Re: [SilverStreak] suicide doors

[<waymark1@xxxxxxxx>]

If you were riding in a car that had suicide doors and the door opened  
while the car was moving at any significant speed, your reflex to grab 
the handle to keep the door from flying back, especially if you had 
mistakenly opened it yourself, thus having your hand on the door handle, 
would allow the wind to yank you by your arm out of the car onto the road.
I have an old (1960!) Panhard sedan in my garage that has suicide front 
doors. It had at least double-click main latches plus an outer safety 
catch - 3 catches - to hopefully keep the door shut. It obviously had 
worked as neither front door had ever been whammoed back against the rear 
door!
I had a 1960 MGA that had simple spring loaded catches, though modern style 
rear opening doors. Sometimes when rounding a right hand curve the left 
door would pop open. Of course, the wind tended to close the door, not yank 
it open.
Latches on cars used to be no more than a spring loaded latch bolt like on 
a house door.

I've noticed that on the SS motorhomes I've seen that the doors swung just 
opposite to the doors on the SS trailers.
Anyone have any idea why SS (and other makers) mounted the doors "suicide" style?
Al

-- "Thomas Williams" <tomgwilliams@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

Sherylyn,  Suicide doors are doors that open in the direction the vehicle is 
traveling,thus catching the wind, and likely to be torn off. They were originally 
labeled suicide doors, on older cars, because if anyone was standing in front of 
them,and the car moved forward,the person would be in great danger. I believe the 
tabs you are describing on the front of your trailer (outside) are for retaining 
the gravel guards (shields) that cover the curved windows on the right and left 
front when traveling.        
Tom, Burleson, Tx.