Dino Saga 051023 | FerrariChat

Dino Saga 051023

Discussion in 'Corbani's Corner' started by John Corbani, Oct 23, 2005.

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  1. John Corbani

    John Corbani Formula 3
    Honorary Owner

    May 5, 2005
    1,153
    Santa Barbara, CA
    Full Name:
    John Corbani
    #1 John Corbani, Oct 23, 2005
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Dino Saga 051023

    Door latches have been a delight and a pain in the butt. Certainly the back.

    Pinin Farina did and does such wonderful work. His fine little details are so much a part of the Ferrari mystique. The door latches from the 60s - 70s frequently used the mechanism found in the Dinos and the Datonas. Works so easy and yet so easy to break by the ham fisted. Our kids plus the valets, parking attendants, detailers and shop go-fers who help us “enjoy” the Ferrari experience.

    My Dino is a daily driver and the door latches do yeoman’s work. Something happens every 2-5 years on one of the doors. A cable breaks or there is just a slipped “drum” that pulls on the cable. Then again, the locks can get sluggish or the actuating shaft shaft can build up corrosion and bind. The mechanism was never intended to live outside in the weather, not even that of Santa Barbara. I have learned to put a drop of oil on the shaft at oil changes and to blow a little graphite or moly-disulfide in the lock while I am at it.

    When the inevitable happens and the cable is broken or has slipped, the door has to come apart. Remove the two large slotted screws in the map pockets (pocket will stay attached to inner panel), remove the two tiny screws holding the dished backing plate for the door latch and remove the plate. If there is a speaker in the door, you will probably have to remove it now since its mounting screws probably go into the sheet metal. Now remove all the small sheet metal screws around the inner door panel. Use a pry tool to pop the front, rear and bottom front spring fasteners loose. Rock the panel aft slightly so the upper edge can be pulled out past the upper door bolster. Work the door latch through the leather. Lift the panel straight up and the spring fingers on the bottom rear will slide free. Have a beer and see what exactly is wrong.

    You can buy Ferrari cables. I priced one. Later. Bicycle cable works but is difficult to terminate in tight places. The door is tight. I finally settled on stranded push-rod cable for RC model airplanes. The stuff is solderable, plenty strong and $3.00 buys enough to last forever. You only need 6” no matter how fumble fingered you are. Tin ends and where you will cut so it does not fray. ¼” is more than enough.

    The pictures show an early try that has lasted about 12 years. The cable clamp screw on the master lever was missing. Made life more interesting. Turns out it is easier to fix that way. Other door was complete and getting tools on screw and nut of clamp was a pain. Anyway, I tied knot in the cable and soldered it solid. Slipped a 1/8” length of 1/8” brass tube on cable. Ran cable through master lever and back through tube. Pulled tight and crimped tube with Vise Grips. Put light grease on cable and ran it through the 90 deg. tube and then through hole in drum. Looped cable through a 6-32 x ¼” nut, pulled tight while holding latch. Put a clamp on cable to mark spot. Loosened drum lock nuts and turned drum to get some slack. Soldered cable to nut and cut cable. Locked drum and tried it. Not quite right. Drum is a spiral. Diameter changes, large at start of rotation and small at end. I prefer the latch go 90-110 deg. Cable was a little too long , did not want to re-solder so sawed slot in a 4-40 nut, slipped it over cable and crimped it closed. Done. If you have the clamp on the master lever, adjustment is actually harder, but everything looks better. Start at drum end with soldered nut and go to master lever. Remember the grease where cable goes through 90 deg. tube.

    If there is a problem with the lock, it comes out real easy. There is a nylon keeper on the adjustable pin that is on the threaded vertical rod. The keeper snaps off the rod with finger pressure and the pin falls loose. A crescent wrench works fine on the big nut on the lock. Nut should not be very tight because of the rubber gasket.

    You can get there from here. And the pull of a single finger will open the door.

    John
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  2. synchro

    synchro F1 Veteran

    Feb 14, 2005
    9,294
    CHNDLR
    Full Name:
    Scott
    The title of the thread is just Dino Saga 051023, can the mods change a title to add the topic? Perhaps "Dino Saga 051023 - Door handle, latches & locks" or whatever John prefers?
     

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