Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2003 06:18:52 EST
Reply-To: RAlanen@AOL.COM
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Frank Condelli <RAlanen@AOL.COM>
Subject: Re: Skylight flex arm
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII"
In a message dated 21/12/2003 12:02:59 AM Eastern Standard Time,
LISTSERV@GERRY.VANAGON.COM writes:
I have a flex arm on which the rollers are worn off and it keeps
coming off the rails in the skylight. I have unsuccessfully tried
to 'superglue' a couple of shirt buttons to the metal rivet holding the
rollers in place, and tried crimping a couple of 1/4 split washers
onto the rivet... (both solutions suggested on the list) but they pop
right off when I raise and lower the skylight.
There is a way to fix yours by making new rollers. I've done many.
Drill out the old rivets and try to salvage what you can of the old rollers to
use as patterns for the new ones. Find a piece of heavy duty plastic air
line tubing of a diameter that closely resembles the old rollers and fits in the
track slot snugly but without binding. Cut this tubing to the length of the
old rollers. Find two stainless steel screws and nylock nuts that will fit the
interior of these new rollers snugly without binding and allow them to turn
on the screws like a roller. Find two stainless steel washers for the sides
opposite the flex arms of your new rollers that will keep them from falling off
the track. These washers should fit the screw diameter as snugly as possible
and be of an outside diameter that prevents them from falling through the track
slot. The length of the new roller assembly with the washer should be just a
tad more than the thickness of the track they slide in, you can test fit them
to make sure you get it right. Drill out the holes in the flex arms to match
the diameter of your new screws. Screw the new roller assemblies in place on
the flex arms and skylight tracks making sure the ends of screws do not i
nterfere with the travel of the flex arms and the nuts not so tight as to cause the
rollers to crush and bind on the tracks. You may have to cut the screws to
the proper length if you cannot find suitably short ones.
Happy Holidays !
Frank Condelli
Almonte, Ontario, Canada
BusFusion a VW Camper camping event, Almonte, ON, June 10 ~ 13, 2004
'87 Westy & Lionel Trains
Member: Vanagon List, LiMBO, IWCCC & CCVWC
Vanagon/Vanagon Westfalia Service in the Ottawa Valley
STEBRO/Vanagon Stainless Steel Mufflers
Frank Condelli & Associates or http://frankcondelli.com
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