Rotary Star Door Latches

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

The rotary star mechanisms should be in good shape before starting this project. This work can be carried out on other similar English Ford latches.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 1 is a worn, early Anglia 105E door latch.
After removing the arm spring, drill out the lever arm stud rivet just enough so that the washer will come off. Remove the two levers and spring washer. Turn over the latch and file down flush the stud rivet which now can be pulled out of the latch base plate.




Figure 4.  I've removed the arm from the worn lever on the left and welded it to the fabricated lever on the right. It was easier to make a new lever from the same material and thickness and cut off the lever arm off near the base of the worn lever with a hack saw and weld it to the new lever. Take care to attach the arm at the same angle and height as the original part.





Figure 5.  I chose to install a shoulder bolt and flush nut insert ( fig. 3 ) to hold the levers in place. Added epoxy on the bolt threads and filed down the nut a bit to make it more flush. The nut should be just tight enough to allow the levers to move freely by the return spring.
Another way would be to weld the thread of the shoulder bolt to the base and then file off excess weld.
  
Oil the star rotary bushing and movement levers and grease the lever wheel. Brush a coat of grease on the whole inside latch to prevent rust. If the spring is broken replace it with a similar tension spring. Squeeze the end of the springs to prevent the spring from coming loose.


Figure 2 is a rebuilt door latch.

Disclaimer:  This information is only meant for educational purposes.