had to do this because we broke ours (forgot to close it)
Getting ready: So here goesIN FINE WEATHER with 12v power OFF. Get a safe appropriate sized ladder and a mate to stabilize the ladder from below
Inside the van: Unscrew the bottom molding from the roof top molding by removing all the screws, first the fly wire screen comes off ( you have to remove the up/down toggle handle) and then the inside moulding .. disconnect the 12 v leads from the fan
Back on the roof :Tip: use a sharp chisel (wide one) and a Stanley knife. Use the chisel upside down so the sharp edge doesnt dig into the skin of your roof ( if you perforate the skin back off and remember to fill it well with new silastic later on ) I scored the old silastic with the Stanley knife to make things manageable
remove all the silastic or as much as you can, I then used a reciprocating saw to cut the corner edges of the plastic molding (roof top) , careful, dont cut the roof of the van
I was then able to tear the thing off (wear gloves as the plastic mounding is sharp and brittle)
Then start trimming all the old silastic right down to the outer skin of your vans roof
At this stage I was able to use the chisel right side up and this gets 99% of the old stuff off
Then clean the entire exposed surface with acetone about 100 cm from the edges of the void
Get brand new tube of silastic (2 needed for my job) Product I used is called Ramset Tradesman roof seal (aluminum) , neutral cure , (non acid)
Apply liberal beads of silastic to the undersurface of the new top hatch (roof part) and then place the component firmly onto the roof, then straight away go inside the van and screw the inside component to the new roof mounted component , this ensures all the screw holes line up while the new roof silastic is still wet and things can still move .
Then go up on the roof again and apply liberal amounts of silastic to the edges of the plastic of the new roof component , go out 60mm and using your finger with a bit of spit on it smooth out the silastic material allowing for a downward slope away from the edges of the plastic vent. It doesnt have to be a work of art but watertight and allowing moisture to run away
Then: close the hatch, wrap a house brick in a towel and place it on top of the closed hatch. Then stop work and drink beer !
Next morning , connect 12v leads back to the fan , easier done from above, I had to make new terminals as the new top piece fan terminals wouldnt match the old fitting
Then back inside the van place the fly wire screen back on and you are done ! Good on you mate !
Hi all
had to do this because we broke ours (forgot to close it)
Getting ready: So here goesIN FINE WEATHER with 12v power OFF. Get a safe appropriate sized ladder and a mate to stabilize the ladder from below
Inside the van: Unscrew the bottom molding from the roof top molding by removing all the screws, first the fly wire screen comes off ( you have to remove the up/down toggle handle) and then the inside moulding .. disconnect the 12 v leads from the fan
Back on the roof :Tip: use a sharp chisel (wide one) and a Stanley knife. Use the chisel upside down so the sharp edge doesnt dig into the skin of your roof ( if you perforate the skin back off and remember to fill it well with new silastic later on ) I scored the old silastic with the Stanley knife to make things manageable
remove all the silastic or as much as you can, I then used a reciprocating saw to cut the corner edges of the plastic molding (roof top) , careful, dont cut the roof of the van
I was then able to tear the thing off (wear gloves as the plastic mounding is sharp and brittle)
Then start trimming all the old silastic right down to the outer skin of your vans roof
At this stage I was able to use the chisel right side up and this gets 99% of the old stuff off
Then clean the entire exposed surface with acetone about 100 cm from the edges of the void
Get brand new tube of silastic (2 needed for my job) Product I used is called Ramset Tradesman roof seal (aluminum) , neutral cure , (non acid)
Apply liberal beads of silastic to the undersurface of the new top hatch (roof part) and then place the component firmly onto the roof, then straight away go inside the van and screw the inside component to the new roof mounted component , this ensures all the screw holes line up while the new roof silastic is still wet and things can still move .
Then go up on the roof again and apply liberal amounts of silastic to the edges of the plastic of the new roof component , go out 60mm and using your finger with a bit of spit on it smooth out the silastic material allowing for a downward slope away from the edges of the plastic vent. It doesnt have to be a work of art but watertight and allowing moisture to run away
Then: close the hatch, wrap a house brick in a towel and place it on top of the closed hatch.
Then stop work and drink beer !
Next morning , connect 12v leads back to the fan , easier done from above, I had to make new terminals as the new top piece fan terminals wouldnt match the old fitting
Then back inside the van place the fly wire screen back on and you are done ! Good on you mate !