Date:         Fri, 27 Feb 2004 23:36:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bob Stevens <mtbiker62@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Canvas Installed
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Hi Volks,

Another testament to the great helpfulness of this list and especially
member John Carpenter. He offered me his time, home, hands and his fine work
shop today, to put the new 3-window canvas on my camper. Seems a shame to
call his facility a work shop. It's a shrine to the joy he finds in working
on his vans and just being in his shop.
Took us 6-7 hours. 0930 to about 4 with some lunch and conversation breaks.
We ultimately took the roof off the van but started the project with it on.
It became clear it would be much easier to put the tent on the roof with the
top off. It only took 10 minutes or so for the 2 of us to take it off and
about the same back on. A no-brainer that way. I also left the top slightly
slack, held up by a long pole extending from the van floor, while doing the
bottom. Attaching the bottom in the back was time-consuming due to limited
space. The instructions that came with the tent were perfect, and the one in
the archives by Malcolm Stebbins a great help. I also referred to Damon's
and another recently posted, but did not save the name.
The canvas is not as tight as the OME but I suspect, as its cotton, wetting
it and letting it sit in the sun will tighten it up some. I really like the
end product. It's much heavier, thicker, lets in much more light and I
imagine in hot weather is going to be a real boon to cooling.

I got mine from Go Westy, and it came from their Long Beach, Ca. facility.

OK John, yours is next ;>)

Bob Stevens
'87 Westy Syncro