Door options

[NEINCAMPER]

Noob here, I am in the planning stages and was working on entry door options. I have found compartment doors that come with a frame and lock, 27"x34" insulated. These are from a salvage RV store. Would there be any reason that these could not be used for side doors. My build is a simple square design. Thank you

[Deryk the Pirate]

Can they be opened from the inside? If so then yeah, why not.

[NEINCAMPER]

There are two small latches on the outside one of which locks. There is no way to latch them from the inside. I was thinking of fabing some type of locking latch from the inside and a handle on the outside. It seems that the side doors and rear hatch is a very time consuming task with these builds and I do not have skill level of builders on this forum.

[48Rob]

Indiana camper,

You could add a door latch assembly, but unless the RV industry has recently started favoring quality over profits, I think you'll find that the cargo doors have very thin, flimsy frames, and really aren't suited to the type of use an entry door would get.
Great idea! but the design just isn't meant for regular use.

With limited skills, I'd suggest locating a used older RV door (square corners).
These doors are generally aluminum extrusion frames with aluminum or fiberglass skins held together with screws.
It is a pretty easy "do it yourself" project to take the frame apart, cut it down to the needed height, and reassemble.
These doors usually have a window, and always have a good leak free frame design.

Sorry for the poor photo quality, but here are a couple pictures of a door that was cut down.
It used to be almost twice as tall, and was on a Winnibago.
After cutting it down, I tossed the original "skin" with the logo, and used a piece of flat aluminum sheeting to match the rest of the trailer.

<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0cf06b3127ccefbe31aa50c4600000030O02AbNGjdu5bMge3nww/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/">
<img src="http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a0cf06b3127ccefbe2fd8e6cca00000030O02AbNGjdu5bMge3nww/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D550/ry%3D400/">

If that is still too much, I believe some here have used RV or horse trailer "windows" as entry doors.

Rob

[Mark72]

X2 Rob is right on. Really easy and looks good seals good also.

Mark

[Deryk the Pirate]

or could build one...I did on both builds.

deryk

[NEINCAMPER]

Thank you for input and ideas. Sometimes my thriftiness clouds my judgement on ideas. You guys are a great wealth of knowledge,that I plan on using as my build continues.

[tamnalan]

I'm a noob and I built my own door. I'm using 3/4" MDO walls and just cut the door from that. It can be done! Check out the Silver Beatle thread - super work there. I used a double seal too. I'm building mine for a trip up the ALCAN highway next summer with a convoy of vintage military vehicles.

My door did take a lot of time to do--probably 3 weeks of nights and weekends, but the most expensive part was the inner trim/seal I bought from Moore Industrial Hardware (part #3100-1/16-A) at $25. The cutdown salvage door is surely much faster and probably still pretty low cost. You can also find complete doors on epay - by far the priciest option, but also very quick and trouble-free from what I hear.

[Mayne]

I love the NDTs on that trailer. It looks like it should be scurrying around a battle field in France.
Mayne

[tamnalan]

Thanks! I wanted to standardize with the jeep's wheels. The springs, shackles and hubs/bearings all match the jeep's parts too. I'll paint it all Army green to match the jeep next spring. The jeep is a 1943 Willys MB. I'm either brave enough or foolish enough to want to drive it 4000 miles on the ALCAN roads next August, including 1000 miles of gravel. There will be about 100 various vintage Army vehicles in the convoy.

I've learned a huge amount from this forum - thanks so much! I marvel at the workmanship I see posted.

Here's a few more door pics:

[Mayne]

That will look really cool when all matched up. May ask where you got the door hinges? They really are a nice touch.

Mayne

[tamnalan]

I got them from Moore Industrial Hardware. I learned about them from an older post somewhere here. The ones I wanted only come chrome plated - I wanted paint to stick and so roughed them up a bit with a wire wheel.

They're a little expensive - about $24 each, but they are a lift-off style which I'm finding to be very handy. Here's the link:

http://mooreindhardware.thomasnet.com/i ... d&filter=0

[48Rob]

I'm either brave enough or foolish enough to want to drive it 4000 miles on the ALCAN roads next August, including 1000 miles of gravel. There will be about 100 various vintage Army vehicles in the convoy.

I'd sure like to build a trailer and go with you...but darn! my working life isn't over yet.

Rob

[tamnalan]

I teach college students for a living, and I was able to swing a furlough. So the good news is that my job supports the time off for it, but the bad news is I don't get any income then. I started saving for it about a year ago though. My family was nice enough to let me go. None of them wanted to come with me for some reason.

[48Rob]

My family was nice enough to let me go. None of them wanted to come with me for some reason.

Drive 4000 miles in the cold, on all sorts of roads, hang out with weird people that like army stuff, sleep in a little box...
Families usually seem to have a different sense of what adventure is.

I hope you'll come back and post some photos, sounds like a trip to remember!

Rob