Front Passenger door locks- why only there?

[BuicksBuicks]

I've had/have two 37 Buicks and a 39 Buick, all of which had door key locks on the front passenger door only. What's the rationale for this?

[Matt Harwood]

Presumably because most people entered their cars from the curb side and slid over behind the wheel. You see it in old movies all the time.

[trimacar]

The passenger front key lock was very common the, my 31 Chevy has it too....all the other doors lock by pushing inside door handle forward....Matt is correct, a holdover from the carriage days of always entering vehicle from curb side, so you're not in the middle of the street (with the then prevalent traffic, mud, and horse manure)....

[27donb]

My 27 is like that as well, for the reason stated above.  There is a lock button on the inside of the drivers door, and a key lock on the outside passenger side handle. 

 

An idea that was around and carried forward to later years, apparently. 

[Larry Schramm]

For my old Buicks, what is a lock button? 

Edited December 4, 2017 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[BuickBob49]

There must be a difference between 40/60 series and 80/90 series Buicks in 1939.  My 1939 Roadmaster has key locks in both front door handles.

[Matt Harwood]

15 minutes ago, BuickBob49 said:

There must be a difference between 40/60 series and 80/90 series Buicks in 1939.  My 1939 Roadmaster has key locks in both front door handles.

 

I believe the formal cars do have multiple locks for chauffeur access. My '41 Limited limousine has locks on both front doors as well as the passenger rear door. Interestingly enough, there's a different key for the back door and the door lock buttons are mounted to the rear of the back doors, out of reach of the front door. I assume this is for security purposes if you don't want your driver getting into the back seat (there's also a divider window, which only operates from the back seat). I noticed this when we had the 6-passenger touring sedan sitting next to it, which only had locks on the front doors and the door lock buttons were on the forward part of the rear doors, easy to reach and unlock from the front door opening.

 

Touring sedan vs. Limousine (two-tone car is the touring sedan):

 

 

Look carefully and you'll see that the door lock buttons are in different locations (blue seat is the limousine):

 

 

 

[BuickBob49]

This isn't the best photo, but it shows the plunger lock on the left rear door of my 39 Roadmaster 81. It is the leading edge of the suicide door.

 

 

[Guest]

In many places it was illegal to enter or exit a vehicle from the left (traffic) side.

[jenz38]

On my '38 Sr.40Coupe it was like the same....

I simply has changed the complete outside Doorhandle from passenger to driverside and the other direction.

I must only drive out the srew  in the small hole near the Doorlock ...

Its to see it if i open the door,

When the screw is out ,i can pull the handle out of the door.

I think it will work like the same at other models an years.

[neil morse]

My '41 Super 4-door has outside door locks on both front doors, so they must have started putting an outside lock on the driver's side by then.  But as far as entering on the curb side, I notice that on my car the door-activated switch for the dome light and rear seat "courtesy" lights is on the passenger side only.  My '48 Chrysler was the same way.  So it was assumed that you would never open a rear door to admit rear seat passengers on the left side.  Again, a hold over from the carriage days as well as a safety issue, I'm sure.

[Gary W]

Think about the Model "T" Fords....  The "Driver's Door" isn't a door at all, just stamped into the body to look like a door!  The only enter / exit is via the passenger's side.  And that carried on until 1926. 

The Model "A" also locks inside on the driver's door, outside locking handle on the passenger's side.

 I always thought it was that Henry didn't want people to exit on the traffic side?

I think some of the older Buicks (1914?) also had a "dummy" door on the driver's side?  (Which was the right side back then...... so ......)

 

 

[hidden_hunter]

Interestingly though, my 22 Cadillac has locks on both of the doors (plus trunk, ignition and gearbox) all keyed a like. So it seems strange that Buick would have had a different approach that was "safer", I'm wondering if it was just a case of that's the way we've always done it. 

 

The 26 buick tourer doesn't even have locks

[Morgan Wright]

In the early days, people were very concerned about their shoe shine, and didn't want horse poop to change the color to brown.

[Morgan Wright]

My 1918 Buick is very difficult to enter on the driver's side, the steering wheel is totally in the way. Almost impossible to get out. Next time I'm going to try sliding over to the passenger side to get out and start doing that instead.

[27donb]

On 12/3/2017 at 7:04 PM, Larry Schramm said:

For my old Buicks, what is a lock button? 

 

Oh, the modern conveniences of 1927...

 

[Morgan Wright]

Does the 1927 door opening go all the way back to the back of the seat so you can slide out? Because in 1918 the door opens by your knees and the side of the body is where your butt is, so you come out backwards and put your left leg on the running board so you can slide your right leg under the steering wheel.

[Guest]

Gary W    Only in the USA, Canadian Ford T's had four doors, probably to accommodate export to RHD countries.

[27donb]

10 hours ago, Morgan Wright said:

Does the 1927 door opening go all the way back to the back of the seat so you can slide out? Because in 1918 the door opens by your knees and the side of the body is where your butt is, so you come out backwards and put your left leg on the running board so you can slide your right leg under the steering wheel.

 

The opening does go all the way back, I guess that's the evolution from 1918 to 1927.

 

However, I still have to slide in and out, like you describe.  It's not like a modern car where you put your body in first.  One leg first, walk in and twist yourself in behind the wheel.  Learned it well from years of watching my Grandfather! 

[Morgan Wright]

This is exactly what I'm talking about. This link is for an article about the same model as mine, the E-49. Look at the first pic to see:

 

1. the tiny front door opens just for the knee but you can't get out due to the steering wheel.

2. they have something on the running board which shows that nobody uses that door.

 

The link: https://www.hemmings.com/magazine/hcc/2010/06/Into-the-Wind---1918-Buick-E-49/3396511.html

[BuickBob49]

Even on my 39 Roadmaster, one must get into the driver's seat a special way. I have found no graceful way of  doing it. The running boards are tall and wide. You can't just hop in like you would on a lower car with a full-width cabin.  Once you step up on the running board, you are too tall for the doorway and must duck in.  Then there is the problem of a short gap between the front of the seat frame and the front of the door opening. Big feet don't help, here.  What we go through to drive these old cars!  But I don't mind these challenges when I take the car out for a drive!

  

Edited December 6, 2017 by BuickBob49
Clarification (see edit history)

[Bleach]

On 12/4/2017 at 6:32 PM, Morgan Wright said:

In the early days, people were very concerned about their shoe shine, and didn't want horse poop to change the color to brown.

 

It's usually more greenish.

[Morgan Wright]

This proves that people did not use the drivers door back then:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Car-Photo-1918-Buick-Automobile-781/362025341044?hash=item544a645074:g:9coAAOSwpONZVzM9

[mcdarrunt]

MUD! If you slid across the seat and got out onto the sidewalk you didn't slog through mud. The burg I grew up in didn't get paved streets till the 50's although the main streets were gravel. We hated a town where you had to park nose in to the curb on a rainy day.