[DeTomaso] Pushbutton doorlock and mechanism

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

In a message dated 9/16/15 0 36 55, espeng at getmail.no writes:


> Thanks to all who have responded, so far.
> Still, noone can tell where the pushbutton come from. If the source is a
> Fiat, that sounds reasonable. More than if DeTomaso had it made just for
> DeTomasos. Could it be the same lock is used on Vallelunga, Mangusta and 
> the
> first Panteras?
> 
>>>The pushbutton itself, with the lock inside, is common not only to the 
Mangusta and pushbuton Pantera, but is also exactly the same as the trunk 
lock.   The housings are different for the trunk applications.

I don't know if they are common to other cars, but since the door/trunk key 
is a Fiat part, it would stand to reason that the locks were sourced from 
Fiat's suppliers too?   You would have to spend a lot of time looking very 
closely at a lot of Fiats to know for sure.

As for the mechanisms, they are different between the pushbutton vs. the 
later cars.   Oddly, in the pushbuttons, the door locking mechanism is 
completely detached from the pushbutton locking mechanism.   That is, when you lock 
the door from the inside, you can't unlock it from the outside.   
Furthermore, if the door is only locked from the outside, the only thing you've done 
is prevent the pushbutton from going in and opening the door.   All you have 
to do is hit it hard, and it will break the (very fragile) housing and the 
door will open right up.

I suspect, but don't know for sure, that the entire pushbutton Pantera door 
locking mechanism and etc. and so forth is lifted straight from the 
Mangusta.

> >The window frame is mentioned. I must have complete late doors on my
> Pantera. The frames are not made in one piece. But my Deauville has doors
> like that. And it's the last one, so all of them was probably made that 
> way.
> Julian mention the first cars are handbuilt, and have crisper body panel
> lines. I'm not sure I understand what that means. Have someone tried to 
> mix
> doors between early and late cars. Do they fit?
> 
>>>Yes, the doors are nominally the same, although of course a bit of 
hand-fitting is likely to be necessary.  Lori's '71 #1765 has early windshield 
frame (two-piece) but later doors, likely a result of the transition from one 
style to the other.

Julian is not correct about the 'crisper' body panel lines on the early 
cars; that results from repainting where the body shop uses bondo to 'sculpt' 
the lines to make them a bit sharper.   The panels were all stamped, from the 
first cars to the last ones, and thus are all the same (with the caveat 
that there were two varieties of front fender used, with different-sized 
headlight openings).   Too, some panels got cutouts for rectangular side lights 
while others didn't, but I don't know if that was done during the stamping 
process, or afterwards.

Mike
-------------- next part --------------
   In a message dated 9/16/15 0 36 55, espeng at getmail.no writes:

     Thanks to all who have responded, so far.
     Still, noone can tell where the pushbutton come from. If the source
     is a
     Fiat, that sounds reasonable. More than if DeTomaso had it made just
     for
     DeTomasos. Could it be the same lock is used on Vallelunga, Mangusta
     and the
     first Panteras?

   >>>The pushbutton itself, with the lock inside, is common not only to
   the Mangusta and pushbuton Pantera, but is also exactly the same as the
   trunk lock.  The housings are different for the trunk applications.
   I don't know if they are common to other cars, but since the door/trunk
   key is a Fiat part, it would stand to reason that the locks were
   sourced from Fiat's suppliers too?  You would have to spend a lot of
   time looking very closely at a lot of Fiats to know for sure.
   As for the mechanisms, they are different between the pushbutton vs.
   the later cars.  Oddly, in the pushbuttons, the door locking mechanism
   is completely detached from the pushbutton locking mechanism.  That is,
   when you lock the door from the inside, you can't unlock it from the
   outside.  Furthermore, if the door is only locked from the outside, the
   only thing you've done is prevent the pushbutton from going in and
   opening the door.  All you have to do is hit it hard, and it will break
   the (very fragile) housing and the door will open right up.
   I suspect, but don't know for sure, that the entire pushbutton Pantera
   door locking mechanism and etc. and so forth is lifted straight from
   the Mangusta.

     >The window frame is mentioned. I must have complete late doors on
     my
     Pantera. The frames are not made in one piece. But my Deauville has
     doors
     like that. And it's the last one, so all of them was probably made
     that way.
     Julian mention the first cars are handbuilt, and have crisper body
     panel
     lines. I'm not sure I understand what that means. Have someone tried
     to mix
     doors between early and late cars. Do they fit?

   >>>Yes, the doors are nominally the same, although of course a bit of
   hand-fitting is likely to be necessary. Lori's '71 #1765 has early
   windshield frame (two-piece) but later doors, likely a result of the
   transition from one style to the other.
   Julian is not correct about the 'crisper' body panel lines on the early
   cars; that results from repainting where the body shop uses bondo to
   'sculpt' the lines to make them a bit sharper.  The panels were all
   stamped, from the first cars to the last ones, and thus are all the
   same (with the caveat that there were two varieties of front fender
   used, with different-sized headlight openings).  Too, some panels got
   cutouts for rectangular side lights while others didn't, but I don't
   know if that was done during the stamping process, or afterwards.
   Mike