NJTman

Can someone clarify something for me ?

My truck's door strikers do not have any plastic around the center rod that the latch grabs on. My drivers door moves around while crusing.. Excessively, and I've already changed out the door hinges for new factory pops.

Does this striker look right ? Isn't it supposed to have a plastic ferrule around the center to allow for the latch to secure itself to ?

Since both sides look exactly the same, I cannot tell whether it's missing something or not. IIRC my old baccarrudda had a plastic sheath around it.


TIA

oliver foster

I just went and checked a half dozen 1st gen door strikers for you...they ALL look like the one pictured.
Some have a pretty big wear groove from the the door latch rubbing on it.
Yours looks good.

Onemoparnut

Is the door e en with the cab when closed? Sometimes you can move the striker in toward the seat a little and it will tighten it up a little and quiet a rattle.

NJTman

I went online and found that Dorman makes a replacement striker # 38442. It has a black plastic sleeve on it that stops metal to metal wear.


So today I went to a junkyard and looked for a replacement striker / latch. I found a recently junked RC that IMO looked too good to be junked. The paint was in good shape, but alas.... it's met it's maker.... or soon will.

The striker on a D150 had the plastic on it, but was worn out. I took both door latches out of the RC and the drivers side out of the D150. I figured what the hey .... Never know what you got till you're home switching them out. Either way, both trucks felt tight..... although I didn't drive either of them around

NJTman

Thank you for your effort... Mucho's appreciatio's

Greed 93

They are supposed to have that plastic piece. I think because my passenger side has one but not the driver side.. not many people ride with me I guess lol.

NJTman

UPDATE:

Well, I installed a new (used) latch, and it fixed the problem.

Turns out that the latch arm (the gizmo which wraps around the bolt on the door jamb) was "supposed" to be encased in a plastic. Mine "used" to be, but apparently the P.O. just slammed the door instead of adjusting the alignment on the door itself. The plastic encasement was GONE.

When I compared the new boneyard latch to mine, I discoverd that the plastic was missing on mine, hence the up and down movement of the door while driving. Replaced the latch, and it doesn't move anymore.

I ordered a new striker bolt from a local parts store, and I'll have that tomorrow.....


Learn something NEW every day......


BTW, Somebody out there should come to NJ to scavange those fenders off of that Ramcharger as they were sweet.....

oliver foster

That WHOLE RC looks sweet, other than the fresh dent in the drivers side.

jimbo486

My strikers and latches are both missing the plastic they were encased in. My passenger door shuts just fine with no movement. My driver door is different. Hard to explain but it seems if you don't shut hard enough and it stops at the first "click," it won't close entirely with an easy push of the door like the passenger side. You either have to open it and close it again with more force or give it a sideways hip thrust while partially closed. I can't figure it out but it drives me mad sometimes! It doesn't have any movement once closed though but I've always wondered if the plastic missing from the latch and/or strikers could have anything to do with it.

On my dad's '86 F-350, I wrapped a bunch of electrical tape around the strikers and surprisingly, it held up for quite some time!

93-12Smoke

My truck has plastic on the striker. I had an 85 F-150 with the rubber missing off the striker. Used a small section of old water hose to fix it.

NJTman

Can we say "Yard Wrecker Driver Jackarse" ?

oliver foster

I have a third '85 W-350 4x4 crew cab that is waiting its turn at a Cummins swap that has that same dent in the door and a small crease in the rocker.
It was owned by the Air Force before me.
It looks like a fork truck may have picked it up before...
At least they got the front door and saved the rear door which is much harder to find.

That RC looks like a good 6BT swap donor body, after you get a new door

NE frmhnd

The scrap yard in North Platte had a 3/4 ton they did that to last winter. 4 speed gasser, body was good til they got it. Think the only thing salvageable once they got done was the back bumper, wheels, and driver's mirror.

There's a Ramcharger for sale in McCook. Wish I had the money for it. Story of my life there.

diesel402004

My old one had the plastic parts wear out and my "new" one has them. The door closes "softer" with them. I also tried electrical tape on the old one but it wasn't the same as the plasitic

taterfarm

my truck was doing the same thing it was so bad the door was cracked from the PO slamming it shut, thats one thing I cant stand so it had to be fixed. I did the hinge pin bushings and door seals at the same time then realigned the hinges along with the new striker, it took forever to get everything lined up so it doesn't touch the latch on top or bottom and to make it all seal tight and latch fully with just a gentle pull. must have opened and closed the stupid door 200 times before I had it right, now the bushings are probably about worn out again But it was all worth it to have the door close easier than a new car. the strikers are cheap and worth the time and aggravation of lining them up so the door works better.