Replace cargo bay door latch

[youracman]

I often mumble to myself when folks (LOTS of them) don't post back re resolution of a problem. SOooo, I'm posting back with my repair to close out this thread. That way it will be archived in case it will help someone in the future decide on their repair approach.

I am not real "swift" on posting pics..........can't seem to make them appear within the document, proper; they always show up at the end. Hopefully you can click on them to enlarge, but if they end up being thumbnails ..........maybe not.

After I drilled the heads off the pop rivets (and removed the spacer/shim) I "extracted" the rivets (and "buggered up" the filon door face sheet in the process) so I bonded a mending plate (that I made from a square electrical box cover [from HD] ) to the face sheet of the door. When I next repair one of these latches I will attempt to drill the rivets out as is usually done (and Mich F suggested) but I don't believe it will work real well, as there is no cavity for the old rivets to "fall into" ......... it is solid foam back there behind the face sheet. I bonded the plate with Plexus epoxy (a "pricey" favorite at the WGO repair facility in Forest Bend) but any brand of "Epoxy for Plastic" would work as well, I believe. The plate is also mechanically attached with "peel-type" pop rivets similar to those Winnebago used as OEM (Winnebago installed them thru the switch body mounting holes and a clearance-drilled spacer and then into the filon face sheet.) These peel-type rivets are a lot like the rivets shown on the dwg that cbeirl posted. This type of fastener provides a larger load-bearing area on the backside of the very thin filon face sheet. I got my rivets at rivetsinstock.com ..... I'm including a (backside) pic of one that I experimented with.

I attached the new latch assy to the installed mending plate with sheet metal screws so I can replace it easier the next time the plunger breaks. That way I have the option of just replacing the plunger as tizzzel suggested. BTW- There are plungers machined from an aluminum billet available online...at reasonable prices.....might be a good option, dunno.

The PO of my coach told me that Winnebago advised him that these latches are the "slam" type and to just let the door fall from about 1/2 way open..........so that is what I have been doing to date. Going fwd, I plan to ease them into the latched position with a knee or my thumbs....hoping for a longer "mean time between failures".