Date:         Tue, 21 Jul 1998 18:28:06 EDT
Reply-To:     FrankGRUN@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         Frank Grunthaner <FrankGRUN@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Luggage Rack Seal, Wind Noise and Solution
Comments: To: Vanagon@VANAGON.COM
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII

Several years ago I purchased a seal set from Ron (pre Bus Depot) for the
poptop and luggage rack of my '82 Westfalia. This weekend, I finally got
around to installing them after finding the box in the garage during a wifely
enforced cleanup. The seal on the went on perfectly, as did the luggage rack
seal after removing (lifting) the luggage rack. Clearly high quality material.

However, during a test drive I encountered a strong buffeting din from wind
induced vibration of the luggage rack at speeds above 50 mph. By 75, I thought
the top was coming off. Checking the archives, I noted discussion of the
problem, but no solution. Upon inspection, there was a gap of 0.3 to 1.2 mm at
various points around the perimeter of the seal contact with the Vanagon roof.
The suggestion in the archives to slide the seal lower on the edge of the
fiberglass luggage rack seemed unacceptable in view of the exposed stain which
would show on the rack.

Noting that I merely set the rack in place on the roof and tightened the
constraining screws, I decided to preload the top to remove the air gap at the
seal. Using my available resources ( a personal clothed weight of 210 pounds)
I clambered up into the luggage rack, released all the side screws, then
retightened them.  After release (and me in the rack), the rack dropped
somewhat more than 1 mm all around as evidenced by the new location of the
screw heads and the residual rust stains on the fiberglass. Result ... no wind
noise up to unmentionable velocities. Water poured into the luggage rack still
seeps out slowly. Success.

Frank Grunthaner