Slim-Line Door Latch Design — Compact bear jaw latch engineered specifically for smaller car door shells where space is limited, making it ideal for hot rods and custom builds. Two-Stage Safety Mechanism — Heavy-duty steel construction with a modern two-stage latch provides secure door retention and dependable operation. Right-Side Configuration — Designed for right-hand door use and compatible with standard or opposite-side installation for suicide door applications. Flexible Installation Options — Installs directly into steel or fiberglass doors and works with rod-style or cable-style door release mechanisms. Universal Fit Versatility — Suitable for street rods, shaved-handle builds, and custom projects, with optional kits available that include striker pins and cage nuts. Slim-Line size bear jaw latch works well for vehicles with smaller car door shells. Adds safety and reliability to your hot rod or street rod car door. Works with both rod and cable release door handle mechanisms. Can be used for standard or suicide door style installations. Additional bear jaw door latches can be used as trunk/rumble seat lid latch. Works with steel and fiberglass door shells. Installs directly into car door shell or use with optional mounting plates. Sold individually in left or ride side latch, or as a kit with striker pins and cage nuts included. Zinc plated for corrosion resistance. Works with shaved door handle systems. Mounting hardware not included (mounting holes take a ¼-20 fastener) Modern Safety for Your Hot Rod or Street Rod Most domestic pre-war vehicles utilized a car door latch mechanism very similar to what you would find on your bedroom door. A tapered spring-loaded car door latch bolt that when the door is closed, simply slips over a striker plate tongue and seats in a depression or groove. This design certainly works well for your bedroom door, but is not the best for a moving automobile, especially one that has been vastly updated decades later with better suspension, more horsepower, and so on that can really push the car to its limits. Occupants need to be secured (use those seatbelts!) and just as importantly, the doors need to stay closed during hard cornering or worst case a collision that involves a rollover. Enter the modern automobile “bear claw” car door latch that rotates and locks around a robust striker pin or “Nader pin.” This style of modern door latch has been used in new vehicles since the early 1960s and hot rodders have been retrofitting them to early hot rods and street rods ever since. Today, Speedway Motors makes this process easier with its Universal Slim-Line Bear Jaw car door latches