10-18-2006
I got the new hitch and installed it. I have to say that I am not impressed with the finish work on it. The packaging was atrocious and most of the pieces came missing about 20% of the paint.
Their video would have you believe that they take great care because it's "Made in America". I was able to flake paint off with my fingernail. They used no primer and didn't clean the parts before they painted them.
The finish work and paint job on the crappy Chinese hitch that failed is far better than this product. If that's the best America can do, we're all in trouble.
New work:
One of the things I never finished was a latch assembly for the upper rear door. I found a keyed dual plunger latch that operates very similar to a pick-up truck tailgate latch. Lift the handle and the mechanism draw the two actuating bars to the center, pulling in the plungers.
I needed to remove the door as one of the hinge blocks was damaged in the accident. I removed the inner door lining. I discovered that the ramp did some damage to the lining in the collision. I'll just use the damaged piece as a template.
The latch mechanism is similar to a passage lock plunger on a residential door. It's ramped so that it retracts under pressure. It will latch into a custom made socket that is ramped so that the door is held tightly in transit. I determined the location and made the cut.
The plunger protrudes through the side of the door about 3/4". Even cutting away that much of the wood side rail the door lost none of its structure because of the foam.
