TR4/4A Door Check Straps

[KVH]

How are the door check straps supposed to be removed? What a pain! Mine bump into the inner fender and don’t slide out. Please don’t tell me I need to cut the sheet metal. Do I drill out the rivets? Man, why so tedious. Thanks for whatever advice you can give.

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Door check straps come out from inside. You need to bump them back off the twos straps and angle them to come out.
Marv

 

[charleyf]

There is a difference between the early TR4 and the late 4 and 4A. Which do you have?

 

[KVH]

I have a late 4A. The strap just will not come out. It needs another 1/4 inch. I may drill out the rivets,

 

[Geo Hahn]

May I inquire -- why do you wish to remove them?

 

[KVH]

They apparently have a rubber bumper affixed to the rear of the clip, and when that rubber bumper is worn out or absent the door opens and closes with a very loud, unhealthy-sounding metallic click coming directly from the strap mechanism. I’m getting that on both doors, but primarily the passenger door. I could ignore this. But I am aging, cranky, and increasingly particular about everything around me, except, as some people say, the particulars of myself.

 

[Geo Hahn]

Yeah, okay I get that click. Worse on the driver's side which is to be expected but noticeable on both.

Is the rubber buffer available or would you just fashion something. I would address it only if I could do so with undoing the rivets on the A pillar.

 

[charleyf]

I have two TR4s not 4A. In the TR 4 the check strap apparatus is very difficult to get out. But doable by finding just the correct position of the strap in the holder and it will come out. If it went in it should come out. I would say that I might be looking at cutting a hole in the car body ( which is behind the carpet panel) rather than removing those rivets.

 

[JshTriumph]

I just replaced the driver side check strap on my 4A. The clips on the strap were broken. It was straight forward. I removed the kick panel and there is an opening. I found one of the broken clips lying in there. I used a dremel to carefully grind the bottom of the rivet connecting the strap to the door. There is not a lot of space between the door and A pillar. I then used a small punch to pop the rivet out. The check strap comes out through the opening. Mine slid right out. The new check strap would not go in at first. The old check strap had a slight bend. One hit with a ball peen and the new one went right in. A clevis pin replaces the rivet. I did not do anything to the part attached to the door. when you receive the new check straps you should consider putting a couple of screwdrivers in the clips to loosen the clips a bit. A week or so.

 

[KVH]

There are two more rivets. Not on the door connection. These two are installed in the A-Post and hold the cross bar plate that the clip snaps over. With that cross bar in place there's no hope of getting the clip to come out, either forward or backward. I'm told some 4A models have the TR4 setup. I'm wondering if that's yours. A pic would sure help. I ordered new check straps, and when they arrive maybe I'll understand this all a lot better. thx

 

[KVH]

Yes, Geo, on the rivet issue, I, too am reluctant to drill those out. I'm talking a closer look in about an hour.

 

[KVH]

Well, I did replace both check straps, but should update based on the exchange above. First, as Charley indicated, a very small cut in the kick panel was needed on one side. I did have to replace a rivet, and did so with a pop rivet that I'll hide with paint. Looks a bit ugly right now, and I hope it's strong enough. I couldn't get the standard rivet to "squash." But the saga is over. It was just way too tight a space back there. See pic below, showing the small cut on left edge (about 1/8 inch by 1 inch). Then, some of you may shudder, but I noticed that someone cut one of the spring prongs off the check strap on the driver's door, apparently to may it smoother and more quiet, without the loud snapping sound. So, I did that on both sides. Very nice and smooth now. I suppose if I open a door on a steep upward incline it might not hold open as well, but that's the trade-off.