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Sunrader window protection / security


Stijn

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Hey Everyone,

I've noticed that it's very easy to slide open the side windows of my Sunrader from the outside. So i'm looking into ways to fix this.

My first thought was to create a custom little wooden stick to put in the trench where the window slides in. So it would keep the window closed when someone tries to slide it open from the outside.

But the windows have round corners so that might not work. Before I try it out... Does someone have a solution for this? I wanna keep my Sunrader as closed as possible.... <_<

Thanks!

Stijn

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Go to most any hardware store or Home Depot or Lowes and get some of these. Not expensive, easy to use. You can get ones with a thumb screw or for more security get the kinds with a hex key screw that comes with an allen wrench. I use them all the time on my Sunrader, even on the windows where  I still have the original latches as it is an easy way to secure a window where you want to have an inch or so crack left open for fresh air but  keep casual prowler types from sliding the window open any further. It is a good back up option for those original latches that makes it a bit more difficult to pry the windows open. Of course if they are determined to get in all they have to do is break the glass.

HT_PG_DW_SYW_Body_Img-Step-4.jpg

Edited by snail powered
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Hey Linda,

Thanks for the link.

Have you ordered any of those sash locks?

Do you know if they come with the little white "plastic-washers" that go inside the screw-hole?"

That's what I can't find, and the cam-action on the lock is sloppy without them, (with just the screw)

Mine have cracked and fragmented, likely from age and heat.

Got a couple used from RV George years ago and they are on the way out now too.

Thanks,

TG

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41 minutes ago, ToyoGuy said:

Hey Linda,

Thanks for the link.

Have you ordered any of those sash locks?

Do you know if they come with the little white "plastic-washers" that go inside the screw-hole?"

That's what I can't find, and the cam-action on the lock is sloppy without them, (with just the screw)

Mine have cracked and fragmented, likely from age and heat.

Got a couple used from RV George years ago and they are on the way out now too.

Thanks,

TG

It is just a basic nylon washer. That is a stock item available from those small parts bins at the hardware store. If not it is easy enough to make a custom washer on a lathe from nylon rod.

Edited by snail powered
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Yeah, I need to get access to a lathe, but I am currently w/o a connection for that tool . If anyone knows of a resource for these washers and (high-jack here) the little plastic bumpers that fit over the edge of  the (Sunrader) screens shown in the other picture, I'd be appreciative. As you can see, I'm down to cutting the bumpers in half to get one for each side of the screen, but they don't stay put that way. Both have proved difficult for me to find and I'd buy a bunch of them for the future, if I could. As the plastic washers age and shrink, the latches vibrate and the windows get looser (and more annoying) too.

Thanks,

TG

56c7be8d6eb5d_LockandWasher-Ferrule.jpg.56c7beaf21809_Screw-FerruleLatch.jpg.6ae56c7becfceecc_ScreenSliderPad.jpg.227d71

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This could be the ticket:

http://www.doorandwindowparts.com/r7150-sash-lock-l-h-sliding-window-1%C3%82%E2%80%9D-black-metal-p-4054.html

These show the washer thingee included.

In Black, even... 

TG

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I do think after looking at the plastic part you could get by using a nylon bushing for the lower half and a nylon washer above it. You might need to adjust the length of the bushing but that is a job for sandpaper glued to a block of wood and just rub the excess off the bushing. It does not really have to be a one piece setup. The bushing needs to be as tall as the upper inside rim of the latch where the screw hole is. Then the washer fits into the recess and the screw pulls the window latch down against the bushing.

ToyoGuy thanks for the link, I do need to order some new latches for my rig. I will take care of it this week as soon as I figure out which ones and how many.

 

Edited by snail powered
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as to those window screen nylon pieces. Now that is something that could be 3D printed in nylon :)

I will look and see if my 1980 Sunrader uses those. If so I can reverse engineer them for 3D printing.

Or you could get a block of nylon material and create them with a router in a table with a fence. One tip to make it safer and easier. The first cut to make is the center channel and then you should fill it up temporarily with a snug fitting solid spline the size of that groove. Wood is OK to use for that temporary filler. Then cut the grooves on the two sides. Having the solid filler in there will reduce the tendency of the material to flex on you from the cutting forces while machining the outside edges.

Edited by snail powered
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You might be needing some new weep hole covers. Those are pretty easy to make using thin aluminum sheet from the hardware store or even the metal from a pop or beer can. The ones on my Sunrader measured out to be 3/4" wide. That means it is very easy to form them over the edge of a 3/4 inch wide board. Then just trim to match the profile of the edge of the window trim with a pair of shop scissors. If you are making a bunch of them just create a paper patern. I glued the new weep hole cover in place with the rubber fortified brand of super glue gel from Gorilla Glue. It helps the job go faster if you have some super glue accelerator on hand. I made them 3 years ago and they are still holding in there nice and strong. The original weep hole covers on my Sunrader were made from Styrene plastic which does not hold up well to UV light. This summer I will get around to replacing the rest of them as the other that are still original are very brittle and coming apart now. They won't hold up for another RV bath day.

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Yeah, that weep hole cover fabrication is on my list from your original post a long time ago.Thanks, I was trying to remember how you held them on. And I have wanted to try that "super-rubber glue",( my step-son absconded with my first bottle for a swim fin fix) :huh:  Super glue accelerator is just the bomb, once you've tried it, there's no going back.

TG

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On 2/19/2016 at 9:05 PM, snail powered said:

Go to most any hardware store or Home Depot or Lowes and get some of these. Not expensive, easy to use. You can get ones with a thumb screw or for more security get the kinds with a hex key screw that comes with an allen wrench. I use them all the time on my Sunrader, even on the windows where  I still have the original latches as it is an easy way to secure a window where you want to have an inch or so crack left open for fresh air but  keep casual prowler types from sliding the window open any further. It is a good back up option for those original latches that makes it a bit more difficult to pry the windows open. Of course if they are determined to get in all they have to do is break the glass.

HT_PG_DW_SYW_Body_Img-Step-4.jpg

Snail Powered...I like them. Ran to home depot and got a pack of 4 for 4 dollars!...they were white, so I sprayed them black.

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