Hacked up Door Handle Replacement

[trekerboy]

Our '79 Excella's previous owner was not a kind man to her... At some point he replaced the original door handle with this cheap screen door handle. I don't know why, but he did. And now, I'd like to replace it with something not so flimsy and horrible looking.



I don't even know where to start... I guess the best question is if I can do anything to make this horrible situation better without replacing the whole door. Any suggestions?

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by trekerboy

Our '79 Excella's previous owner was not a kind man to her... At some point he replaced the original door handle with this cheap screen door handle. I don't know why, but he did. And now, I'd like to replace it with something not so flimsy and horrible looking.

Attachment 257907

I don't even know where to start... I guess the best question is if I can do anything to make this horrible situation better without replacing the whole door. Any suggestions?

The original lock is no longer avaialable.

But, a replacement lock kit, is available.

Andy

[Minno]

Inland RV shows this replacement lock for a '78 to '91 trailer.
http://www.inlandrv.com/catalog/prod...roducts_id=498

Might want to give them a call to see if it would work.

Another source might be Out of Doors Mart: http://odmrv.com/catalog/

I don't see anything similar in their online catalog, but they might have something that will work.

Good luck!
Chris

[trekerboy]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

The original lock is no longer avaialable.

But, a replacement lock kit, is available.

Andy

Hi Andy,

I've been looking at the replacement kit on Inland RV's site (here) and was wondering if this lock kit facilitates locking the door from the inside (as well as the outside). I see the key hole on the outside, so it's clear you can lock it from the outside, but can you lock it from the inside as well?

[Mixter]

Yes- the red lever is the inside deadbolt.

[trekerboy]

I wonder, has anyone modified their door to work with a "keyless" (or keypad) locking system, like one of these:

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by trekerboy

I wonder, has anyone modified their door to work with a "keyless" (or keypad) locking system, like one of these:

An electric entrance door lock kit, has been available.

Your photo shows a handle sticking out, which is a no no.

That's exactly what killed the 1969 entrance door and compartment door locks on Airstreams.

Anything sticking out from the shell, in time, will get sheared off.

That's been proven with Airstreams, thousands of times.

Flush hardware, including locks, is the safe way.

Andy

[idroba]

Originally Posted by trekerboy

I wonder, has anyone modified their door to work with a "keyless" (or keypad) locking system, like one of these:

I have looked into the keyless residential door lock system as a replacement to RV stile locks. There are three issues which are very difficult to solve.

1. The "setback" for residential systems is seldom appropriate for an RV.
2. The diameter of the latching bolt system is usually too big for the limited door thickness of an Airstream, requiring too much metal to be removed from the frame and thus damaging it's strength overall.
3. The interior door handle is not at all compatible with the screen door sliding latch cover so there is no way to keep the bugs out .

[Mixter]

They do make a keyless entry for RV.

[Sovereign85]

The door handle and lock assembly sold by Inland RV would be an excellent choice. I had this same assembly installed on our 1985 Sovereign in 2006 after the original door assembly broke and we became locked inside the trailer. I crawled out the rear emergency window to fetch my tool bag from the truck. Fortunately, I had a cold chisel and ball peen hammer in the bag enabling us to get free. It was no fun and very time consuming, even with the tools.

Andy (at reply #2) has a good price on this assembly. It is the same as shown by Trekerboy (post #4). I paid $387.00 for the same assembly and installation labor at an Airstream Service Center in Arizona 10 years ago. That pricy dealership is no longer in business, but my door handle and lock are still working great.

I have ordered parts from Andy’s dealership, and recommend reading Inland RV Center “privacy policy” at http://www.inlandrv.com/catalog/shipping.php before ordering!

[fordfarmer]

I replaced this type of lock with the kit. It turned out very well. It does lock from both outside and inside. The biggest drawback is the need to add the two aluminum plates in the kit. The old cutout needs to be filled with these panels. I chose to measure and drill and rivet the pieces to try to make it look as close to factory as possible, but it does not end up "factory" but there is little choice. It is a better lock.

[rsjmcg]

If needing to add aluminum to beef-up the area for a replacement lockset, there's a sturdy ~1/16" thickness 12"x13" (flat) aluminum mixing board at Harbor Freight for $8.99. http://t.harborfreight.com/mixing-board-98967.html. Heavier/thicker than one would use for a skin patch but spot-on for areas needing the extra stiffness like in a replacement lockset situation. Cuts easily with the right blade in a, e.g skil-saw, band-saw, scroll-saw, hole-saw.

[truckasaurus]

Originally Posted by Sovereign85

The door handle and lock assembly sold by Inland RV would be an excellent choice. I had this same assembly installed on our 1985 Sovereign in 2006 after the original door assembly broke and we became locked inside the trailer. I crawled out the rear emergency window to fetch my tool bag from the truck. Fortunately, I had a cold chisel and ball peen hammer in the bag enabling us to get free. It was no fun and very time consuming, even with the tools.

Andy (at reply #2) has a good price on this assembly. It is the same as shown by Trekerboy (post #4). I paid $387.00 for the same assembly and installation labor at an Airstream Service Center in Arizona 10 years ago. That pricy dealership is no longer in business, but my door handle and lock are still working great.

I have ordered parts from Andy’s dealership, and recommend reading Inland RV Center “privacy policy” at http://www.inlandrv.com/catalog/shipping.php before ordering!

That's certainly the weirdest "Privacy Policy" I've seen.