For pic's of my gullwing door latch assy go to
http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/flesner/02092597.jpg
http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/flesner/02092596.jpg
http://home.hiwaay.net/~langford/flesner/15.jpg
The nylon blocks could be downsized a bit and the entire
assy covered to look a bit more finished. The nylon
blocks were fabricated from a nylon cutting board (used
in the kitchen), the rods are pieces of the 3/16" rod used
to align the elevator and rudder hinges, the handle is two
pieces of thin wall 4130 pipe that slip inside one another.
"Wood washers" were welded to the ends of the rod and
then dressed down with a sanding belt to make the rod
attach points for the handle. The outside handle is a washer
and then a short piece of 1/4" rod welded to the pipe and
dress with a sander. The pipe going through the gullwing
rests inside thick nylon washers which are seated inside
a wood block glassed into the door. When I had the proper
alignment between the inside latch and outside handle I
drilled and riveted the two pieces of pipe together. The rods
have an attach point approx 3/4" from the center axis of
the pipe. I got the dimensions from the top lift gate latch
on the back of my pickup truck, the same place I found
the perfect gas spring. The rod ends are slightly tappered
as well as the holes in the blocks. The rods extend into the
blocks approx 3/4" when latched with a 90 degree rotation
of the handle. What I like about this setup besides it's ease
of use and very snug closure is that there is nothing in the
opening to snag, impale, or otherwise cause harm to the
person entering or exiting the cockpit.
As always, your results may vary. Good luck.
Larry Flesner
