VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Door Check Links

I keep forgetting to ask a rather basic question whenever I am around other VCCA members with late '30's cars.

My '37 Master coupe has door check links that limit how far the doors open. However, on my car there is no indication of any device that helps hold the door in a partially open position. The doors will not stay open if there is any breeze against them or the front end is pointed even slightly uphill.

Was there such a device or mechanism on these cars?

Thanks!

Does your car have the slightly curved check links with rubber bumpers?

DEEP inside the door, there is a chunk of rubber that looks just like the rubber bumpers but it is riveted inside the door. I'm currently trying to figure out how to remove mine. The check link rod slides back and forth through the hole in this rubber piece and to me it looks like the hole in this rubber piece is there to provide some resistance (when the rubber is new and fresh lol) as you describe.

Rusty, there's no way to hold them open that I've found. When working on my car & needing to hold a door open I use bungee cords. One end connected to the hood latch handle and the other hooked over the outside door handle. When out & about I'm at the mercy of the wind and gravity.

I've attached some pictures of the rubber piece I was referring to above. The pics are hard to see as all the metal is blasted and dull but you can see the dark rubber disk with hole and rivets inside the door.

I haven't looked it up in a parts book yet as I had forgotten about it as it seemed to have no purpose since there is a rubber dampener already loose on the check link shaft to absorb impact here.

The check link rubber kits I have bought don't include this piece but they have all the others. It's actually rivetted from inside the door. I suspect the hole size might be designed to be smaller than the shaft of the check link to add resistance when opening and closing the door.

I was debating ignoring it but now I'm thinking I should replace it with something to avoid the problem you guys are describing.

nd Tiny,

Thanks for the additional insights and ideas. I agree with Tiny that it is a real nuisance, even when working on the car in the shop. I have some blocks of wood that I stick between the front edge of the doors and the body.

My 1940 parts catalog offers a few clues. The illustration shows the link (10.606), the cushion (10.613), a washer -maybe rubber (10.627), and a nut & retainer (10.621). It is interesting that even as early as 1940 most of these parts were "Closed" meaning not available.

I expect that removing the old rubber piece which at least serves as a bumper at the travel limit will not be difficult. As hard and brittle as it is it should just break off the rivets or pins that are holding it. Installing a new one (if you can find one) is a different story. Need to think about that.

I agree with Tim that perhaps this did offer some friction on the link when it was new and soft. I am thinking about splitting a short piece of rubber hose and forcing it into that small cavity between the edge of the door and the rubber stop. If I get the sizing right it should offer some resistance as the door opens and closes.

Political comment: Unless of course this "personalization" gets me banned or barred from VCCA.

Lol so you are hotrodding your door. If the hole wasn't so well worn, I was thinking a redneck fix could be a buildup of black silicone or other sealer just in the area where it would bind in the hole at the doors most open position. Similar idea to your tube.

I will play with this a bit in the next week as I have everything apart and have the new parts kits. My rubber is still flexible and the posts/rivets almost look designed to make this piece replaceable. It's a few inches inside the door so hard to see, let alone mess with, that's why I keep forgetting about it but this problem of a "loose door" would really bug me after all this work restoring. Glad you brought it up!

I had a look at my parts. Indeed this rubber piece inside the door is designed for the purpose of adding some resistance to the door opening and closing.

I actually have some new ones. See attached pictures. Steele Rubber calls them "Washer Check Link Stop" part# 70-0384-70.
The hole is the same size as the holes in the bumpers on the check-link. When the check link rod slides through this "washer check link stop", the rod is on an angle so this would cause the resistance to hold the door. Until it wears.

My original came off in one piece and seems actually quite easily replaceable once you are inside the door. It just peels off of the 2 metal posts that are shaped like rivets. You can see in the picture how my original wore away significantly so a small inside diameter would solve the issue with the doors swinging shut.

I'm thinking it would work better and last longer if 2 of them were bonded together with the second one trimmed to allow mounting onto the posts. This would provide a 1/2" of resistance to the curved rod vs the original 1/4".

Hi Tim,

That sure seems to make sense. I wonder how hard it is to get to them with the door on the car. I assume that you just push the new ones over the posts.

I also agree that adding length would offer more resistance.

Bit of soap/water and a socket about 30% larger than the post on a 6" extension would push them on easily I think. As would heating them up in hot water.

I just tested pushing one on and it will take some effort but not too bad.

Rusty, making an insert to shrink the hole diameter with something like tubing like you were toying with might work well long term as well.