Date:         Wed, 3 Sep 1997 10:58:31 -0700
Reply-To:     "CARVER, JEFFREY D" <Jeffrey.Carver@AEROJET.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon mailing list <Vanagon@Gerry.SDSC.EDU>
From:         "CARVER, JEFFREY D" <Jeffrey.Carver@AEROJET.COM>
Subject:      Re: Shrinking parts

The plastic trim in my '80 Westi has also shrunk.
I can confirm that it is indeed the plastic
shrinking, and not the wood stuff expanding.

The earliest Westi's had a opening on the face
of the front of the rear seat (where the heat vent
was later positioned).  The trim in that opening
has shrunk also.  My playhouse '80 Westi's
has shrunk enough to prevent the door from closing.
If the wood had been expanding, the seal would
end up being long, not short as it is.  Very low
humidity here in my neck of the California woods.

On the table, the ends are tending to pull out from
the table.  I used some old style carpet tacks (square
shank and head) and placed them inside the end of the
D shaped opening and hammered them in place to
hold the ends against the table.  In another area where
the plastic has come loose, I used a longer finishing nail
to hold the trim in place.  I hammered the nail head
through the outer layer, leaving a small hole, only
noticeable if you're looking for it.  Similarly one could
use finishing nails on the T shape trim, through the center
and recessing the finishing nail into the T.

I removed the hinges that are on top of some trim, cut
the trim to end at both sides of the hinge, thus gaining
some length without sacrificing function or looks.

The trim on the drawers is starting to curl, making the
drawer closing more difficult.

Don't try to pull out the trim, just slide it along the slot.
The part of the trim in the slot has barbs on it, and the
wood substance will shred and leave you a bigger slot
that the trim won't fit into!

- Jeff  Iwanna21/23windowsunroofDeluxe!
'80 Westi  '67 Sqbk  '64 Ford Crewcab  '87 Subaru 4WD
Grass Valley, California, USA
Jeffrey.Carver@Aerojet.com