Date:         Mon, 31 Dec 2001 20:53:33 -0500
Reply-To:     Warren Chapman <vwsyncroguy@YAHOO.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Warren Chapman <vwsyncroguy@YAHOO.COM>
Subject:      Re: New Canvas Adventure

>We installed one as well, and it went pretty easy. About 6 hours in
>uncomfortable positions with an electric staple gun,

If you were using a staple gun, sounds like you were installing on a Bus
instead of a Vanagon.   I think my job could have been done from
the "bottom-up also and would have been easier if I could have stapled the
top edge in place, but the Vanagon Westy has aluminum strips with
screws......lots of screws..... that hold the canvas to the fiberglass pop-
top.

I thought about just putting three screws in each side of the top then
fastening the bottom and then pulling the top canvas through the slit
between the top and the aluminum strip until it was taught.....but after
thinking about it awhile, just decided this was too much trouble and just
decided to guess from my measurements at how much extra fabric to pull
through ....then screwed the top edge in place with all the screws.

Turn's out I didn't pull enough at the front and a little too much on the
sides.  The sides were stretched tighter than I preferred and the front was
a little "floppier" than I would have liked, but after almost 9 hours of
f___ing with the thing, I was just glad it was over and decided it looked
fine.

Again, it would have been a lot easier if the canvas was measured and cut
to fit properly and had the same bead at the top and bottom to guide it
into place.....like the original.  Seems like an easy enough thing to use a
factory canvas as a pattern and make the replacement exactly the same.  But
who knows where these things are made.   Whoever made them probably has
never even seen a Westy.

Warren C.