Work on my 63 Tradewind progresses. I have the aluminum flappy exterior cover for the galley sidewall fan. I'm scratching my head over how to set up the opeing, closing and latching.
It seems like there would be a spring that would hold the door open unless pulled shut against the tension of the spring. At the lower edge of the inside of that exterior door (whew!) there is a "U" shaped feature. Inside that feature is a very rusty remnant of a spring with what appears to be the remains of the tassel on a pull-chain.
It looks like the chain would go through a hole just below the fan shroud and then through the inside fan cover and then, what? Is there a catch to hold the outer door closed?
Does anyone have a picture of what the setup is supposed to look like? Any ideas regarding replacement spring(s) for the outer door?
I may be wrong, so don't take this for the last word. I believe this vent was opened and closed from inside the galley. There was a small lever next to the fan ducting inside. By moving this lever you both opened the vent and turned a small fan on. Sounds like the whole thing has rusted away.
I'll look at mine tonight and shoot a picture and send it to you. My 55 looks and works the same (from memory) as my 62 Overlander. There was a ball chain that you pull and release to open so yes, there is some type of spring or tension that if there was no chain, would be open all of the time. Sounds like your spring is missing.
Thanks for the replies. Yes, any and all springs are missing. The side view drawing on the vintagetrailersupply site confirms my general idea. It would be very helpful to see a picture of the spring that is attached to the outside door so I can get an idea of the size and how it is fastened. The drawing also suggests some kind of tensioner between the outer door and the inner cover, through which the chain goes. A picture of that would be hugely helpful so I can determine it its something I can replicate.
My take on the drawing was that the spring is around the hinge at the top and the "tensioner" on the chain was an on/off switch that toggles when you tighten the chain. That is, pull it tight to release the lid and it switches on and when you pull it tight again to lock it closed it switches off. That strikes a familiar cord as I recall, but it was a long time ago that I saw one like that.
__________________ Vaughan
A sixth sense (I lack the other five) tells me that I am in serious difficulties.Oscar Levant
Here you go. You can clearly see in the exterior photo the pair of springs and the switch that when open, turns on the fan. Let me know if you need any further photos. I didn't have time to remove the cover and take pictures as I was running kind of late.
Thank you very much. I know it takes time to go through all the steps to post pics. It is very helpful to see how the springs are sized and attached. I can see how the springs will pull the chain through when relaxed. But, how does it hold tension to keep the outer door closed?
Thank you very much. I know it takes time to go through all the steps to post pics. It is very helpful to see how the springs are sized and attached. I can see how the springs will pull the chain through when relaxed. But, how does it hold tension to keep the outer door closed?
The hole that the chain travels through has a small slot on one side that will hold the balls on the ball chain. Pull it tight and slip the chain into the slot.
__________________ Vaughan
A sixth sense (I lack the other five) tells me that I am in serious difficulties.Oscar Levant
Does anyone know where to source the torsion springs that hold the outer door open? I've tried the blue and orange big box stores, Ace Hardware, Fastenal and Brinker Brown.
Thought I'd offer a little update regarding my hunt for replacement "hold-open" springs. So far there are three options, each with a drawback. The first is a company called D.R. Templeman. Very responsive and very helpful. Unfortunately, they don't have anything appropriate in stock. For a $200 setup fee they will run a custom batch and the unit cost would be around $4.00. For just 2 springs this is not an option.
The second is a company called A.S. Raymond (Associated Spring). They stock a spring that would work but discourage direct sales to consumer. One spring is more than $33.00, 2 for 16 each, 5 for 10 each, and 10 for 5 each.
The final option, so far, is ReidSupply. They have a spring in stock that would probably work. Both legs of their spring are 1.25 inches, rather than the leg supporting the door being 2 inches. The unit cost is around $8.00.
For the sake of information, the specs look like: wire diameter- 0.051 in.; OD- .43; relaxed position of ends- 90 degrees; deflection- 180 degrees; mandrel size (ID)- .025; length of coil (axial measurement)-0.50 in.
BTW, I'm not this smart. The guy at D.R. Templeman figured this out from BarryIowa's pictures and and my description.
It seems like pretty much everyone who has a vintage unit probably needs replacement springs. I suppose that part of the fun of the project is the thrill of the chase. Like Sherlock Holmes said: "Watson, the game is afoot."
There are a few good vintage trailer salvage outfits. I know I've seen them mentioned here on the forums before. Sounds like the one spring outfit wants to get about $50 from you one way or another
I've spent way more time looking for these silly springs than I probably should. I finally found a spring at McMaster-Carr that looked like it might work for a unit cost of $8.06 each including shipping. However, the wire size was only .048 and the leg length was 1.25 in instead of two. They didn't work. The wire was too light and the leg length was so short that it binded up and crushed instead of sliding when the vent cover is shut.
It didn't seem like the wire size should be so puny since .048 isn't that much smaller than .051. So, I brought the broken remnant spring that I took off the trailer in the beginning to work and had one of our service engineers put a caliper on it. Even allowing for the rust it looks to be .063, which is a big difference.
So, back to the drawing board with the internet search. There are a couple of companies that stock more than 700 small torsion springs and not one would work. Even at a premium price I haven't found anything suitable. But, the hunt continues. If I can find the straight stock I may try making some by hand.
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