This is a really good one, follow me on this…… it actually relates to YOUR coach!
So everyone knows about the stainless steel plate on all 1973 coach entry doors. And most of us know the story about the botched Bargman latch originally fitted to our door, the doors were cut to it thus the adapter plate adapting the wrongly cut doors to the new latch…….yeah,yeah, yeah..tel me something I don’t know…OK, lemme try…..
OK if we all didn’t know the stuff before now you do…there are all kinds of things like this in a 1973……They are all like a box of chocolates…you never know what you will find…….. and in this case, you see this 
The larger aluminum plate on Ruby as you see is bigger but what’s under that style statement? Ruby’s door looks like this 
, here is what 1974 and lator doors are cut 
What did the Bargman latch look like? When I do page 2 later, Ron E. I hope won’t mind showing you his super historic 23′ #214 coach. He actually HAS one of the Bargman latches on his 1973 coach! It shuck out the back door….I don’t know but I restored #51 years ago, it had the Bargman latch…so here we are on # 41 it IT has been modified! Look at the prototype hacking done by the GM folks 
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That door jam was hacked down to 2 mounting holes and man the guy was dangerous with that rat tail file! This shows the door sporting the original stamped cut-out and the new hand cut stuff to mount the new catch assembly 
Even though all of that was done this door STILL only grabbed the first latch position on the catch. There are 2…1 to close quietly or be a second safety and the second to latch tight to the body. Check your coach…does it latch 2 times? Loose then tight? Many hit onlt 1 as this prototype. All of this hacking the REAL problem was the width of the striker plate base. Look at your coach, the edge of the striker plate will usually dent the door gasket on the other side. See, that’s as far as the pin plate will allow the door to come in……it’s too long! On all of our coaches! 
On most coaches if you remove the stiker plate (don’t drop the front screw plate..take them out always leaving 1 in) if you trim off the forward facing edge of the plate back to the oval cut scrw holes your plate will move out and you can hit the second lock if your door does not. If it does see if someone has trimmed the striker plate or pat yourself on the back cuz you are a lucky boy! This is the realization the GM guys never got because first making the cut as you see above, Ruby needed the pin to move even further out. Slotting the holes and cutting the plate here is what it fits like now 
Drawing the striker pin out we have the first lock on Ruby 
AND now we have the second secure lock 
OK, now it fits……. I feel honored to take GM from getting the door to shut to getting it to lock…… finish their project hey, maybe THIS was the one they figured it out on? Look at your striker plate, is the front edge rounded? Then it’s original and it’s too long…you will see a dent mark on the door gasket…….and now you can be a part of the solution! 
Hey today I hope to power up the dash AC project on Ruby and see how much flow we have with the cut down vents
and I’ll do some pics of the original Bargman latch on Ron E. 23′ coach…
Jared just pulled in earlier than usual…Hmmmm……. Gotta go, see you on page 2 later today…….see ya then.
OK, I’m back from getting the shop going, you early guys should be on that 2nd cup of coffee, you other guys Good Morning and picking up where I left off with the early birds….I was excited about getting the back shop where this coach is getting prepped for a new motor 
Wanna closer look …. here behold, a Bargman latch on a GMC Motorhome 
You can see where the first year door jams were designed to go together 
Those slot head pins are adjustable to hold the “of the day” flimsy doos from popping open. The door striker meand it does not have a safety lock and the striker for the jam is surface mount for easy of adjustment. 
. So Bargman took the hit for the door not opening at the debut of the GMC by the president of Geberal Motors……….. This coach in the 200’s had already been built and sitting when the debut occurred and it was shipped. Ruby #41 was hacked up to refit for the new latch and fitted the stamped adapter plate of aluminum which was settled to be made of stainless steel and @ 2″ shorter 
So Cedric, Ruby COULD have been the coach that embarrassed the world cause you KNOW they wanted to see THAT door open! And I bet the rework was done fast…look at the cut job
I mean really guys…and it didn’t grab the second lock….didn’t you KNOW it would do that? Jeeeezzzzz….. Well, we have double closure now…I’m putting the polished plate on for a fitting today…..see ya tomorrow .
