You are going to fit it so the canvas hangs back down over the strips concealing them? I see so many where the strip's just stapled over the top and they look bad. I'm sure you were but no good me saying after...
My fixing strip (to staple through) arrived this morning, I have already tested it and it works a treat so ideal for the job, the strip is 8M long so long enough to do the rear hinged roof too (front requires circa 6M) Not bad at all for £13 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160762339709?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_831wt_1163
Right..........Here are the first steps I took : 1 - Unscrew all of the screws in the extruded aluminium fixing strips around the base of the roof canvas "Note" before you take them all out, get some tipex or a file....(something to make a good mark with) and mark where each one comes from, I used tipex so I could mark the roof as well as the aluminium, 1 dot, 2 dot, 3 dots on each etc Next I removed the steel "internal star" circlips that hold the roof lock down toggle into their metal brackets (this then allows access to the 2 screws holding each one through the fibreglass roof) As you can see, the material is now free from the roof all around Next, remove the rear hinges from the roof (you only need undo the top bolts) but to make this easier, support the roof and have the spring loaded hinges half open) I used a little kids step thing to support the roof With the rear hinges unbloted and held down in the closed position (this stops them opening and hitting the roof or getting damaged) (but I took mine of to get them refurbished) loosen the bolts on the front, I took the one off, but left one on loose so as not to "stress" the roof Next, when the roof is unbloted and in an "unstressed position" (closed with those steps removed) get assistance, and remove roof..........we started on the side and "walked it forward" then, my wife went to the front and grabbed the overhang and I went inside and onto the roof bed and we "walked it forward" until it was nearly off, I then ran to the front and from the underside I supported it and away we went.............Be very careful with the roof though, they are quite flimsy and you don;t wanna drop it. Roofless At this point, being in England I suggest this, better safe than sorry eh and saves potential puddles on the inside Next, using a flat head screwdriver or something similar (blunt if you want to save the existing canvas) "pry" the staples from the strip and remove it.........note, the canvas is also stapled underneath the strip. With the strip removed all around, do the same with the staples in the canvas and remove it Next - Measure and compare old vs new, I laid it out and measured corner to corner when held quite taught...........in my case I had a problem, hence my earlier tip of measuring the inside of the wood before ordering and tell them clearly the sizes you have so they can check their canvas. DO this To double check I laid the new canvas out on the inside and as you can see it is coming up well short (circa 4 inches each way) So, im my case I was not able to finish the job and I have returned the canvas and a replacement one is being sent (they have checked the sizes against those I measured and the new one will fit, I was told, they do come up in slightly different sizes so check check and check again. So, as I had the roof off I had planned to line it anyway, we got some neutral thin carpet and I decided to fit that. I out some contact adhesive in one corner (about 1" diameter) and I stuck the carpet down, I then stretched it as best I could (remember I was doing this on my own) to the opposing corner and marked that corner, I did the same for all corners (I did this as my diagonal measurement checks proved that the recess was not entirely square and I wanted it to be a perfect fit, also, due to the bumps in the roof, I knew that if I measured it straight then cut, then fit, the carpet would seemingly reduce in length when being fitted) I then marked up the carpet with my "cut lines" And when cut, check it fits and trim any areas that need trimming, then I used evostick multipurpose contact adhesive and bladdered it all over paying special attention to the bump radii and stuck it down Before sticking After sticking : Note, I removed the handle used for raising / lowering the roof, I basically took it off then put the bolts back in and using a dremel I cut the bolt lengths down so they did not force the carpet away from the roof. I do not need the handle and in my opinion it adds undue stress to the roof if you use this to open it so I use to hands equi spaced on the underside to open the roof. Next, and I really was intending to do this last, but the sun was out, so what the hell, I painted the roof, I used some all weather plastic paint from B&Q, it cost £17 for 750ml and one tim covered the roof, outside and around the edge on the inside using a 6" roller to apply. I used my trailer as a support table, but tressels or saw horses would also suffice. I know it'll likely get marked when I have to turn it over to put the canvas on, but gotta make hay while the sun shines so I intend to lay some material down on the floor to help protect my paining. Further updates to follow this weekend when I will fit the canvas.
PS Worth pointing out that I received my replacement from Cool-out free of charge postage and I got a further 10% knocked off as I decided to go for the Jaffa coloured canvas as a replacement
Ok time for next instalment, had a bit of a "I hate Monday's day" and the sun was out so I thought I would make an effort. First off, here are the tools I used today: Right first things first, my new roof canvas arrived so I set about measuring it, even though this material is bigger than before, I was still not happy with the amount of "stretch" required to get the corners into the right position, so, I made the decision to line the front with a 25mm piece of wood to make fitting that much easier, this was not an easy decsion to make but I felt it the best option as I did not want the material too taut so it might tear on the staples or rear hinges as before they were very tight against the material..........maybe I am wrong, but this is the route I have taken. So, with that in mind, I had to line the "arched" front area, now there are various ways to bend wood, the main way is to use water and tension over time, well I did not have the time, so I decided on another method, I worked out the required radii bend and then triged out the depth of the bend at the peak of the radius, then taking into account the saw blade width I worked out how many saw cuts and the rough distance between each to allow the wood to bend. The wood was cut to the same depth as the existing wood and is 25mm wide I then screwed it in place Next I started to staple the fabric in place (fabric first and I made sure the staples went through the thicker edging material section Next I cut the new plastic surround / edging , I made this sligtly short of the corners so as not to "tug" at the material in that area. I started in the corners applying a good few staples, then the wife tugged it to the other corner while I went along putting the staples in 20roof%20canvas%20replacement/IMG_2433.jpg" /> Next establish which hinge is which side and put the holes through the material (pulling it tight into corners to poke hole through (I firstly drillied through from the outside to go through the plastic, then I took the inside out of a biro pen to poke through the hole and mark the material. I used this to poke the hole through, followed by using a possie drive screwdriver to enlarge the hole (used a bit like a drill bit) Screws / hinges in place Next I got some leftover carpet from the roof lining and I covered the hinges and anything sharp Next I pegged it all in place as stated on the write up I found, then we turned it over Then when we lifted it, all the canvas fell down (hummm I must need industrial pegs) so, that did not work, so I had an idea, I then used bunjee cords (3 of them) across the roof top banana, worked a treat And, at this point, we loaded the roof back on the bus, it went on great with the canvas staying up in place...............then I came in for dinner and will finish it tomorrow if the weather holds good
Well, I have reached the final instalment of this "how to" thread. I started today by raising the roof using that little kids step thingy to allow access to the front hinges, at this point there was nothing holding the roof on, just a bit of balance (and a bunjee cord or 2) I had tried initially to just lift and locate the bolts by hand, but this proved impossible on my own, so I went for the kids steps Bolted in Note at this point the roof bed is still in situ Next bolt the hinges back in Next check hinges open ok and gauge material drop to roof Very useful tool for bolting roof back in Note, hinges wrapped in carrier bags to help protect the material when first extending hinges and checking the "open / close" Slide aluminium moulding in place Next start screwing the moulding back in place over the bottom flap of the canvas making sure the looped lip "butts" up to the moulding I did find that with the roof fully open the material was too taut to fix down, so after initial checks and measurement I took the roof bed out and used the mop thing to hold the roof at "Half Mast" which gives the material some freedom And here we have the finished article If anyone wants any tips over the phone, please PM me and I will give you my number, there is only so much you can put in print. The corners are a biatch to do, right ole pain in the arse and my thumbs are aching badly
You'll notice on the canvas you took off that there are lots of slices nipped out of the piping at the corners - makes it much easier to get the trim on. Nice job, it looks just right.
Took some finding but hoping to do this job in a couple of weeks so wish me luck, I've commented on the thread so I've got a quick reference back to it
Seems Cool out canvases are all 8 odd inches too short around the top...you've braced, @Chrisradioman had to with his and I am with mine. Would anyone die over 4cm of material per side for £340 ffs...
NLAVW do two types of canvas a good quality one for around 300 quid and a lesser quality one for about 130.
I`ve got mine from NLA its orange and after researching too late.....apparently it doesn`t fit! I will be finding out in the next few days... AGHHHH!
