S3 door latch rubbing the opening.

[rcombs]

I am putting together my S3 drop top. I installed new hinge pivots and mounted and adjusted the doors for fit and everything looked good until I mounted the door latches at the back of the doors. The right side door latch is tight but clears the opening. The left side latch just does rub the paint on the door opening. These are the original doors and latches going back on the original body. I didn't change anything about the opening or the door. I have the door moved as far forward as the hinge slots will let me.

The only thing I can think of at this point is to remove the door, cut the bobbins out and move them forward 1/8".

Has anyone else had a similar problem, and if so how did you fix it.

I am hoping I am missing something simple, but I don't see it.

Thanks,
Rick

[gjz30075]

Can you add another 1/8" to the slots? Seems easier than moving the bobbins. But then the door front edge
might rub on the fender.

[gav]

I have the same problem n my S4 and I think I have now solved it by adjusting the window frame slightly to allow the door part of the lock to move forward a smidge. It wasn?t a tight fit to the fibreglass because the angle wasn?t quite right
I know the locks are different between S3 and S4 but if the window frame isn?t tight to the back of the door Might an adjustment there help?
Gavin

[rcombs]

Thanks for the input.

There is not much meat to extend the slots on the hinge brackets, but I will take another look.

I'll also double check the window frame, but I think it is flush to the door because the latch actually fastens to the door with the frame sandwiched between.

Rick

[gjz30075]

Rick, did you ever get this solved?

[rcombs]

I removed the door and reset the hinges and then re-hung the door. I have found if the door is off by a large amount this is the easiest way to do it. By moving the door forward I got a little clearance at the latch.

After looking closer at the latch I noticed the window frame that the latch mounts on is not setting flat against the door below the bend. I believe this is causing most of the problem. I used a 2x4 and a hammer and moved the latch in enough to get a little more clearance, but the frame is still not flat against the door. I am afraid of popping the chrome if I pound too hard. I plan on removing the latch and seeing if I can improve the fit. Although in my experience with this car, fit on a Lotus is a very broad term.

Rick

[gjz30075]

I found, too, that my latch is not flat against the chrome window frame. I managed to gain a little
clearance by putting the latch in a vice and squeezing the outer and inner pieces of the latch
together. It's important that all three securing screws are tight.

Thanks for the followup.