$60 to make key for lock inside handle

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, folks,

Not that I'm complaining... I'm very happy to have my deadbolt back!

Background: when I bought the Excella, the PO had one key for the added top deadbolt. This was was a bit of a hack job, with the hole apparently cut in the door with a whiz wheel (abrasive cut off disk) and not much care. I've been concerned about breaking through the door while traveling.

Today I had the mobile locksmith (from 55 miles away) come by the RV park and look at my deadbolt. Since some of you might be interested, here's how it comes apart. First, remove the two screws holding the inside latch on. Then you'll need to drill out some rivets below the switches for the scare'em, galley, and step lights. Remove the curtain strip, if any, and any related snaps or such.

Airstream provided a HUGE hole to work on this door handle, as if they know that somebody 27 years later would need all this space... and you do.

Four self-locking nuts hold the door handle on. The two top ones are more or less under the lock assembly, so you'll need a 3/8 crow's foot wrench and the appropriate extension, or a short 3/8 wrench, in order to get them out. Remember to support the handle when you take the last one out because the doorbell wires are also in it and they may be OLD and fragile. We supported the handle with safety wire that I happened to have in my toolbox.

Then you need an allen-head wrench to take 2 screws out of the back of the handle, and then the lock assembly taps out into your palm.

Then my guy went off to his truck for about 15 minutes, and we then put it back in. He was amused that I had the rivets and a rivet gun. I asked him if I would have so smart drilling them out if I couldn't have put the skin panel back on when we were done.

The entire operation took about an hour, and I was pleased with the work he did. I'm also delighted to have a functional deadbolt that I can lock from the inside without a key.