Earlier sliding doors, who knew!?

Because i didn't, reading through a thread on here a little while ago, i read that someones dad (apologies i forget who) used to have a bay and when the slider was almost closed you could pull the handle up to pull in the rear edge of the door.

Now if you have an earlier slider ( i dont know if this works for later types) there is absolutely no reason for the door handle to go up yet there is a cut out shaped into the panel, all the unlocking (open or closed) is done pushing the handle down, but if you get the door to an almost closed position, that point where in the middle of the night you've slammed the door and trying to be quiet haven't quite slammed it hard enough for it to click in, then from the outside pull the handle up or dependent upon where your handle is on the inside do the equivalent it really does pull the back end of the door in

This is all based on a LHD by the way, I dont know abut RHD's

 

Nipped out to give it a go , ours is an early crossover RHD, it has that bit in the door, BUT ours if you turn the handle up it locks in the position you have slid it too , wherever that maybe, that could be because ours is set up in an odd way however can not be sure our sliding door opens from the inside only if you turn the handle to the right............I have no idea whatsoever if this is how it should be

 

So if you lift the handle at any point along its travel it then wont move at all in either direction?

 

Errrr, yeah, didn't you know that? On all early sliders (my '73 twin slider has two of 'em!) You shut the door then pull the handle up to put it in it's fully locked in position. That's what the sticker on the steering column is referring to.

 

The handle on mine (LHD 73) goes up to about 11 o'clock but ONLY at the point where the door is not quite shut to pull it in through out the rest of the travel it only goes up a little bit

 

yup, then it returns to normal position again and to move it again you have to push the handle down.

 

I did not know but its very handy, I dont think i still have a sticker on the column, (will get a resto set i think) you learn something new every day

 

Yes, that's correct - pulling the handle up operates the catch at the back end (c pillar end) of the slider to pull it in a bit more, so it doesn't operate when the door is open.

 

Interesting i wonder what setup you have? is it a converted panel van?

 

No it is a mirco bus

 

or was when it started off life

 

Hmm, my last bus started life as a micro bus but it was a 74, with the newer type lock and i dont think it did anything clever, anyone else's door do other stuff?

They really are clever bits of kit

 

Mine has this too, I know my door isn't original ( I have the lock on the handle)

 

yeah lock in the handle is up to 73 so crossovers and early lates

 

The one on the steering column says: "Fahren nur mit verriegelter Schiebetür (Drive only with sliding door locked)"

It doesn't lierally mean you have to lock the door, but you should drive only after having lifted the handle to pull the back side of the door into its fully tucked in position. Because otherwise the catch is only half engaged and it might open while you're in motion.

 

Our 72 late bay has the lock in the handle. Ours also pulls in at the rear if you pull the handle up once the door is almost closed.

 

And mine.....do later buses not do this then?

 

No, they don't. You just have to slam them and wake up the neighbourhood.

 

Ahhhh! So that's something else different about ours then. We should add that to the thread that was started about the differences!

 

Ah, but you don't because the whole mech is so improved they almost shut themselves.