Date:         Mon, 19 Jun 2000 00:31:10 -0700
Reply-To:     Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Daniel Schmitz <djs@gene.com>
Organization: Genentech, Inc.
Subject:      Top seals...
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

This post has nothing whatsoever to do with either dual batteries or
Michelin MXT tires, although those topics continue to be of paramount
importance to me as I'm currently working on upgrading my '87 Westfalia.
So please keep the comments coming!

What this post is about is the top seals.

Today I set out to prep my fiberglass top for repainting. West Marine
has a one-part polyurethane paint for fiberglass (topside boat paint) in
a blue that very nearly matches the original blue paint, so that's my
current plan. My Westfalia is the stock metallic blue with blue top, and
I want to keep it that way.

Anyway, I removed the old seals in order to start sanding. I had to
scrape a whole lot of silicone caulk off of the sealing surface, as the
PO used that approach to cure what was actually a disintegrated seal.
The seals I removed has virtually no steel (pinch clamps) left in them,
it having all rusted away long ago, so the PO obviously looked to
adhesive caulk to keep the seals in place. What a mess: caulk was
everywhere!

The seals are now history, and I'm driving around without them, but I
notice a curious phenomenon: When driving at speed, the luggage rack now
makes an incredibly loud racket, so much so that the vehicle is not
really driveable! I couldn't believe that without its seal in place, the
luggage rack could be so LOUD! I think it's air coming through the gap
and causing the fiberglass structure to vibrate, but it's LOUD!

I sincerely hope the new seals I ordered are in the package from Bus
Depot that I will be picking up from UPS on Tuesday. Otherwise, I can't
really drive the van as it is. Fortunately, I have my trusty '82
Adventurewagen and Porsche 914 as backups.

Any comments on painting the top are appreciated. I am planning to sand
it so as to remove any oxidation and loose paint, and then apply two
coats of the high-gloss boat paint. (followed, of course, by the careful
application of new, white "Westfalia" decals.)

...Dan