Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi,
I have searched various sections but have not found the answer. So sorry in advance if it has been already been covered.
I have a 1957 4 door saloon, and the drivers door cannot be locked from inside, i believe this is to stop you locking you keys inside. However i would like to be able to fit a lock. Looking at ESM I see they do an interior door switch, which was fitted to later vehicles. If i purchase this lock/switch can it be fitted easily.
Perhaps others have had this problem and made their own lock, if so i would be grateful for any details.
Thanks Mike.

The interior lock 'switch' is only for the passenger door on later cars (1963 onwards), which had different locks all-round to meet new safety legislation. No Minor ever had a drivers door that was lockable by any other means than using the key. The ESM parts you refer to will be for a passenger door and can't be fitted to the drivers door, therefore I don't believe the modification you are considering is possible. As you rightly say, the standard arrangement is designed to prevent the keys being accidentally locked in the car. IMHO its a sensible arrangement and best left alone!

The lever locking device is suitable for later two door cars. There are two different part numbers and styles, one for left hand and one for right hand doors. However, the 4 door cars used a different system where the operating handlke was pushed forward to lock, so the small flick lever will not help you.

palacebear wrote:The interior lock 'switch' is only for the passenger door on later cars (1963 onwards), which had different locks all-round to meet new safety legislation. No Minor ever had a drivers door that was lockable by any other means than using the key. The ESM parts you refer to will be for a passenger door and can't be fitted to the drivers door, therefore I don't believe the modification you are considering is possible. As you rightly say, the standard arrangement is designed to prevent the keys being accidentally locked in the car. IMHO its a sensible arrangement and best left alone!

My pickup actually does lock both doors from the inside! If, however, you lock the driver's door from the inside the key will not unlock it from the outside so it would be very easy to get locked out. (Hasn't happened to me fortunately)
You could try fitting a later locking mechanism from a LHD car, but keep in mind the inside and outside locks work on a different part of the mechanism so if locked from the inside not even the key will work to unlock it.

Another point to be careful of. The op states a 1957 car. For many years (not sure how many) the exterior key-lock was always on the right-hand door, irrespective of which side the steering wheel was on, hence no difference between mechanisms on LHD and RHD cars.

PB is right.On my 57 4 door there is only 1 door lock on the drivers side. all others are lockable internally.

Which means that, if you want to be safely locked in your car, preventing some mad road-rager from ripping open the door, dragging you out and beating you to a bloody pulp (just because you took off quicker at the lights than they did) then, assuming the passenger and rear doors are locked, you have to get in, wind down the driver side window, reach out and lock the door with the key, retrieve said key into car and wind the window back up!
Of course, if your car goes up in flames while you are locked in, it isn't so quick and easy to get out!
Both fairly unlikely scenarios, I admit

When "locked" it is only the outside handle that cannot be moved, the interior handles still allow you to get out. the thing to watch is that you then close the door (whether there's a fire or not) and find that you have locked the keys inside.

myoldjalopy wrote:Which means that, if you want to be safely locked in your car, preventing some mad road-rager from ripping open the door, dragging you out and beating you to a bloody pulp (just because you took off quicker at the lights than they did) then, assuming the passenger and rear doors are locked, you have to get in, wind down the driver side window, reach out and lock the door with the key, retrieve said key into car and wind the window back up!
Of course, if your car goes up in flames while you are locked in, it isn't so quick and easy to get out!
Both fairly unlikely scenarios, I admit

On a four dour, you could just lock the external lock again as soon as you've opened the door - then, once you get in and shut the door, it's locked from the outside, but as just stated, you can open it from the inside.

Ah, I see. I must admit, I have never tried locking myself inside the car!

palacebear wrote:Another point to be careful of. The op states a 1957 car. For many years (not sure how many) the exterior key-lock was always on the right-hand door, irrespective of which side the steering wheel was on, hence no difference between mechanisms on LHD and RHD cars.

Yes, my father's 1963 convertible has the lock on the right side, and was LHD from the factory. Think it was around 65 that they began to use the left side locking mechanism. With some RHD parts on a LHD car and vice versa you could have locks on both sides!
I'm assuming the later mechanisms can be fitted to the earlier cars without too extensive modifications but perhaps someone has more experience with this.