The customer was building a fiberglass kit car with gullwing doors. The kit came
with old-fashioned suitcase-type latches that were ugly and hard to operate.
B. Dash Fabrication designed and built these latch mechanisms from aircraft-grade
6061 T6 aluminum. They operate two push rods, one forward and one aft, that push pins
into the door jams. There are provisions for an external handle and a keyed lock mechanism.
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Once closed, a spring drops the locking pin into place. To open, the pin must be pulled,
and then the handle can be rotated, retracting the push rods.
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The mechanism as shown weighs about 100 grams, or three ounces.
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In spite of this light weight, it can provide an extremely strong and positive closure since
force applied to the door is not passed to the latch mechanism.
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