Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 08:11:09 -0700
Reply-To: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stephen Grisanti <bike2vcu@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Re: Sliding door snap in screen
In-Reply-To: <20140824141947.19EKV.137123.imail@eastrmwml107>
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Here's a link to my slideshow on the slider screen my bride sewed. We already had the grey vinyl left over from her having made a Westy-matching dog bed from the vinyl and fleece. I highly recommend the magnetic closure since you can make a run for the door with hands full while being pursued by mosquitoes and enter the van with no delay and no trouble.
Stephen
Picasa Web Albums - Stephen - Westy slider ...
Picasa Web Albums - Stephen - Westy slider ...
Photos by Stephen, Jun 7, 2010
View on picasaweb.google.com Preview by Yahoo
On Sunday, August 24, 2014 2:20 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote:
I too have both rear and slider screens. The rear is factory, using existing snaps. No installation involved, and fit is VW perfect. Could not be better. Slider is GoWesty. Came with excellent instructions. Installed exactly per instructions. Pitiful fit, pitiful in use. Do you know what May Beetles are (called June bugs in some parts of the country). They can and do get in. So, mosquitos have no problem at all. The screen is better than not having one, but certainly is not perfect. We modified it to close down the center with velcro rather than a zipper, and stitched the two halves together at the top. Both helped some, but it is still not what it should (and is advertised to) be. mcneely
---- Brett Ne <brettn777@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> I've been away from the list for a while, so I hope that this response is
> not too late. I also have an 82 and I installed the rear and sliding door
> screens this spring. If you're anywhere near the Portland, OR area, I'd be
> happy to show you where I located snaps. I put off installing the screens
> for over a year because of the lack of instructions and the fact that the
> screens are rather ill fitting. On top of that, Albert is a Riviera, and
> the cabinetry is rather different than the Westies, so I couldn't just copy
> what someone else had done. Oh, and the first screw I put in for the rear
> screen went right through the sheet metal into the rain channel for the
> rear hatch...not a good start!
>
> The first thing that I did was to take both screens to a seamstress to
> create a better fit. The rear screen was much too wide, so I had both
> vinyl side edgings folded over and stitched to the netting. I had
> something similar done to the leading edge (towards the front of the van)
> of the side screen at the top to help it fit around the bulge of the door
> track. Before committing to these changes, I spent a lot of time taping
> the screens in place to help figure out how to make things fit better.
> Don't think of these screens like some kind of factory part that was
> carefully engineered to bolt in place; think of them as an oversized
> garment that needs to be fitted to make it work.
>
> On the side screen, I attached the rear edge first, as it was the most
> straightforward, and worked my way along the top towards the leading edge.
> The most important part of the fit is how the bottom edge meets the floor.
> It should just barely graze the floor. Too high, and bugs can get through;
> too low, and the screen will bunch up at the bottom and create gaps for
> bugs to get through. To install each snap, I held the screen where I
> wanted it to be and pushed a thumbtack through the vinyl and dug a small
> gouge into the van to show where to drill the hole. Leave the thumbtack in
> the vinyl while you drill the hole into the van. Then pull the thumbtack
> out and drill a hole through the vinyl where the thumbtack was so that it
> will be easier to push the post of the snap through. Screw the male part
> of the snap into the van, and use the provided tools to attach the female
> part of the snap to the vinyl. Snap the screen in place where you just
> installed the snaps and move to the next location on the that edge and
> repeat. You will want a good selection of drill bits to choose from. The
> sheetmetal is reinforced and thicker in some spots & will require a bigger
> hole so that you don't break the screw while turning it. If you're putting
> a screw into cabinetry, use a much smaller screw so that the threads can
> bite into the wood more deeply and provide a good grip. You are likely to
> break a couple of screws & may be going to the hardware store for
> replacements.
>
> So, tape the screen into place(or have a helper hold it there) and
> determine the location of the first snap in the top corner of the trailing
> edge being mindful of how the bottom edge meets the floor. Once that snap
> is installed, work you way down the trailing edge until you get to the
> bottom. As I recall, the metal is fairly thick here because it's the main
> structural pillar that makes up for the large door opening(you'll find the
> same thing on the leading edge of the door opening. I always have the
> screen attached with at least the two previous snaps before marking the
> location of a new one. As you're working your way down, the vinyl can be
> stretched or compressed if needed to adjust how the screen meets the
> floor. Near the floor, I put two snaps fairly close together as I figured
> they would see the most strain. There's no exact place the screws need to
> go; just split the snaps up between trailing, leading, and top edges and
> space them out as you see fit. Once you have the the traling edge in
> place, work your way across the top. Along the top edge, you'll be
> drilling into the ventilation tube, which is thinner sheetmetal than the
> pillars & you can use a slightly smaller drill bit than is used on the side
> pillars. If you drill higher up than the ventilation tubing, you'll drill
> through the roof, and that's a no-no. As you work across, always be
> mindful of how the screen meets the floor. When you get close to the spot
> where the sliding door channel curves inward, stop. Now start with the
> leading edge near the floor and install a snap, being mindful as always of
> how the screen meets the floor, and also being mindful that that screen is
> pulled a little bit tight from side to side. Continue working your way up
> the leading edge. When you get towards the top, it gets to be a bit of a
> headache. The inward travel of the upper door track creates a 3
> dimensional demand on a 2 dimensional surface, and there's no way that
> you're going to make it look pretty. Just play around with it and install
> snaps in such a way as to minimize gaps in the screen.
>
> The job takes a while, but it's really not too bad once you're underway.
> And the results are fantabulous! When you have the hatch open, sliding
> door open, and top popped open, all with screens, you have great
> ventilation & views with no bugs(okay, at least not too many bugs). It
> really creates a spacious feel
>
>
> Brett
>
>
>
> Brett in Portland, OR
> "Albert" '82 VanaFox I4 Riviera
--
David McNeely
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