Refrigerator latch replacement

I decided to start a new thread on this, rather than continue OldWest's "Mod: Cabinet Latch Replacement"...

My entry, copied from that thread:

Like many, I have broken our refrigerator latch. The retractable portion is made of plastic, and the constant stress from being pushed on by the seal has broken the tip off. Oddly, enough, all the other latches in the Westy have a metal retractable latch, much larger in size; much more robust. And yet the other door latches are not under stress. They should last forever, I think...

I ordered a Westfalia latch from Bus Depot a few months ago. While the outside lifter portion is different, the other half appears to be the exact same as the underside of the refrigerator latch.

I did a little testing by pulling the hanging storage door latch. The two pieces are interchangeable, and an old half will work with a new half, and fits nicely in the same hole,. Makes sense; I'm sure Westfalia would avoid retooling as much as possible. But clearly, the latches used in our Westy are far superior to the latches in VW Westy's; much larger, with a metal latch bar. Also, the opening effort is easier, as the finger is inserted under the pull away from the door edge to move a tab near the door edge, whereas the old latches engage at the door edge to move the door edge tab. You gain a bit of leverage with our latch. The attached pictures might better explain it.

So I thought about moving a modern metal latch to the fridge, but alas, there is not enough clearance to accommodate the thicker metal latch style. So, I will replace the broken bottom half with the bottom half of the Bust Depot-sourced latch, as soon as I can figure out how to disassemble the refrigerator hatch to gain access to one of the screws.

I ordered a few more to the latches from Bus Depot, because I am sure this will happen again, unless someone can make a new metal retractor.

http://www.busdepot.com/701070101g

Now for the new part...

I took the fridge door off with 6 screws. I might replace these screws with stainless steel, as they came out with a little rust on them. I might squirt some wood hardener in the holes as well, because this repair will have to be done again in the future.

The door turns out to be pretty simple: A molded cover, filled with foam insulation, is fitted with a seal, and then stapled to the underside of the door thru the seal. I pried them out with a sharp screwdriver; maybe 15 in total. Just pull back the seal enough to gain access to the staples. 5 minute job.

Now it is a simple matter to changing out the broken latch half with the new latch half. 5 minutes.

The reason I say that this will have to be done again, is that looking at the broken latch, it is clear that the latches are prone to cracking under the constant stress and pressure of the seal, and the tip of the latch, being hollow does not have much substance to withstand repeated riding over the striker plate.

I was hoping to be able to take apart the old one, and see if I could make a metal latch from some key stock, but it appears that the whole thing is molded in two halves,and bonded together with the retractable portion trapped inside.

I have not yet reattached to insulated liner and seal yet, because of the knowledge that this will have to be done again a few years from now. Instead of staples, I think I will use screws instead, after pre-drilling the holes and using some wood hardener to reinforce the holes. You really don't need a ton of screws; 8 or 9 oughta do it. I will say the liner appears to be made out of rather soft plastic; there were a few cracks originating from a staple hole, so some washers and gentle tightening of the screws will be sufficient.

The company listed in Bus Depot as the maker of the latches, Delta Six, has a pretty checkered past. I bought a half-dozen latches after reading about them, but with the popularity of the VW Westys, I would think there is enough of a market to keep the latch supply pipeline full. But, one never knows...

Sorry for the individual posts. I don't know how to mix text and photos in one post.

That's all folks!

My fridge latch also broke. I bought 255-070-915B: cabinet handle (gray) from “go westy” site.
I removed hinges of fridge door (4screws). Hinge of lever that keeps it up(2screws).
Them pulled the staples of 3 sides that hold the seal and unscrewed the 3 screw that hold the latch.
I kept the handle of the broken latch but replaced the latch with the part I mentioned earlier from”go westy” and stapled it back and it worked perfectly.

I hope this helps someone else.

Anna

Now that I figured out how to attach pictures..