by MtnDon » Fri Jun 16, 2017 7:32 pm
Why dismantle? Use a stud finder to determine where the crossmembers, etc are located. That can give you an idea of where the may be easiest to place. And I left the door hung. I needed a window cutout and one for an A/C.
I drilled a hole at each corner point, right through the door from the inside once my window position was decided. On the interior side I cut the plywood with a coedless circular saw after drawing a guide line from cornet to corner. I cut to the mark and completed the cut with an Xacto blade. Then I cut the aluminum skin with a very fine tooth metal blade in my saber saw.
I cut pieces of 1x4 to use for top, bottom and side strips for the hole. I was able to slide them inside the door through the opening. I used screws from the inside as well as an adhesive from Sika that was compatible for wood-metal and wood-wood joints. I used a couple of screws from the inside as well as clamping to hold the aluminum skin to 1x4 until the adhesive set. I did the top andbottom1x4 first, then the shorter side 1x4. This is similar to the method used to make patches in drywall walls in a home. The 1x4 gives something solid to mount the windows to.
You can use spray foam to insulate by drilling a few holes through the interior plywood. Do not use the normal spray foam. It expands too much and almost certainly distort the panels; blow them outwards. Use thef foam meant for door and window use. I used a few widely spaced holes to insert the nozzle tube as well as a few to check that the foam reached everywhere. I paneled over the rough plywood with a thin skin of nice plywood so I used 3/4" holes for ease of installation.
Sorry, no ideas on installing the latch.