UK Type 2 VW Air Cooled Bay Window Bus / Camper / Van Web Site

In't Westy's Brilliant !
Staple away, slow and sure.

Praying for dry weather ?

Get rid of that old canvas

Staple away, slow and sure

It's all coming together.

Final hints and tips.

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 Starting in front, fold the top flap under, align the center mark on the canvas with the mark on the poptop and staple in place. Now go to the rear of the top and do the same there. The amount of material that you fold under determines the fit of your top. For best results, we recommend that you only bring the canvas about half way down the wood before stapling. We used a heavy-duty manual stapler, with 3/8-inch staples . . . it offered great results

Work your way from the center and staple to the sides, taking up slack in the corners. Only staple every six-inches or so at this point, as the canvas may need some adjusting, which would require removing the staples.(fig 5)

Temporarily prop the top back up on its support legs, set the aluminum moldings on top of the plastic welt cord at the canvas bottom and check for fit. This is a very important step because if the canvas is too tight, it will rip or be impossible to open when completed. If left too loose, the tent will be saggy. Adjust the canvas by removing the staples in the area in question and either take in or let out a little material. This part of the job is tedious. but take your time and do it right!

Once the canvas is properly adjusted, the plastic strips can be stapled in place. We found the best way to ensure that the original screw holes for the tie-downs match the holes in the top was to first locate them with a pointed object (a nail works just fine) before stapling them in place. (fig 6)

Make sure the plastic strips are all the way up against the top (this gives the canvas that "fitlook" from the inside} and then place a staple every couple of inches. We found it necessary to go back over the staples with a hammer to ensure that they were all the way down-that plastic is tough stuff.

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(fig 5)
 

 

 

 

 

 

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(fig 6)