'79 Bus Sliding Window Latches Loose

[airkooledchris]

I have sliders (not the delicious kind) and when you move them quickly they just slide past all the little catches in the frame.
More slow movements and they grab like you'd expect, but it's way too easy to just pull the window open and unlock the door, Id rather not wait until I get burned to do something about it.

Im not entirely sure how they come apart, but it looks like everything that should be there - is, it's just way loose now and if you push it quick it just pulls right open.

The internal debate is do I even screw around with them, as I have a set of jalousie's in the garage right now that im starting to rebuild?
I like the solid glass better for day to day use, and the jalousie's tend to rattle a little, but they are great when your camping - especially if it rains.
Open sliders in the rain = wet bus. Open jalousie's in the rain = nice screens to keep the bugs out and good air movement in your bone dry bus.

Anyway, either the latches on the sliders need some sort of 'lock' option that isn't stock, or to have their stock setup's refurbed to work properly - OR just swap in the camper windows.

The frames around the sliders need attention and at a minimum id like to clean and POR15 the metal underneath.

Im sure everyone knows exactly what I mean about the slider, but im a dork and shot video of it anyway

[JLT]

The internal debate is do I even screw around with them, as I have a set of jalousie's in the garage right now that im starting to rebuild?

<snip>

Anyway, either the latches on the sliders need some sort of 'lock' option that isn't stock, or to have their stock setup's refurbed to work properly - OR just swap in the camper windows.

Long run answer: swap out the jalousies once they're done. I'd agree that despite the rattles, they are necessary for wet weather or buggy-climate camping.

Short-run answer: try to see if there's an issue with the locking pin sticking ... squirt some silicone spray in there and see if the locking pin descends enough to do its thing. If that doesn't work, the pin itself is worn and could use replacing. In which case the best short-term solution might be a long piece of wood that wedges between the lock and the frame and physically blocks the window from sliding.