More About Those Window Stays

Greetings everyone!  We are getting ready for our trip to Maryland to participate in the MD DOG (Dutch Oven Gathering), where we will camp and cook with our good buddies.  Momma Sharon has been working on a few mods to get us ready to roll.

Back on August 3rd I shared a little Story with you called "The Saga of the Stays" to tell you about replacing a pair of my window stays (or arms as we sometimes call them).  You'll remember that we weren't too happy about getting only right ones from Sugar Creek and then having to modify one of them to make it work.  Using a 10-year-old latch on a brand new stay kinda rubbed us the wrong way.

Mom drove to nearby Carolina Coach & Camper to follow a lead from Crystal about Lance trailers using the click-clack mechanisms on their windows.  They do, but they are an upgraded design and won't fit my windows.  Rats!

We've been in contact with Steve at EuroCampers in Missouri about ordering a pair or two or three. Yes, he can order them from Germany and yes, we can get a right one AND a left one.  They are actually $10 cheaper per/arm than the ones sold by Pleasant Valley.  But here's the catch . . . they have to be shipped via ocean freight from Germany. Good news: shipping will cost $20.00, bad news is that it will take 3-4 months.  Or we can get them via FedEX for $225.00.  Yeh right!!

We cannot wait three or four months for the boat to arrive because we need those window stays NOW!!  So yesterday Momma Sharon pulled out her stash, labeled them "old" and "new", grabbed a flat head screwdriver, and got to work.

Old click-clacks on the right, new ones on the left

The parts guy at Carolina Coach & Camper suggested that we put the latch into hot water to soften it up a bit in hopes it will come off easier and not crack.  So into a pot it went!

Sitting in HOT water in hopes of softening the plastic

The old latch came off like butter, but the new one didn't budge. Momma Sharon grunted and struggled.  The screwdriver slipped and gouged out a chunk of skin from her finger, but she kept on until it finally came off.  The plastic is a bit mangled, but it's off.

After a struggle, the old one is off…now to get the new one off!

After lunch, she came down to visit me and make sure she had the correct configuration for making the switch and re-installation.  She did and following another struggle, the old latch slid onto the new arm. What an ordeal!!  The easiest part was the actual replacement and took less than five minutes.

Everything in place & in working order

Now my front window will stay open while we camp and locked up tight while we travel.

Aunt Becky and Momma Sharon are working on a different sleeping configuration.  As soon as I pull that Story together, I'll share it with you.  Until it's Storytime again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love, & Window Stays That Work"