Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 13:50:09 -0300
Reply-To: Malcolm Stebbins <Malcolm.Stebbins@MSVU.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Malcolm Stebbins <Malcolm.Stebbins@MSVU.CA>
Subject: Re: rear hatch bug screen
In-Reply-To: <199906291736.NAA14083@mail.enter.net>
Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I said I'd get back to you Karl, so here goes. I tried for the life of me to find
(in the archives) what I had written, but to no avail. What I describe here is
what somebody called a "shower-cap" design. It stops 100% of the bugs
(Canadian tested).
Preliminary: Open the rear lid and feel around the rain cutter (weather
proofing) on the top and bottom, it has a lip on it - this is where the shock
cord will go, 360 degrees - measure the circumference - inside the top and
bottom lip.
Materials: I bought some rip-stop nylon (I was lucky and found a perfect
burgundy match) and some no-see-um bug screen that is very flexible like
cloth (camping store), and enough shock-cord to go around the perimeter of
the rear opening (+ 5 inches) - this does not have to be very thick cord.
Some thread that matches the nylon.
Procedure: I opened the back lid. I took a large piece of cardboard and had
my partner hold it up from the outside - covering the whole rear opening -
while I (from the inside) used a black marker to trace out the shape of the
opening (it is not oval). I measured the distance from the weather stripping
(inside) to the trough behind the 'lip'. I took the cardboard inside and cut it
out adding adding the extra bit to the perimeter to allow for the resulting
sleeve to be in the "lip".
Decision: I had to decide if I wanted the bug screen to be in the middle of
the opening - as viewed from the outside, or the middle of the opening as
viewed from the inside. I chose to center the netting from the outside.
Procedure: I cut the bug screen in a square/rectangle that left me with about
6 to 8 inches around the outside and laid it on the cardboard cut-out (also
remember that the seam will take about 1/2 inch). I cut the rip-stop into four
strips to fit around the outside of the bug net and about 4 or 5 inches past
the perimeter of the cardboard cut out. I zig-zagged the edges of everything.
I then began sewing the pieces together using a levi-type double fold 1/4 inch
double sewed seams - you will need a thin sewing needle for this -ask the
material shop when you buy the nylon.
I then laid the resulting material back on the cardboard cut-out and carefully
measured, cut and rolled the edge over to form a sleeve and pinned the
edges into what I guessed/measured would be the right final circumference.
I then sewed the sleeve closed - leaving a small opening for the bungie cord.
I inserted the bungie cord and tied the ends together and taped them, and
finished sewing the sleeve. When you measure the bungie cord, you do not
need much 'tightness' so it only has to be a few inches less then the
circumference of the rear hatch trough measurement that you took.
Results: I went out to the van and found that it is a 2 person job to get the
'shower-cap' on the rear, but mine fit perfectly first time. Nice and tight all
around. You can NOT close the lid without punching a whole in the nylon,
you could allow for this in the design - some velcro would do the trick. I fold
a nice bag for it and it fits (wadded, folded, scrunched) into a bag about the
size of my for-arm. I keep it in the upper left rear compartment - as you face
the rear opening.
For less air, I close the lid and prop it open with a can or piece of wood.
Did I leave anything out?? Good luck. Malcolm S
Karl wrote:
> I know the Westies have rear bug screens, but the snap idea seems to
> leave some gaps. Larry Johnson told me of an idea for making a bug
> screen that uses elastic to go around the edge of the opening when
> the hatch is up...kinda like a shower cap. Anyone ever make
> something like this?
>
> I was thinking of getting my sister to do this since she has heavy-
> duty sewing equipment for horse blankets and the like. It seems to
> be a simple design...no-see-um screening framed by some material that has
> the elastic sewed in.
>
> -Karl
>
>
> Karl and Kristina Bloss, Trexlertown, PA
> '87 GL Weekender "Beverley"
> Mechanic list: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/vwshops
> Busses by the Trail - Oct 15-17, 1999: http://www.enter.net/~bloss/vw/bbtt
