Latch Cover Project

After making a hasche of carpeting around the rear door latches, I thought - there must be something I can do to cover this up!

I took some measurements from the back of the van latches, and started to design a cover which would go over the latches, and be sandwiched between the rear doors and the carpet.

I made some cardboard templates based on this design, and tested the fit on the van. Once I had a design I was happy with, I built the first prototype with an angle grinder, a drill and some files.

I made design changes based on the cardboard mockups and stainless steel prototype to create a final model in Solidworks. This would allow for the part to be laser cut for a cleaner, more precise cut.

Although I only initially wanted one of these for myself, after mentioning it to a few friends, they also wanted one. I then thought I should get 50 made and attempt to try and sell them.

The final product was manufactured out of 1.2mm brushed stainless steel. These then required a little hand finishing to remove the slight burr left from the laser cutting process. I stuck a piece of velcro to the back, which would help to adhere to the vans carpet to keep the cover in place.

I have now almost sold all 50 of these latch covers through my eBay store and word of mouth.