Surf Side Door Latch

[Alan P.]

My 76 Surf Side needs a new door handle. The retractable latch that catches on the plate on the door jam and keeps the door closed is very worn after 32 years. RV dealers in the area don't seem to have one. It was suggested I take it off and probably there'd be a manufacturer name and model number inside so I could search on the internet and phone for a new one.

When i take of the two screws on the inside, something is still holding the inner and outer parts together. There is a clip on a post under the lever handle on the outside and there is a rivet on the inside (not sure if the rivet needs to be removed to get the handle out).

Any advice on how to get the handle off? Maybe somebody knows where a new part can be found?

[Coach George Jessup]

A welder might be able to add metal back and then file back to orginal

You might can do that with JB Weld yourself. Ruffen it up for better adheason, add JB weld. File to desired shape.

[Alan P.]

A welder might be able to add metal back and then file back to orginal

You might can do that with JB Weld yourself. Ruffen it up for better adheason, add JB weld. File to desired shape.

Thanks for that suggestion, I hadn't considered the possibility of simply trying to build up the retractable tongue. But I will give that a try as an interim measure at least. Would JB Weld be available at Home Depot ?

Another problem with the lock however is that the locking lever on the inside works only intermittently. I really want to get the handle mechanism open and off the trailer to investigate this problem and repair if possible. I also to get the name and model # in case I ever have to replace the whole thing. However I'm reluctant to drill the rivet when I can't tell what it does. I guess I should start with removing the retaining clip from behind handle to see if it will come off then.

[Cam A]

Good luck and post lots of pictures.

[Francis McDermott]

Alan,

How did the latch recovery work out? Were there any alignment issues involved or was it simply a matter of worn components comprising of the latch only?

I did see that the two companies selling new versions of Trillium trailers each offer a newer door latch assembly.

[Donna D.]

We may never find out how everything worked out for Alan:
Last Active 26th November 2008 - 07:25 PM

[Alan P.]

We may never find out how everything worked out for Alan:
Last Active 26th November 2008 - 07:25 PM

It's deep winter here in Ottawa, and I put the little Surfer away in November in a friends barn, before I had a chance to get at the insides of the door handle mechanism. I'm going to open it up somehow and see what goes on inside. I may just try repairing (building up the worn down tongue) before I start the hunt for a replacement. Im hoping I'll get a part # or something to identify it on the inside.

I'll report in early April when I hope to get at the job.

Thanks to all who offered suggestions.

Alan

[Donna D.]

Hey Alan, welcome back!

[Alan P.]

Hey Alan, welcome back!

It's taken a long time to get back to the door handle project that I planned to do in April. Yesterday I saw a Trillium 1300 and I'm pretty certain that the handle on it is identical to my '76 Triple E Surf Side. Does anyone happen to know what the part name and number is for the door handle is for the Trillium?

Thanks,
Alan

[GuyB]

Hi Allen
I have a surfside as well and the retractable latch had be ground down by previous owners that were too lazy to adjust the door properly (they had Gate hinges on the door) i replaced them with the ones from lee valley that everyone recommends and low and behold the latch had a lot of play I took it to a buddy to weld and grind down like was suggested but It just blew the metal apart. i tried epoxys to build it up but they all came out i ended up adding thickness to the metal plate that the door latches to on the shell.
other options would be to buy an whole new lock (cant get the bargeman L400) but with a little fiberglass repair you could custom fit the new lock in the door.