| Hatch latches [message #92016] |
Thu, 15 July 2010 09:06 |
bryant374
Messages: 563
Registered: May 2004
Location: Pleasant Valley, NY 12569
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The pre production coaches were designed with just one center latch. John Locklin (body engineer) changed to two latches on the production models due to the access door fluttering under some conditions. If you check the first ~400 1973's you will see a notch in the fiberglass and in the center of the door a filled hole where the single latch would have gone. If the original front stripe is still there, the outline of the die cut in the stripe around the latch is evident.
And now, even more details than you need :^)
The "hold open" hinge was not used on the first few hundred doors. On the drivers side access door it was initally located on the left side of the door until it was moved to the right side at ~1350 where it stayed until production ended.
The first ~120 73's used a hollow pin (sometimes knurled) in the "T" handle.
The screws holding the door hinges were NOT originally visable from outside. As they broke loose they were drilled thru so the screw went thru the door/body.
A change to a larger access door hinges were used after ~1850.
And those were just the changes in 1973 on the access doors, better to not get me started on the rest of the coach.
Bill Bryant
PO 1976~PB (owned 34 years)
1914 Ford (owned 70 years)
1965 Corvette (owned 39 years)
GMC Motorhome History
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