How does CJ3A windshield vent stay closed?

[squidtone]

Hi guys,
I'm in assembly mode, and I'm fiddling with my windshield stuff right now. I am re-using my windshield vent door and vent handle.
I've installed the handle and vent door to see how it works. (This stuff was rusted solid when I took the Jeep apart)
Attached is a picture of how the handle sits when the door is mostly closed. My question is, how does the door stay closed? There is no detent in the handle that holds the door closed.
Is my loop not in the right spot?
Secondly, even the other detents don't seem deep enough to hold the door open. Admittedly I don't have a spring yet (I am hunting down a bike spoke to make one as per another thread on the CJ3A page).
Just wondering if this is just a quirky not-well-done Willys thing that maybe I should "improve" by making a handle with deeper detents.
Thankee
Dave

[athawk11]

The spring is quite effective at holding the handle/latch in the multiple detents and when closed. The door will stay in the position you put it in.

[stony]

Hey Dave:� if you take a look back at my spring making thread you can see that the handle is held on with a shoulder bolt.� http://www.cj3apage.com/cgi-bin/3Ayabb26/YaBB.pl?num=1379097845/6#6%C2%A0� It is kind of weird in that it is drilled and tapped.� �Here is a poor drawing of what it looks like.� With your skills you ought to be able to make one on a lathe, starting with a 1/2 inch bolt just turn it down to fit the handle hole with a 1/2� ( or maybe a bit smaller) shoulder section.� I am thinking it was tapped for a #10 machine screw.� The original spring has two turns, but you could add a third for a stronger spring.� Music wire would probably make a better spring, but I am cheap and the spoke was free.
Great job on that Jeep!

[stony]

Couple of other things:� if you make one you would want to reduce the thickness of the head down to about 1/8 inch or so, and the surface is a bit rounded.  Come to think of it the head is probably smaller than on a 1/2 bolt, maybe one of the other folks can measure it, might be 11/16 or 5/8.  The first shoulder is wide enough to accommodate the spring, and the second section is a just a bit longer than the width of the handle bracket so that the washer comes up against the bolt and does not pinch the bracket.� There is not a lot of strength needed so ordinary steel bolt will be OK.� It looks like the hole may go all the way through the bolt.
Here is a little better drawing (just a little).� No dimensions because it is 1300 miles away at the moment.

[athawk11]

Here are a few photos to add to Stony's drawings...

[squidtone]

Thanks so much guys.

Stony, well, I DID make a new shoulder stud thing, with a 10-32 retaining screw just as you drew. My original shoulder stud thing was rusted so bad that half of it was missing. Oddly enough the machine screw came out fine during disassembly.
By the way, I noticed the little machine screw is a PHILIPS screw just like yours hawk.
Anyway, I made a new shoulder bolt/stud out of brass (scavanged plumbing fitting), but I haven't made the spring. You can see remnants of the original spring in my picture...

One thing I also wasn't sure of is where the half loop is supposed to be...mine seemed to be bent out so the loop was angled toward the rear. I bent it back so it was more straight up and down (with the windshield up).

Soooo, I will try to make a spring. I grabbed a girls bike from the dump the other day for spokes, but dangit, 5 minutes of tweaking and tuning the shifter and brakes, then pumping up the tires revealed it was a perfect little 5 speed bike...now I feel like I should put it out on the corner with a "free" sign...someone could surely use it. Maybe one missing spoke won't make it a dealbreaker...haha.

[athawk11]

That shoulder bolt/nut/thingamajigger looks perfect. Nice work. 

[stony]

Man that thing was RUSTY!� Yeah now that I think about it I am pretty sure my screw is a Philips  too.� Great job!

[squidtone]

Ya I couldn't figure out why that nut was so rusted when it even had a hard top on it for a LONG time. It is odd that some things on my Jeep were rusted beyond recognition, but other things, like the frame were fine.

[stony]

You know Dave, the way that bolt and handle are rusted it looks like they might have been laying on the floor half buried in dirt for a few decades, then found and stuck in the bracket before you got it.  Just a thought.