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Date:         Tue, 11 Jun 1996 11:25:41 -0500 (CDT)
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu (James Brill)
Subject:      Sliding Door Curtain

Sliding Door Curtain

I have seen two versions of sliding door curtains on bay window campers. One of them uses plastic buttons that are sewn into the curtain. These buttons then slide in a track that is riveted to the bus. This is what I have in my '71 Campmobile.

The only other type I have seen was on a '73 poptop camper. In it the curtain hung from a more traditional flat rod that was riveted in there. I guess that curtain was meant to be permanent.

I didn't like either of these. The former was too much trouble when fitting a new curtain (which brought this whole problem up) and the later didn't seem sturdy enough for me. Also, when the curtain was deployed, it was in your way getting in and out of the sliding door.

The most logical solution for me was to attach the curtain to the sliding door. To do this I went to a salvage yard camper and got a flat rod from the left (non-sliding door) side. You can use a pair of side cutters to halve this and make it easier to transport. One half will be the top runner and the other the bottom.

Back home, lay one half across the top and mark where it will be cut. I drilled the holes at the back end of the door about as far back as I could get them and still get the drill in there. (This is only a bit of a problem on the campers that have a cabinet on the sliding door side.) This should leave enough room for the rod to clearance the side of the bus when the door opens. Mine had plenty. Measure twice, cut and drill once. Be sure to treat the hole so rust can't start there.

The bottom rod ended up being a little longer because of the contour or the front end of the door. Be aware of this. Don't assume they will be the same length.

You can easily put a bend in the rod like the factory. I used a rag and a pair of pliers. The rag kept the rod from getting dented or scratched. Do this before you do the final drilling on the bus since it will change the length of the rod slightly.

This might be obvious but I think it is worth mentioning. You will want the hole in the rod to be larger than the hole you drill in the door. The hole in the door should be small so the screw can grab. Start small and make it slightly larger is you need to. I removed one of the screws from the rod on the other side and got some just like it at the hardware store. Stainless steel even.

The curtain itself is two pieces with a loop top and bottom so the rod can run through it. The use of two pieces allows it to be more easily pushed out of the way for driving. Use some of the leftover material to make ties to hold them back. Velcro or a couple of snaps could be used to hold them tightly together while camping.

Enjoy! -- James A. Brill Jr. \\ // jbrill@unlinfo.unl.edu \\ \\// // University of Nebraska \\//\\// free-lance homo sapien \/ \/


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