Date:         Tue, 07 May 1996 01:14:15 -0700
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         jwakefield@4dmg.net (john wakefield)
Subject:      JCW  over windshield shelf-83 Westie

In recent J C Whitney catalogs, an approximately $49 full width 
over-windshield shelf is offered.  It's designed to be mounted in the 
space used by sun visors and, in the Vanagon Westie, the rear view 
mirror.  I recently encounterd one brand new at a yard sale.  For a 
dollar, I couldn't resist.
  It's fabricated of aluminum stock, bent up for its length in front and 
at the rear of the shelf.  This configuration makes it surprisingly 
rigid.  All surfaces have "flocking" applied in your color choice.  This 
flocking feels about like thin nap velour fabric.  Two end brackets are 
included which required minor final fit bending.
  Installation into my '83 Westie took me approximately 90 minutes, and I 
was being slow and carful in examining alternatives.  I removed the 
original sun visors and the rear view mirror.  I mounted the shelf to the 
brackets for a trial fit and to mark the planned screw locations for 
pilot hole drilling.  I suggest being careful to avoid letting the shelf 
touch the windshield to avoid noises.
  After mounting it, I decided I'd prefer to use an available interior 
color matching pair of 84 Oldsmobile sun visors with their original Olds 
center support clip into which these visors' brackets fit.  The visors 
fit nicely in the shelf's original visor mounting holes.  The center 
support requires drilling.  Their distance apart was such that their 
support rods could both fit into the center support clip.
  The final change required restoring a rear view mirror.  I decided to 
reuse the original.  I did this by carefully cutting off the aluminum 
support bracket's end projection and carefully filing this end to a flat 
surface.  Then I drilled two small holes into this end surface sized 
suitalbly for thread tapping.  After these holes were tapped and filled 
with machine screws, two carefully measured holes were cut into the 
center of the shelf just forward of the center visor support clip.  
Top side access to these screws required use of a short 90 degree angle 
screw driver.
  The result is a very satisfactory storage space with a confinement lip 
at its front and rear.  It appears temptingly like a place to mount some 
normal electronic toys.  I assumed that I would need to add a center 
stabilizing bracket to control rear view mirror vibration.  This appears 
unnecessary.
  I feel the appearence and product character integrate nicely into the 
Westfalia.  It doesn't appear cheap nor ill conceived, and it does add 
utility.  I feel the price seems a little high but a home grown 
immitation is unlikely to be as nice.

	Respectfully submitted,
        John Wakefield