REtro Fitting Slam Latches to my 5'r
First let me apologize for not putting up a pic or two on this post...I will do that when I get back home on days off. However: I just last week added two of these to my main storage compartment do...
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I shall do so on Friday morning.! (If I get time...leaving for the Shushwap in BC around Noon after last minute runnin around..!!)
VACATION..!!
As an aside. My Rig is as noted in my sig: 2011 Coachmen Chaparall (Forest River Product). From what I learned from my friend at the RV Dealer I have used over the years, the doors are pretty much identical throughout as far as thickness is concerned. There are two types of latches available. Watch out that the outside portion has a gasket on them..I was also offered some with out gaskets and did not like the idea of using them for obvious reasons.
But I did take a look at an OEM installation while I was there and they have made changes to accomodate these new latches. I am not sure if the doors are somewhat thicker or the latch mechanism is deeper ...but they have added an aluminum extrusion of some 2" that slips over the Alum rib towards the inside of the compartment to act as a strike.
Yet when I tried to utilize this extrusion..my latch didn't even come close to where it would even go over this extrusion. So the latch unit itself must be somewhat deeper than the type I bought...or I'm just too old and senile to figure out what they did..! LOL
I did find it a good thing to empty out my storage compartment and crawl in from the opposite side to make sure that things were going to work.
You'll see what I mean when I post the pics.
Stk
VACATION..!!
As an aside. My Rig is as noted in my sig: 2011 Coachmen Chaparall (Forest River Product). From what I learned from my friend at the RV Dealer I have used over the years, the doors are pretty much identical throughout as far as thickness is concerned. There are two types of latches available. Watch out that the outside portion has a gasket on them..I was also offered some with out gaskets and did not like the idea of using them for obvious reasons.
But I did take a look at an OEM installation while I was there and they have made changes to accomodate these new latches. I am not sure if the doors are somewhat thicker or the latch mechanism is deeper ...but they have added an aluminum extrusion of some 2" that slips over the Alum rib towards the inside of the compartment to act as a strike.
Yet when I tried to utilize this extrusion..my latch didn't even come close to where it would even go over this extrusion. So the latch unit itself must be somewhat deeper than the type I bought...or I'm just too old and senile to figure out what they did..! LOL
I did find it a good thing to empty out my storage compartment and crawl in from the opposite side to make sure that things were going to work.
You'll see what I mean when I post the pics.
Stk
