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Old 08-06-2018, 10:27 AM   #1
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Barn Door Comes Unlatched

It's more of an annoyance, as the door doesn't actually come open, but my barn door comes loose when driving, and then rattles around making annoying noises. Any idea how to fix this? Opening and closing both doors firmly fixes it, but when there is a bit of rough road, it comes loose again.

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Old 08-06-2018, 11:50 AM   #2
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The latch strike probably needs to be moved outward a little bit. Like 1/16". When it's too tight the 2nd stage doesn't fully engage then eventually does what yours is doing. Also make sure you give the latches good shot of lithium grease.
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Old 08-06-2018, 11:51 AM   #3
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Awesome, thank you!
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Old 08-11-2018, 12:14 PM   #4
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Another barn door question

A quick hijack of this thread. The forward barn door on our rig is tilted so that the top corner touches the rear door and has a gap of 1/4" at its base. The barn does require an authoritative slam to close fully. I assume a body shop is the place to go to fix it but I wonder if there is an easier alternative.

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Old 08-11-2018, 01:08 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by rionapo View Post
A quick hijack of this thread. The forward barn door on our rig is tilted so that the top corner touches the rear door and has a gap of 1/4" at its base. The barn does require an authoritative slam to close fully. I assume a body shop is the place to go to fix it but I wonder if there is an easier alternative.

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Yes. Loosen bolts for the hinge. Use a hammer to tap it into place. Re-tighten bolts. It really is just a 10 minute job to adjust door alignment.
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Old 08-12-2018, 03:57 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pete View Post
It's more of an annoyance, as the door doesn't actually come open, but my barn door comes loose when driving, and then rattles around making annoying noises. Any idea how to fix this? Opening and closing both doors firmly fixes it, but when there is a bit of rough road, it comes loose again.
Which door seems to come loose first---the smaller or 40% front one or the rear 60%? If the rear it could be the upper latch Torx-head screws have worked themselves loose preventing it from holding the door against the seal even though it is fully engaged onto the upper strike. Also check the lower latch of that same door--a spot welded support has been known to pop loose.

One good test is to close the 60% door firmly enough to properly latch then pull outward at the upper and lower points to see if one or both are loose. If tight time to look closely at the 40% door latching system.

Proper alignment and fitment of strikes is very important as is a bit of lubrication of the portions of the latches you can see.

HTH
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Old 08-12-2018, 11:35 AM   #7
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Yes. Loosen bolts for the hinge. Use a hammer to tap it into place. Re-tighten bolts. It really is just a 10 minute job to adjust door alignment.
Voilá. Both doors were skewed. They are straight enough now to close with no overlap. I choose to stop at that point rather than risk exceeding my pay grade. Camped right now down a little ATV trail with three miles of FS dirt to blacktop and 30 miles to salvation in case I overplayed my hand. Not sure how the aerodynamics work with a missing door.

Big picture: Always close both doors when driving, esp. on a bumpy campsite. Not sure where or when I did it but I sure remember the bump, the swinging doors and the "Oh s**t" that followed.

Thanks.

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Old 08-16-2018, 06:57 PM   #8
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Pete, do you have a door galley on your barn door?
I had the same problem with my door. But mine was caused by the door galley bouncing around to much because the mounting bracket/hinges were only bolted to the very thin sheetmetal of the inner door and backed up with some fender washers. Once I more securely mounted those brackets, resulting in the door galley being solidly connected to the door, the door stopped popping loose, no matter how rough the road. And it's been at least 9 years since I fixed that.
To see if that is you problem (assuming you have a door galley). Just lift the galley box off your door and drive around for a bit. If the door doesn't pop loose, you'll know where to start.
Hope that helps.
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Old 08-16-2018, 07:05 PM   #9
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Which door seems to come loose first---the smaller or 40% front one or the rear 60%? If the rear it could be the upper latch Torx-head screws have worked themselves loose preventing it from holding the door against the seal even though it is fully engaged onto the upper strike. Also check the lower latch of that same door--a spot welded support has been known to pop loose.

One good test is to close the 60% door firmly enough to properly latch then pull outward at the upper and lower points to see if one or both are loose. If tight time to look closely at the 40% door latching system.

Proper alignment and fitment of strikes is very important as is a bit of lubrication of the portions of the latches you can see.

HTH
It is the front one that comes loose.
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