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.