403. The only Bristol I have. You can see it at Epsom this afternoon.

Bristol's may be using the plate for several models as the one I bought there has a totally different profile (rounder) than the original.

[Geoff Dowdle]

peterg,
Thanks for stating what model you are working on , it is always best on a new post to state the model , regardless whether you have previous posts about a particular model . We ( the thousand plus Forum members) have no idea if you have multiple Bristols.

Your original 403 striker plate will probably be like most others, worn away .
They should be almost circular in cross section .
Check out the wear on the tumbler on the lock that makes contact with the striker plate , it will be badly worn as well .
Your new striker plate should be a neat fit in the tumbler .

The striker plates sometimes break because owners slam the door , often necessary because the lock and striker are worn , but usually caused by motor trimmers padding the door trims too thick and fitting thick carpet under the door trim . This was never a problem with the original trim that was of course made correctly .
If the locks and strikers are in good condition and adjusted correctly the doors should close with very little force.

Sorry I cant attend Epsom as I'm located in Sydney/Australia

Geoff

[peterg]

Had a lovely afternoon at Epsom. It was quite weird. There were five 403's and only one 401 that was exiled to the other side of the lawn because the 403s had filled the allotted space.

I think my problem was caused by the door cable tightening. After the wedding I fixed the window and the door was OK but driving back after about 15 miles the door suddenly started opening. I could hear it click twice and then open. I fixed it by loosening the cable at a garage (no tools on the car).

Anyway, the plate has fractured, so the question for me is what metal would it be best to cast the replacement in?

[GREG]

Please post a picture of the part you need

[peterg]

Photo attached. It is 1 4/5" x 1 1/2" and 17/20" high. The plate seems very thin at 1.5 to 2 mm thick for the pounding it could receive.

[GREG]

Ah ,thought so - I think it's an extruded bulb bar welded to the plate

I'm fairly sure either Eltherington's or Spa aluminium stock the bulb bar so I will check out and get back

It's like a standard profile in the aluminium boat building industry

[Kevin H]

In the photo it appears to be quite well proportioned and robust for normal use. Perhaps it was never envisaged that it would be in use for 50 years, and that it would have to sustain a pounding :-)

[peterg]

That's the new one I bought from Bristol, still think the plate is very thin for the purpose. You'll never guess where the plate split on the original....

[Kevin H]

Ah. I take it they no longer have any available?

My guess is that it split along the line where the bulb bar is welded to the plate.

Can we see a photo of the old one?

[GREG]

I must admit the "new" one you have looks like a poorly made reproduction of the original that was made in aluminium -- I have never seen one with that surface finish before !!

I will copy from the originals I have

[peterg]

Damn. You win Kevin!

Will post a picture if I can find the two halves.

[GREG]

Yep, there are loads of the buggers ! I will remember whose company catalogue they are in in the next few days http://www.alumar.nl/downloads/bulb_sections.pdf

Look for ship building aluminium bulb or Holland profiles ....

That " last" one you bought from Bristol looks a **** copy -- I have heard so many people say they bought the "last" one from bristol !!! :-)) must be a Mr Crook marketing legacy !

Looking at a spare I have today , it looks like it would be easiest to buy a metre of the right bulb profile and then tap and grub screw it to the 2.0mm plate - maybe weld it too - nothing wrong with belt and braces !

[GREG]

As one of mine snapped yesterday and I only have one spare -- I have requested a 2 metre sample of bulb bar to make new ones from.

I don't intend to make a batch but anyone is welcome to a piece if they need to make one, as it should only take a small amount of grinding and drilling etc -- probably just use my power file and disc cutter ( I'm not a real engineer :-) )

[peterg]

A friend is going to cast up some door slam plates for me. The are not exact copies of the original. Note the radiused curve onto the base plate and the additional thickness of the plate to reduce the chances of fracturing.

Attached is a picture of the mould.

He can cast them in aluminium or brass as preferred.

If you are interested please let me know as it will reduce the unit cost.

[peterg]

I have finally received a pair of cast slam plates and will offer them up to the B post next week.

They are cast in zinc rather than alluminium as he can use his own foundry to cast them.

Attached is a photo. I think you will agree that the new castings will be substantially stronger than the original Bristol plate (on the left).

[peterg]

Having fitted them I can say that they fit very well although the screw holes needed a little easing to fit the fourth screw. As said they are substantially stronger than the original and made of cast zinc rather than welded alluminium.

As a result I have two spare. If anyone is interested they are available at £60 the pair plus postage. When I get the time I will photograph them and place them in the sales forum.

If any more are required I can get them cast, but they will have a slightly larger base as my plates are at the limit of their adjustment.

Peter

[peterg]

I have sold the two spares but if there is enough interest I can get a further batch of four cast