I spent 5 hours yesterday trying to get the remaining silicone off the roof. This morning, I got some mineral spirits, took the rest of in about 20 minutes. I'm about to start installing the new canvas.
Have you changed the luggage basket brackets to the stainless steel ? Do you have a video of that process? Have you changed the seal around the top? Do you have a video of that process?
We haven't changed the luggage brackets yet, but it's on our "to-do" list. We will document the process when we do that. Our seal is actually still in pretty good shape, so we have been lucky enough to not need a replacement.
The seal isn't the issue, it's the hardware holding the luggage basket, it rusts and disintegrates and the basket flies off in to the wild blue yonder. Hopefully not into the windshield of the car behind or passing by.
@@ErikEdney Thanks - Once I got started it seemed inevitable these had to come out and be cleaned. The video was extremely helpful and my replacement went smoothly. Thanks!
I removed one of the blocks that had some rust around it and found a rust hole under it, so could be advisable to remove them if they look bad or you're looking to open a can of worms. The others looked OK so I left them in place and just added some silicone over them.
I don't suppose you have written down step by step installation instructions for this. I have the same canvas for my 02 EVC. I have been watching your video and pausing it to write down the steps.
I just replaced my canvas using this video and like you had to keep pausing it to write down the steps. It's too bad the canvas comes with no instructions, but it's a fairly easy job. My only complaint on the video is now the music is stuck in my head. Here are the steps as I wrote them down: 1. Remove screws and brackets, marking bracket's location on them. Use a strap to hold the top down part way. 2. Cut/pull tent from the silicone and pull it around the front and over the top to remove it. Scrape/remove old silicone. 3. Measure and mark center points on tent and camper top. 4. Loop canvas over top, making sure you have it properly oriented (correct top/outside; you want to be able to open the zippers from the inside!) 5. Attach top front center of tent with one screw (Probably optional but helps position the canvas. I just used a clamp instead of drilling an extra hole since you're just removing it again later) 6. Attach top rear bracket, working from the center. Only do the back edge. You want the "cord" just inside the bracket. 7. Similarly, attach bottom rear bracket, back edge only. 8. Attach top front bracket, front edge only 9. Attach bottom front bracket. 10. Complete the sides from the front, working back. 11. Once all screws are in, tighten cord. May take some jiggling to get tension on the front. 12. Silicone around the lower edge. My tent was different than the one shown here and the cord comes out the back center, not the corners. This makes it so the cord can't really take all the slack out of the tent at the corners without removing the screws across the back again. The tent seems to have a bit more material than needed across the back.
I got my canvas through CaveVan, apparently they're all made by a company called Acme. It took six months to get it (of course it only showed up in the middle of winter when I couldn't work on the van) and the quality was a bit disappointing, lots of fraying edges on fabric/webbing and the stitch count was very low and variable. I don't expect it to hold up as long as the original. I kind of wish I'd just sewn up my own replacement using the old one as a template. But it looks much better than my old moldy/torn one. I also replaced the seal with one from GoWesty. You'll find some videos here on how to install the seal and complaining about the quality of the GoWesty seal, which I wish I had seen before buying it.
I spent 5 hours yesterday trying to get the remaining silicone off the roof. This morning, I got some mineral spirits, took the rest of in about 20 minutes. I'm about to start installing the new canvas.
Hello where did you purchase the ladder from? Love your rig, I too have a 97 camper. Also have a T3 syncro westy. Enjoy the videos, thanks.
Have you changed the luggage basket brackets to the stainless steel ? Do you have a video of that process? Have you changed the seal around the top? Do you have a video of that process?
We haven't changed the luggage brackets yet, but it's on our "to-do" list. We will document the process when we do that. Our seal is actually still in pretty good shape, so we have been lucky enough to not need a replacement.
The seal isn't the issue, it's the hardware holding the luggage basket, it rusts and disintegrates and the basket flies off in to the wild blue yonder. Hopefully not into the windshield of the car behind or passing by.
Did you remove and replace the blocks of silicone in the gutter tracks?
Yes, we did.
@@ErikEdney Thanks - Once I got started it seemed inevitable these had to come out and be cleaned. The video was extremely helpful and my replacement went smoothly. Thanks!
I removed one of the blocks that had some rust around it and found a rust hole under it, so could be advisable to remove them if they look bad or you're looking to open a can of worms. The others looked OK so I left them in place and just added some silicone over them.
i m from france and i dont no where found a other pop top roof for my t4 .where i can buy the same tent like you ,please .thanks
I don't suppose you have written down step by step installation instructions for this. I have the same canvas for my 02 EVC. I have been watching your video and pausing it to write down the steps.
I just replaced my canvas using this video and like you had to keep pausing it to write down the steps. It's too bad the canvas comes with no instructions, but it's a fairly easy job. My only complaint on the video is now the music is stuck in my head. Here are the steps as I wrote them down:
1. Remove screws and brackets, marking bracket's location on them. Use a strap to hold the top down part way.
2. Cut/pull tent from the silicone and pull it around the front and over the top to remove it. Scrape/remove old silicone.
3. Measure and mark center points on tent and camper top.
4. Loop canvas over top, making sure you have it properly oriented (correct top/outside; you want to be able to open the zippers from the inside!)
5. Attach top front center of tent with one screw (Probably optional but helps position the canvas. I just used a clamp instead of drilling an extra hole since you're just removing it again later)
6. Attach top rear bracket, working from the center. Only do the back edge. You want the "cord" just inside the bracket.
7. Similarly, attach bottom rear bracket, back edge only.
8. Attach top front bracket, front edge only
9. Attach bottom front bracket.
10. Complete the sides from the front, working back.
11. Once all screws are in, tighten cord. May take some jiggling to get tension on the front.
12. Silicone around the lower edge.
My tent was different than the one shown here and the cord comes out the back center, not the corners. This makes it so the cord can't really take all the slack out of the tent at the corners without removing the screws across the back again. The tent seems to have a bit more material than needed across the back.
did you replace your top with one from GoWesty?
We ordered the canvas through CaveVan, but we've heard that they both sell the same one.
I got my canvas through CaveVan, apparently they're all made by a company called Acme. It took six months to get it (of course it only showed up in the middle of winter when I couldn't work on the van) and the quality was a bit disappointing, lots of fraying edges on fabric/webbing and the stitch count was very low and variable. I don't expect it to hold up as long as the original. I kind of wish I'd just sewn up my own replacement using the old one as a template. But it looks much better than my old moldy/torn one. I also replaced the seal with one from GoWesty. You'll find some videos here on how to install the seal and complaining about the quality of the GoWesty seal, which I wish I had seen before buying it.
Nightmare Job! Good Luck