RE: [SilverStreak] Hinge drama

["Ralph Cooke" <rcooke@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Curtis,

I wish it were as simple as having the hinges "recast"  Apparently the
type of casting that was used originally required a VERY EXPENSIVE
master mold.  Several people on the list approached various companies
that do "Casting".  From what I understand none of the simple castings
were satisfactory and the proper "mold" and casting method would be
prohibitively expensive, unless a very large number of hinges were
ordered to spread the cost of the mold out.  I and several others have
approached sheet metal fabrication shops about having a set of hinges
made.  None of the shops approached were willing to tackle the job.

My guess is that any Silver Streak with the pot metal hinges has had
the hinges replaced at least once, and perhaps have had many hinge
replacements over the past 20-35 years.  My 26 foot 1972 Cont. show
signs of at least 5 hinge replacements.  Apparently the original
hinges were the small footprint style.  There has been a 1/8" thick by
1 Foot Square aluminum plate riveted to the side of the trailer where
the door handle hit's it when open.  The trailer wall is so full of
holes, that I placed a 1/4" by 4" Stainless Steel bolt through the top
and bottom of both hinges.  The bolts come through approximately 3
inches of wood, into the sliding panel cabinets so are not visible
inside the trailer.  I also had the new Stainless Steel hinges made
about 1/4" oversize to cover up the damage from numerous hinge
failures and replacements.

About a year ago, up in the Sacramento area, I talked to the owners of
a Mid 1970's 30' Silver Streak they had obtained from his parents, who
were the original owners.  I asked them about the hinge problem as
mine were quite worn.  From what he remembered, his parents changed
out the hinges twice in the first 12-15 years of fairly heavy family
usage.  When they heard that Silver Streak would be shutting down
production, they bought two sets of hinges.  The current owner had
installed the last set of those hinges right after he bought the
trailer from his parents about 4 years ago.  He noted that after 3
years of frequent usage, he had noticeable wear, his door had dropped
down about 1/8" or more and one of the outer door loops had broken
away from the hinge base.  

After my hinges failed and the door fell off on a trip, I made a very
strong effort to find a shop that would be willing to at least attempt
to fabricate a set of hinges.  I had purchased a set of New OEM hinges
on Ebay for $450 + Freight, but saved them for patterns, as I did not
believe they would last, and there were no more new hinges available
at any price.  I finally found a small shop that specializes in "Tig"
welding, that was willing to make up a set of hinges.  I had the
hinges made slightly oversize because of all holes and damage to the
trailer body and doors from the many sets of previous hinges.  The
shop has plenty of business, and because it took 6+ hours to make up
my hinges, they are not really interested in going into the hinge
business.  They will make up more sets of hinges for me, but only if I
pay for them in advance, and give them time to fit into their
schedule.  My cost for the new Stainless Steel hinges was $540.00 and
I provided the materials, so there was no State Sales Tax, and the
cost for those materials is in the $540.00.

Regards,
Ralph