Different sliding door "catches"

[MagicWagon]

I have two T25s at the moment. A 1981 autosleeper Aircooled and a 1983 devon Aircooled.
On the autosleeper, the sliding door opens really easily from outside. Drop the handle and it kind of pops outwards easily, ready to slide backwards.
On the devon you have to really yank the handle to pull the door in the outward direction before you can start sliding it backwards.
They have different "catch" arrangements at the front of the door and it seems to me that this is where the issue lies.
The autosleeper just has a rubber protrusion which goes into a recess on the door frame, whereas the devon has something that kind of hooks into a fitting on the frame.
Are these parts interchangable ? i.e. could I but the same parts that the autosleeper has and fit on the devon ?

Autosleeper


Devon

[bigherb]

If you mean the door does not spring out at the rear? The rear hinge is sprung to swing the door out often it just needs lubricating or the spring has broken. Early and late doors had different hinges early hinge on the right which has a much stronger spring.

[MagicWagon]

Hmm interesting about the spring mechanism at the back. Any idea what year that changed.
Also, regarding the front mechanism in my photo's does anyone know if they are interchangeable ? I'd like to see if that makes door opening easier as it does feel like it is the front that's holding on.

[bigherb]

They changed Aug 84, not directly interchangeable.

[MagicWagon]

Hi. Thanks Bigherb.
When you say they changed aug84 and not interchangeable, do you mean the spring mechanism or the catch at the front of the door ?
It's the catch i'm interested in changing.
Cheers.

[multisi]

Everything on the sliding door changed mid eighties, the front lock/catch mechanism on the white door isn't standard so you need to get a rhd early lock mech and swap them . The front lock mechanisms for early and late are still available as new genuine parts .

[MagicWagon]

Just had a thought. I'll remove the front striker plate thingy so the catch has nothing to catch, and see if it opens any easier. If no difference I guess its whatever holds and/or springs it at the back. They are both pre84 so I would have expected them to (originally at least) have been the same.

[morr]

I'm open to correction on this but I don't believe the differences you see are to do with the pre/post '84 divide, I currently own both so I'm familiar with the changes.

On the pre '84 (and possibly later ones too) there are also differences between commercial and passenger models. On a prior camper I owned, early '84 van conversion it had the same configuration as your Autosleeper, whilst my current '83 Caravelle has the same config as your Devon.

Can you confirm that your Autosleeper was originally commercial (side windows added later, the rubbers will sit proud of the side panels) and your Devon started life as a passenger model (side windows recessed with the rubber sitting flush with the side panels)?

Either way looking at the config on the doors it should be possible to swap both door and pillar mating parts from one to the other.

I'd wager its the rear spring failing to pop the door open enough either thru wear, gummed with dirt or simple failure.

[MagicWagon]

Hi moor.
That's a good point about the commerical/passenger aspect. Yes the autosleeper was a van, whereas the devon has the recessed side windows, so I suspect you are correct.
I removed the front striker plate, and removed the door surround rubber in case that had any effect, and neither made any difference.
I slightly lowered the rear catch and that seems to have helped. I don't know how easy it is to access the rear spring mechanism, i'll pop off the door card when I get a chance and take a look what type I have and whether it's gummed up.
Cheers.