I know, this sounds like a dumb question! I’ve been driving my '69 OTS for more than 10 years, and am now asking how to close the door! Let me explain… Up until recently, I’ve always had the top down, and the window wound down. So, I simply closed the doors from inside by pulling on the top of the door. On the recent GCOL the frequent rain meant that the top and windows were up most of the time. As a result, closing the doors (they sometimes need a bit of a slam to latch properly), became a challenge. My early 69 OTS has no armrests. The door card has a recess for the internal door handle at the bottom of the door. There is chrome strip around the bottom of this recess, but you can’t use it to close the door. You would be pulling on the door card which is only held on with clips (it looks like a PO tried to do so, and so at least one clip is broken). The only option seems to be to pull on the internal door handle, which also isn’t that substantial. Am I missing something? What do you drivers of OTSs with no arm rests do?
David;
The only Jag I have had apart is mine a 70 2+2 but that has not stopped me from offering advice in the past!
It seems to me I have read that at some point Jaguar started to install the internal fixings for the armrests before they actually installed the armrests. If true you may have the internal hardware to install the armrest if you desire. Only a suggestion.
See below picture. There is a hole through which a sheet metal screw passes through the chrome trim around the handle opening, passes through a black plastic tube spacer and door card and screws into the inner door sheet metal. The screw head is then covered by the end of the chrome spear door trim. That provides solid anchor for the door card so it can be used as a door pull.
David
You forced me to go out to the garage and get into car and close the door. After 48 years of habit did not think about how I close the door. Mine is a coupe that has armrests that I do not use. I also do not pull on the door cards, too weak.
I give a quick pull on the sheet metal lip up from door drain hole, just remember to get your fingers out of the way.
Glenn
Thank you all for your insights. I think John has identified how it’s supposed to work. The recess in the door card aft of the door release lever is the place that invites use as a handle, but on my car is not firmly attached to the door structure. John’s photo clearly shows how that is supposed to be achieved. I just took a look at my car (I already had the door card off), and that screw is missing. There is a hole in the chrome strip for the screw, but no corresponding hole in the vinyl behind it. It looks likes some PO recovered the door card, and didn’t fit the screws/spacers. I note that there is another hole in the chrome strip at the back end, which is presumably supposed to accommodate a second screw/spacer so that pulling the door in the region between the two screws is good. There do appear to be two corresponding small holes in the door sheet metal underneath. I will see what I can come up with to fix this. I do have a follow on question concerning the material that backs the recessed area. IN my door, there is just a scrap of vinyl loosely stuck there:
John’s photo looks like some form of moulding. XKs and SNGB list a part BD38564 which looks like a plastic moulding, but it has no hole for the door release lever. SNGBs listing says it is for the Series 3 only. John, do you have a plstic moulding there, or just a piece of vinyl that is better attached than mine?
It looks like SNGB has the proper plastic panels that form the recess BD.33744/45P, so I guess I should fix up this DPO bodge. While I’m at it I will remove the window regulators and try to free them up a bit, as every time we try to wind the windows we expect the handles to snap off… Sounds like a nice little winter project…
Finally a subject I am qualified to opine on. I have a 69 OTS. John is correct that the recess is the federalized way to pull the door closed (i.e., no projection). And it works well when all is installed correctly. John’s photo shows a chrome strip, but I believe it is supposed to cover the rivet and the screw. John’s photo shows the strip pulled about an inch to the rear. There is no hole in the chrome strip as it is supposed to cover the screw head. The strip is metal and not plastic. I hope this helps. And yes, I have the same super stiff window mechanism. I keep thinking it will loosen up but it doesn’t.
My 64 was missing armrests because for some reason it has 61 doors. I was likewise using the top of the door, which was a fail because it puts downward pressure on the door and mungs up the locating pin eventually after it’s clunked the receiver often enough. Then I used the door handle which was silly because the handle would unlatch the door as often as not.
Then I installed arm rests. I think there is a reason other than comfort that they were added.
These are w/o the top & window up so not ideal examples…
…but the result is similar with the car closed up. It may be worth trying to improve the latching - I think it is a matter of tweaking the alignment until everything is near perfectly aligned.
As for the interior plastic shield, here is what my (I think unmolested) door looks like:
One thing that made my windows hard to wind up was the very stiff and tight scraper seal. I suspect that seal because it is easier to raise them on hot days or if they have recently been up for quite some time. Anyway, they are getting better as they age.
My doors (and John above can verify since he’s just driven my car) close just like yours, Geo. Just let it go and it closes itself with gravity … but not with the windows fully rolled up.
I pulled the strip back last night for the picture to show the screw head. Installed completely if snaps on to the boss just directly aft of the screw head and covers the head.
I squirted a lot of lubricant in the would spring on the window mechanism and now the window practically flies up and down.
Yes, I was absolutely amazed, and a bit envious. I’ve never been able to get the FHC or 2+2 door to close with that precision. Too much extra weather stripping to contend with on the window frames would be my guess.
I have the plastic bits. Not surprised yours are gone. They are made of thin cheap plastic and are easily damaged. They were originally held in place with very short staples. When I rebuilt my door cards I held mine in place with silicone caulk. You’ll have to make the holes for the door handle spindle in the field.
Thanks for all the insights John. Did you lubricate the spring with it in place in the door, or did you remove the whole mechanism first? If I could give it a try in situ, it would save a lot of time.
I squirted PB Lubricant on it with the mechanism in place on the car. I also made sure the parts that slide back and forth when you roll the window up and down were lubricated. I used lithium grease for that.
I’ve never seen the inside of an OTS door but I’m assuming there are channels front and rear that the glass fits into as it goes up and down. If there are and they are adjustable make sure they aren’t too tight against the glass, sandwiching it and causing binding.
David,
It sounds like you’re on the right track. My 68 has the plastic liners, by the door handles, which are very flimsy. The screw that holds them in place sort of works, but not particularly well. Also as someone else noted the screw goes through a plastic bushing which is NLA. So mine is just a bare screw. I’m going to visit the local hardware store to see if they have a bushing I could use. You might want to consider doing the same since you have it apart.
ALSO. Note in the picture you took there are two V brackets in the sheet metal. These are where the factory mounted the arm rests. I think if you look at your door cards you’ll see holes in the board that correspond to the arm rest mounts on the sheet metal. So you have everything you need to attach some arm rests! I bought a pair on eBay and will be attaching soon.
The one thing I don’t know is the screw / bolt size for them. Not even sure if they are screws or bolts. If you find out, please let me know!
