Door lock help

[juel]

Just listened to the Airstream pod cast and heard that the door lock on my 78 Argosy may not be enough to keep the door closed while traveling. I have the deadbolt on the inside only. The outside is just the regular lock. Should I consider putting a deadbolt on the outside; and if so, how easy is it to do this yourself.

[safari57]

Juel,

Mine came with very detailed instructions and templates to tape to the door and the door jamb. It was not difficult. You do need a hole saw of the correct size (it tells you in the instructions). It took about 1/2 hour total from start to finish, but I've done these before and have all the tools handy and no what NOT to do (after lets just say one bad experience a long time ago). You might want to ask an RV shop what they would charge to do this - if you don't have the tools at hand or are able to borrow them it might turn out to be as cheap as buying tools you may not use again. Any quality RV shop can do this, it does not have to be an Airstream dealer for this. I think I paid about $19 for the new lock. Due to very different styles of keys used in 1951 (they are like a '51 Ford car key) and the one that is used on the deadbolt I now need two keys to lock/unlock the door, but no problem.

If you need anything let me know. By the way, the house one I thought I'd use from Home Depot was cheaper but had a much bigger external head that would have stuck out more than the one I found at the RV dealer. There was a six dollar difference.

Thanks,
Barry

[juel]

Barry, Thank you for your help. My husband has every tool made x4, so I bet he can do it. Thanks for the tip about the RV type lock. By the way, love your tow vehicle. Here's my new potential tow vehicle.

[safari57]

My friend has used his '54 Ford wagon to tow his SOB trailer for years. He upgraded the brakes and put a '69 Ford engine and transmission in it and it hauls down the road really well. We love towing our vintage trailer with our classic car.

If your hubby has tools he should be able to do the installation pretty quickly. Door thickness was the thing that needed to be considered as some deadbolts require a thicker door than others. Mine also has the screen door-in-the-door so I had to consider that too.

I look forward to seeing pics of your car when it's done.

[Jim & Susan]

Juel, do a search on dead bolt locks. Somebody did a very detailed description of how to install one. I thought I had it bookmarked, because I plan on doing the same thing, but now I can't find it.

[Barkingdogg]

Hi Juel,
I have coresponded with you before.
Barkingdogg in Newcastle, OK. My Caravel had a dead bolt lock on outside & in, but was a thumb turn on inside & outside. When I took it apart, it only had about a 3/8 s hole, with a flat bar going thru to operate dead bolt. I bought a dead bolt with lock on the outside & thumb turn on the inside at Mobile Mart on Shields Blvd. just south of south 240 in OKC. It married with the existing bolt and mechanism that goes into the door jamb to lock it. Therefore I can now lock it from intruders (with key) & also lock it (with key) on both locks going down the road.
If I can be of assistance let me know.
Barkingdogg

[sfixx]

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

...but now I can't find it.

Here's the excellent post that I followed for my deadbolt installation:

http://www.airforums.com/forum...light=deadbolt

I chronicled my installation in my blog this March:

http://stephenfixx.blogspot.com/2005...x_archive.html

Best of luck

Steve