Date:         Tue, 31 Mar 1998 07:34:52 -0600
Reply-To:     Mark Mages <mmages@GIE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Mark Mages <mmages@GIE.COM>
Organization: Gulf Interstate Engineering
Subject:      Things I learned this weekend
Comments: To: Vanagon Listserv <Vanagon@VANAGON.COM>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Hello all

Well, I finally got around to replacing those good 'ol sagging pop-top
seals this weekend.  It involved removing the whole rear half of the
roof, sanding the rust stains off, primering, then replacing.  I used
Ron's seals, and they worked great.

I gleaned some pointers off this that I thought I would share with the
group.

1. Don't try & go it alone.
2. If you must get your girlfriend to help, make her breakfast first.
3. After removing all the bolts, tie down the arms that raise the roof
(those lil plastic zip-ties are nice).  Those babies are spring loaded:
no it isn't your massve strength that lifts the roof so easily.
4. When taking the roof off, don't drop it on your girlfriends toes.
The corners are brittle & crack pretty easily.
5. When putting the roof back on, bolt the front first.  If it decides
to slide backwards, your head is not the best thing to try and stop it
with (even if this is inadvertant).
6. Don't lose your nuts
7. Have a full tube of your favorite muscle cream handy (icy-hot,
ben-gay) you'll need it the next morning.

All in all, it looks 100% better.

Have a great week!

Mark
87 Westy Gl
New pop-top seals, and new speakers in the back