Door Latches

[HamboneTHW]

Our door latches for compartments are starting to look quite worn. Has anyone refinished/repainted theirs? Interested as to how you did it and what you used to paint.

Thanks in advance.

[jeepster1952]

Just did mine. Removed, sanded and painted with a black urethane paint. I use it on trailers and lot of stuff. Very durable. Be careful when removing to make sure you don't
tear the rubber gasket. Also bought a couple of new ones on ebay, just make sure you order the one with the correct length for the latch on the underside. If need I can get you the number.

[paul65k]

Mine are in the same shape.......I was thinking of removing them and sending them out for powdercoating.

[HamboneTHW]

Originally Posted by jeepster1952

Just did mine. Removed, sanded and painted with a black urethane paint. I use it on trailers and lot of stuff. Very durable. Be careful when removing to make sure you don't
tear the rubber gasket. Also bought a couple of new ones on ebay, just make sure you order the one with the correct length for the latch on the underside. If need I can get you the number.

That would be awesome. Would also love the paint that you recommend?

Did you just tape around the key hole area? I’ve thought about taping the area off well and doing it in place.

Thanks in advance.

[RVPioneer]

Added note: The Southco latches are all keyed alike, #751. Not just Alpines. When we had ours in storage the Pallazo next to us had an open door with the outside TV behind. I locked it for him. I believe just the cylinders can be ordered that use a “unique” key.

[HamboneTHW]

Originally Posted by paul65k

Mine are in the same shape.......I was thinking of removing them and sending them out for powdercoating.

Paul,

I currently have the rigid oil transfer pipe between the oil cooler and oil pan out for powder coating [emoji23]

I really don’t want to buy new ones, but wonder what the offset in price between powder coating and just buying new ones is...

I was trying to get this one done cheap. I’ve spent way too much this year [emoji15]

-New AC’s and thermostat
-Replaced old TV, re-did the A/V cabinet, new Soundbar
-Radiator replacement, new radiator hoses, sandblast and powder coat oil transfer pipe
-Re-sealed all roof fixtures
-Fiberglass roof coating
-Replaced kitchen and bathroom faucets
-Tires coming in June

It’s been a busy year [emoji57]

[HamboneTHW]

Originally Posted by RVPioneer

Added note: The Southco latches are all keyed alike, #751. Not just Alpines. When we had ours in storage the Pallazo next to us had an open door with the outside TV behind. I locked it for him. I believe just the cylinders can be ordered that use a “unique” key.

That’s good news for ease of install and not having to change cylinders!

[RVPioneer]

The locking latches are about $27/ea. I’m going to hit mine with $4 of Rust-Oleum. Maybe try to match the body paint, otherwise, black.

[DrDaveMA]

Originally Posted by HamboneTHW

That would be awesome. Would also love the paint that you recommend?

Did you just tape around the key hole area? I’ve thought about taping the area off well and doing it in place.

Thanks in advance.

The latches are easily removed for painting, one bolt and a “U” bracket. It is much easier to remove them all at one time then tape them. About every 2 years I pull mine, sand them then hit them with black Rustoleum. Like I said it lasts 2-3 years, but a rattle can of paint is about as cheap as you can get.

[HamboneTHW]

Originally Posted by DrDaveMA

The latches are easily removed for painting, one bolt and a “U” bracket. It is much easier to remove them all at one time then tape them. About every 2 years I pull mine, sand them then hit them with black Rustoleum. Like I said it lasts 2-3 years, but a rattle can of paint is about as cheap as you can get.

Sounds like a good plan to me! Just wondering what everyone was doing. $20 a latch x 10 is $200 in replacements. A can of rustoleum is about $5. I figure the replacements that are powder coated will only last about 3-5 years in that type of environment...

[Ljwt330]

Originally Posted by paul65k

Mine are in the same shape.......I was thinking of removing them and sending them out for powdercoating.

After reading this thread, I went to the Safeco site and checked out the latches which look to be exactly what we have on our Alpines. According the the site, the latches are powder coated. Is it possible the original latches on our now 15+ year old coaches had a thin powder coating? I never looked that closely. Is there a way to tell?

[HamboneTHW]

Powder coating is eventually going to wear off, just like paint, it just lasts longer than paint.

[RVPioneer]

They offer a stainless version as well.

[HamboneTHW]

That would look terrible against my gold paint job, unfortunately [emoji57]