ScottSchmidt
Well Known Member
I have been impressed with all the new design ideas that have come out and are still to come. I saw Sean's early on and really like the concept but was worried about the difficulty of retrofitting a finished painted door.
I knew that another RV-10 builder in Oregon, Ed Hayden, ordered a 90 degree kit so I waited to hear how his went before making any decisions. Ed had already started on the Van's SB kit when Sean (www.planearound.com) came up with his concept and decided to stop and order his kit. Ed called the night he finished and he could not say enough about how great it worked. He said that the first time he closed the door he was not sure if the pins were threaded into the rods because it closed so smooth but they were. He also said that it would be impossible to shut the door with this system and not have both pins in because of how effective it pulls the door in. Ed did not have to remove the door handle assembly or his blocks in the door. So with that 5 star recommendation I ordered the 90 degree kit.
The first thing you will find is that the kit is very well thought out and the instructions are easy to follow.
The quality of the kit is great.
My doors are stock. I have the seal, door handles and pins from Van's.
I removed my doors and pulled back the seal on the bottom of the door and marked the area where I would make the cut to insert the gear assembly.
I used a cutoff wheel in the drill to slot the top and bottom. I drilled two holes that gave me enough room to insert the blade of a small air driven saw blade (purchased at Harbor Freight, but wished I bought a nicer one, I love this saw)
I then used a file on the top of the opening (inside of door) until it was flush and did not have a lip. I left as much material on the bottom (outside) as I possible could.
You then make a measurement to place the hole for the shaft and make the slot. I drilled a smaller pilot hole before using a unibit to open it up to 1/2". My unibit was short enough to make it to the 1/2" step perfectly before hitting the outside of the door. I then used the same saw to cut the slots.
A round and flat file was used to clean up and square off the hole.
I knew that another RV-10 builder in Oregon, Ed Hayden, ordered a 90 degree kit so I waited to hear how his went before making any decisions. Ed had already started on the Van's SB kit when Sean (www.planearound.com) came up with his concept and decided to stop and order his kit. Ed called the night he finished and he could not say enough about how great it worked. He said that the first time he closed the door he was not sure if the pins were threaded into the rods because it closed so smooth but they were. He also said that it would be impossible to shut the door with this system and not have both pins in because of how effective it pulls the door in. Ed did not have to remove the door handle assembly or his blocks in the door. So with that 5 star recommendation I ordered the 90 degree kit.
The first thing you will find is that the kit is very well thought out and the instructions are easy to follow.
The quality of the kit is great.
My doors are stock. I have the seal, door handles and pins from Van's.
I removed my doors and pulled back the seal on the bottom of the door and marked the area where I would make the cut to insert the gear assembly.
I used a cutoff wheel in the drill to slot the top and bottom. I drilled two holes that gave me enough room to insert the blade of a small air driven saw blade (purchased at Harbor Freight, but wished I bought a nicer one, I love this saw)
I then used a file on the top of the opening (inside of door) until it was flush and did not have a lip. I left as much material on the bottom (outside) as I possible could.
You then make a measurement to place the hole for the shaft and make the slot. I drilled a smaller pilot hole before using a unibit to open it up to 1/2". My unibit was short enough to make it to the 1/2" step perfectly before hitting the outside of the door. I then used the same saw to cut the slots.
A round and flat file was used to clean up and square off the hole.
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