Basement door latch replacement

[peggwn]

I believe there is a thread somewhere that shows how to cut the back of the door panel to remove the old nylon catch latch on the inside, and insert a replacement metal catch latch on the outside. The cutout is then covered with a piece of aluminum sheet and either screwed or riveted in place (I imagine one could as well use epoxy to affix the cover). You may have to do several searches, which is what I did, but the info is great and includes pictures. You will have to drill out the rivets on the original latch to remove it, and the replacement is attached outside the door (not exactly flush) and can be riveted (preferred) or screwed in place. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Butch

[AndyAk]

I tried a number of searches and can't turn that up. In the meantime, I've pulled one apart.
I think with a Dremel tool I can make a cut that will let the latch install from the outside.
Cutting the inside panel and patching makes sense in that you don't have to remove the coach trim so you can remove the door so you can disassemble the door.
I'm starting to wish I'd bought an 03

The other issue is that the replacement latch doesn't exactly match what's coming out of mine. The arm that extends out that's the go-between for the rod and the actual latch is a tad shorter on the replacement. Put the latch on the outside of the frame and it's even shorter

I think I can bend the rods enough to make it all work, but this is a phenomenal pain.