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84 Sunrader door or door lock for 18'er


nibs

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Well, no one around these parts has ever seen an rv door lock like this, it has a male nipple on the door frame & a hole in the lock that it catches on. Does any one know of a source/type or even a replacement door with screen door. I can make a new nipple (hope no one is offended by language) but the lock is a mystery.

Thanx

Tony

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There are lots of different types of RV door latches.

A photo would go a long way in figuring out what you have

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Mike, there is a set of pics on toyota-campers posted by garyjgerard aug 1 titled Sunrader lock mechanism,

One of these days I'll figure out how to place pics.

Since I posted the first note, I turned the shoulder of the nipple to bring the door in, and milled one of the claws in the door to make it grip tighter. twas a pig to get back together but we prevailed. the door still wont lock. Hopefully it will stay closed while driving.

Tony

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Gardner Pacific was located in Vallejo Calif. Turns out the same place is now an RV dealer with the same phone number 707-252-8188. I believe the guy who owns the place used to work for Gardner Pacific. The last time I spoke with him he said that he kept the forms for making the several different type Sunrader front windows. Might be a shot in the dark but he would definitely be the guy with some parts knowledge.

As for a screen door I made my own using some window screen. Used two long strips that hang from above the door on the inside. Its a prototype. My plan was to eventually use mosquito screen. It attaches to above the door and down the sides with Velcro. The center between the strips has some magnets sewn in which keep the screen together but allows easy passage through. I also sewed in some weights on the bottom to keep it hanging correctly. So picture a screen which is cut down the center from top to bottom with the magnets holding those two together, to enter or exit you just push your self through and the pieces fall back together and the magnets keep it together. When not needed it just comes off the Velcro and stores easily somewhere.

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Yes, thats the little rascal (door lock), apparently unless I can find a used one someplace, a bargeman 300 L is the fix, requires mods to the door and frame, sigh. Will wait untill we are in So California to switch, just incase we can find the right one in our travels.

Greg, we are in stasis, I keep asking Susan to make a screen like you describe, (need one for our MCI bus too) and she keeps asking me to make a screen door with a frame.

Thank you for the assistance we are getting great group!

Tony

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My 1991 Sunrader has a sliding window in the door which has a screen. Not as nice as a full screen door like the diesel has but better than nothing. I am sure that these are standard size so a search of an RV supply house should come up with one.

Send some photos of the outside of your lockset to some of the larger RV salvage yards. I am sure that there are a fair amount of these door latches sitting around on shelves just waiting to be found. They were not extremely common but I have seen a few of them still in use.

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You might give this guy a call, just might have one lying around http://www.rvdoctorgeorge.com/

Yes, thats the little rascal (door lock), apparently unless I can find a used one someplace, a bargeman 300 L is the fix, requires mods to the door and frame, sigh. Will wait untill we are in So California to switch, just incase we can find the right one in our travels.

Greg, we are in stasis, I keep asking Susan to make a screen like you describe, (need one for our MCI bus too) and she keeps asking me to make a screen door with a frame.

Thank you for the assistance we are getting great group!

Tony

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Yes, thats the little rascal (door lock), apparently unless I can find a used one someplace, a bargeman 300 L is the fix, requires mods to the door and frame, sigh. Will wait untill we are in So California to switch, just incase we can find the right one in our travels.

Greg, we are in stasis, I keep asking Susan to make a screen like you describe, (need one for our MCI bus too) and she keeps asking me to make a screen door with a frame.

Thank you for the assistance we are getting great group!

Tony

You might even want to investigate buying one .

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Tired of having to reach in through the passenger door to open the Sunrader door, yesterday installed an ordinary dead bolt under the old latch. Had to fake it a bit and grind down the end of the bolt to get it to catch inside the aluminum frame jamb. Now we have to use a key to get in if we have been driving, the original catch is ok when parked. Much better than the sliding pin put in by the prev ownr, even took out some of the rattle.

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Caint post pictures, having computer crash probs. Installed it looks just like the one on your front door. Took about 3 hrs to put in, went in pretty much the same as on a wood door, but put compression springs on the shaft that the key turns to hold the mechanism off center, that was probably the toughest part, cutting and fitting the springs. Then tried to mill the dead bolt so that it fit behind the aluminum door jamb, the bolt I used had a spring operated hardened metal component, this caught the milling cutter, there went $25 so ground the bolt down with a grinder. used RTV to keep out the water and Bobs yer uncle. Did much the same thing years ago on my MCI bus, only there had to make a striker plate, did it with a drill, grinder and file in a parking lot. Did the Sunrader at home with the tools much easier.

Tony

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  • 5 months later...

I installed a deadbolt in my Sunrader yesterday.

Was getting Real Tired of the door opening while on the road. The chain latch kept it from opening too far, but...

Had to use the die grinder to cut the 1" hole, and shape the aluminum door frame. Cut just enough of the frame to slide in the latch.

As Nibs said, ground off half of the bolt so it catches behind the outside frame.

I had Lowe's setup the pins to match my Schlage house key.

This feels Much Better now.

John

ps. The SkiBumMobile, with foil insulation in the windows and a little generator keeping the heater going and the battery from being dead in the morning, has been working great in the snow. Seven degrees on Wednesday morning, and I was warm and happy. In the ski area campground (dirt parking lot), it is Not considered bad form to run the generator at night.

And I LOVE my Nokian Hakkapeliitta CS tires.

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  • 8 years later...

Not sure if you are still looking at these forums... 

Or whether or not you still have that sunrader.

If so though, will you mind grabbing a shot of the modification done to the jamb?

 

 

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