How to fix or replace back cover for letterbox?

[faisal-s]

 

I have moved into a house and found this letterbox cover missing all my mails are either getting wet or torn into pieces by snails living inside. I have managed to unscrew the back cover and found one side on top right is broken can anyone give me tips to put a new cover with lock if possible?

 

[Noyade]

Ok.

You have a new back cover?

I was thinking of two pieces of H4 treated pine glued to the inside of the mailbox sides - using the glue above.

Let it dry. Give it plenty of time.

Drill four holes in your new 'metal' frame.

Position the frame and mark the holes on the mailbox and pre-drill those spots on the mailbox.

Screw the frame into the wood - using stainless screws.

Apologies If I have misinterpreted the problem.

[faisal-s]

Hi noyade,

Thank you so much for the wonderful input. Before i read your comment i was just online to figure out if it was aluminium or steel. Turns out the new cover with rear lid is aluminium so i thought i would rather drill a small hole to fit a small screw or bolt and install square washer plate with nuts on the inside of mailbox that would hold it with selleys liquid nail on edges for a good 2/3 days. You can see the old plate with missing lid and the new rear cover below. I noticed the screw head will have to be flush/countersunk to do the job. Any advise if I'm on the right track? I will definitely try your recommendation too. Much appreciated 🙏 

 

[faisal-s]

Hi noyade,

I was thinking about getting 4 x bolts spot welded inside too. It would be an easy fix and would definitely do the job without any glue. Can you recommend where i can get 4 x bolts spot welded onto the new rear cover from?

[EricL]

Hello @faisal-s

Let me tag @Noyade to make them aware of your question. I was pondering the other possibilities to fix your mailbox. Have you considered drilling into the metal frame and attaching it using a small nut and bolt? For example, I suggest Zenith M6 x 75mm Hot Dipped Galvanised Hex Head Bolt And Nut. 

You can then attach the bolt to the timber piece that Noyade suggested. I also recommend using Zenith 10G x 50mm Galvanised Countersunk Head Metal Screw as an alternative. This would be an easier solution to having it spot welded. 

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Noyade]

Good evening Faisal. 🙂

Apologies in advance if my concept of the problem is wrong and I may have dimensions and the various contours wrong in the amateur cross section below.

If the frame is aluminium then we can forget about welding steel bolts onto it.

In fact I can't see a reason for bolts at all?

Long thin weather-proof wood screws is what's needed for my plan.

Looks to me like you drilled a rather large hole for a raised head bolt in the frame's rebate that will now impede the closure of the flap - slightly?

See what you think...

[TedBear]

Another possible solution(?): -  could you insert the old frame into the box, after drilling aligned holes to take thin bolts, in the new and old frame.

This sandwiched approach will keep the keep the door in place. You would likely have to drill holes in the letter box structure too - although there appears to be notches already there - including the broken away piece.

Regarding the snails (I have had this problem)  - the new door wont prevent them, so I suggest putting a mesh tray in the bottom to keep the mail from touching the floor and placing snail pellets under that mesh.  This also keeps the mail dryer if any water seeps in (usually from mail that is not pushed in properly and sticks out in the rain). 

You may have to make up 2 trays so you can get them in - get some straight mesh and bend the edges down to make it stand off the bottom by a few mm. Since mail is light, you only need to bend 2 edges, not 4, for it to work.

[faisal-s]

@EricL @Noyade @MitchellMc @TedBear guys thank you so much for all your inputs and ideas. This community is amazing. managed to fix it. So i got someone to see if they can spot weld it. Tried on the old aluminium frame to see if it works first. Then spot weld one bolt to mark where the other 3 bolts would go used square washers with nuts to hold it and applied transparent silicone to finish the gaps where water might go in. Once the silicone has completely dried i will further tighten the screws with hand a bit. So glad its worked out because i was sure it will be impossible to weld on aluminium for obvious reasons. 

 

[MitchellMc]

I'm pleased to hear you've successfully repaired your letterbox @faisal-s. Please reach out anytime you need assistance or have something to share.

Mitchell

[Noyade]

Glad you got it sorted - and it looks good. 👍

I'm amazed to were able to weld the steel bolt to the aluminium frame.

I'm learning on this site every day.

https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/faqs/aluminium-welding/aluminium-to-steel