rear door storage compartment lock and latch

[maxandgeorgia]

Once again we need advice from Those Who Know on this forum. The lock and latch on the rear storage compartment of our AS had broken, and Max ordered a new lock mechanism from Bill Thomas RV and kept the old latch. The problem is we do not understand how to attch the latch to the lock structure. The latch has a small (@ 1/8") hole that continues into the lock form, but this hole has no thread to hold a screw to attach the two together. On the advice of our Westlake Hdw man, Max glued the two pieces together with a cold weld epoxy glue, and they seem well bonded and work. However, I question that this glue bond will hold under the stress of road travel. What do we need to know about joining the latch and the lock piece correctly? Thanks. ~G

[Stefrobrts]

If you used something like JB weld I wouldn't doubt that it will hold through the stress of road travel, I haven't had anything glued with that ever come apart. If it did come apart would you lose the door completely, or is it hinged?

[wahoonc]

Georgia,
Can you post a picture of the components? IIRC there is a small hole that you can shove a paper clip in that will release a spring that holds the lock cylinder in place, then there is a screw? You have to have the key to remove the cylinder. I think the one on your 95 is very similar to the one on my 1980...

Aaron

[maxandgeorgia]

Steph, he did use JB cold weld to join the two on the advice of the hardware person. Hearing you speak highly of this reassures me about the fastness of the attachment. The door is hinged, but I'd hate to have it bouncing open back there and tools, etc, left along the road like discards from a covered wagon! Thanks ~G Aaron, we have a key and the combined (cold welded) mechanism works now, but on the inside door/latch side of the thing, we see a small hole in the center of the latch where it is set on the lock that looks like it should have a screw to bind the latch to the lock, but we see no threads to screw into. No, I have no photos, but I may try. Thanks to both for your responses! ~G

[wahoonc]

Georgia,
I am headed out the door to start another week's work. But if you remind me I will try and look at mine when I get home on Friday.

Aaron

[DubleDeuce]

This request is OLD but maybe someone will stumble onto this thread and get some help on this matter.

The original poster claimed that the new latch mechanism she purchased from a vendor had no means of attaching the cam lever to the lock bolt. She claimed there was a square boss/shoulder upon which she could mount the lever but the 'hole' for the attaching screw had no threads in it so she JB Welds the lever to the lock bolt.

The trick here is that the lock bolt is made of genuine Airstream engineered and approved pot metal and as such it can easily be made to accept a self tapping screw of the same thread as the original screw that came out of it. (Or even a thread tap if you are brave enough)

Just go to an ACE Hardware store and most will have a large assortment of self tapping screws (They are referred to in the industry as "F" Screws as the self tapping screw end was designed to run trailer deck screws with this self tapping feature on it threw the wood and into the un-drilled metal below, all in one motion, the screw providing both the hole drilling and the threading.

J B Weld is great but you don't see God sticking things together with it, and for good reason.

Darrow...for the Prosecution