- Home
- About Us
- Join/Renew
- Member Benefits
- Member Pages
- Log In
- Help
- Museum Store
We’re getting close to finishing up all of the mechanical work on my 1933 EDL and right now are in the shakedown test stage before bringing it to Gilmore. We’re going to do the paint and cosmetic work over next winter. Scott Stastny and Bill Morris have done a wonderful job of working out all of the little gremlins in the car, and it should be ready to roll by next week. One little thing that came up is on the door locks. The car door locks on the left side will lock when lifting up the door handle. There is no lock on the outside of these doors. The right front door locks with a key. The right rear passenger door will not lock by lifting up on the interior handle. Before I start ripping the upholstery off of the right rear door panel, does anyone have any ideas? Scott mentioned that he has seen some Pierces where the right side door does not lock at all. Is it normal for an EDL to have a non-lockable right rear door? The door mechanism works perfectly otherwise, you can open and close the door normally and it latches perfectly. You simply can’t pull the handle up to lock the door. There is a definite mechanical stop there, the mechanism is not binding up. When not sitting on the bumper with a shotgun protecting my baby, I lock the two right hand doors together with a long shackle padlock, but this is a short term fix only..any thought appreciated.
Ken,
All doors should lock with the interior handle.
The only EDL key locking door is the passenger front.
Removal:
Carefully lift loosened window trim upward. You may be able to determine the problem from that limited aspect. Only then begin to remove any blind nails/tacks from the surrounding trim & upholstery. Don’t rip!
Proceed carefully and methodically with very small movement going around the edges being your goal. It is harder to reinstall than remove, so take pictures and notes as you go.
Dave
PS – I only lock the car when I have to leave it in a very public place and not a part of an antique car event. Most non-car people are intimidated by the appearance of a big Pierce!
Yes, the upholstery removal can be tricky, it all depends on how it was installed. If it’s brads through the material, that’s fairly easy, just pop the panel over the brad. If it’s strips or clips with nails, then it can be a mess. Start at the top and work your way down the panel.
My guess is a spring has broken in the latch assembly, allowing a piece to block the locking action.
Public, non-old car person, places, always scare me to death. I once had a car in a mall on display, rounded the corner and there was a guy sitting in driver seat trying to start it! He said he thought the cars were there for the public and he wanted to hear it run. Made me glad I didn’t carry a gun, it would have been ugly….
kenneth, i am advised that you were close to the late Scott Stastny. do you have any idea who took over the distribution of his inventory, if anyone. I need a set of King Pins for my ’32. Thanks Ron Kurland
Ron, at this point there is no action that I know of. I am in contact with his brother, and will ask him. I don’t know if he would have these parts in stock. Right now I don’t think anything has been settled with the estate.
Ken, thanks for your response. I reached out to John Cislak and he had a set for sale. a bit pricey but beggars can’t be choosers. Happy holidays Ron
Ron,
John may be pricy, but you will receive quality parts, and as you indicated, beggars cannot be choosers especially when you want the parts NOW.
Peter
Ron,
I have been chatting with Scott’s brother, and he will be in town next week and I will meet up with him. I will say, however, that he really didn’t have any stock of Pierce parts that I knew of. I was all over his shop in the last year, and while there were various engines and such laying around, I am not aware of any smaller parts such as kingpins. He did have a 1934 Pierce chassis, but again, it was stored outside and I’m not sure of the condition of the kingpins. Right now Scott’s brother can’t take any action until the estate goes through probate. This could take a long time.