How to fix sail track to van

Vulcanick51 · Member

How to fix sail track to van

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Thanks for reporting back . One thing . It can be a fuse to break away if things go terribly wrong ., ?

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Oops ours has a big strip of valcro . All good .

Dougwe · Chief one feather

Somwhere along the line I have missed your arrival here on the forum so, welcome to the gang, enjoy here and out in the playground.

Well done Nick and thanks for getting back to the forum to let us know the outcome. Many, many times someone joins up, asks a question, then never seen again.

Keep Safe on the roads and out there.

Desert Dweller · Guru

Sikaflex is a great product, one thing to watch for though is that it goes hard in an unopened tube if kept for over 12 months.

We thought that we'd carry a tube in our emergency ''box of tricks''. Bought it from Bunnings, never opened it, went solid as a rock 12 months later.

Tried again, the same thing happened.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

I keep silicone and sikaflex in fridge, even when opened. Still as new many moons later.

Desert Dweller · Guru

Dougwe wrote:
I keep silicone and sikaflex in fridge, even when opened. Still as new many moons later.

That must be the key to keeping it in good condition Dougwe. With only a 90ltr fridge in our caravan there would be no room for a tube of Sikaflex.

Vulcanick51 · Member

I had less than 1/2 tube left and nothing else to stick, so it went in the bin

Ron-D · Guru

With sealant silicon,just leave the nozzle on whats left,and when you want to use it ,screw a new unused nozzle on the bottle the old stuff only dries in the nonzzle ,and whats left in the tube is still good...

IAN zzz · Veteran Member

Ron-D

You've stolen my thunder !!! :) :) :)

I've been doing that for many, many years ... perfect solution

Stay safe

EllieE · Newbie

Hi everyone. I've read through this thread and have a similar question, but the surface I want to attach the sail track to is different. It's the painted metal area above the sliding door of my Toyota Hiace. If the same method will work, how should I prepare the surface? Thanks in advance!

EllieE · Newbie

Please assume I know nothing and am not very practically minded.

Buzz Lightbulb · Guru

Ron-D wrote:
With sealant silicon,just leave the nozzle on whats left,and when you want to use it ,screw a new unused nozzle on the bottle the old stuff only dries in the nonzzle ,and whats left in the tube is still good...

I unscrew the nozzle, put some cling wrap over the end of the tube and carefully screw on the nozzle again to seal the cling wrap. It's kept the contents usable for many months.

Bobdown · Guru

EllieE wrote:
Hi everyone. I've read through this thread and have a similar question, but the surface I want to attach the sail track to is different. It's the painted metal area above the sliding door of my Toyota Hiace. If the same method will work, how should I prepare the surface? Thanks in advance!

Maybe it will work, but with some sort of rivet at the ends and in the middle as backup. Are you planning on installing a full rollout awning or just a removeable sail shade?

Maybe the big green shed might have some advice or Mr Google. Good luck.

Cheers Bob

EllieE · Newbie

Thanks Rob. Sorry for being tardy. I went ahead with this, actually a couple of fellas generously did it for me. As it turns out, they did as you suggested - sikaflex plus 3 rivets (maybe more but I think it's 3 without looking). It's for adding an Oztent RV3 connector. I initially thought it would add strength in strong winds, but these fellas advised against having it set up in strong winds. It will essentially just prevent rain from coming in between the van and the tent.

Regards, Ellen