after putting off the replacement of my slightly tired canvass I eventually bit the bullet. I managed to drop on what I think is a good quality canvass from a really nice genuine guy called Mcgill...from rate up North!
I spied a chance of a bright sunny February afternoon and lined up the tools.....this is what happened. Hope it helps someone else to tackle this "not so bad" job.
Tools
Number 1 son.
number 1 phillips for the bottom trim screws
bigger phillips for the top trim screws
adjustable prop
spike to cut the holes in the canvass
10mm spanner to realease the h frame mounting
stanley knife...maybe
drill and 2mm bit...for when you break some screws
Materials
a decent new canvas that fits
spare screws big and small for when you drop / break some.
silicone seal for sealing the trim to body contour (still to do)
Method
take pictures of what you have as the original starting point ...just as a reference.
this is my current original ?? canvass with a couple of patches from 5 years ago
we then layed out the nice new canvass ensuring that it was the correct way up....
as you can see...we started to strip out the trim to release the old canvass.....we placed the trim next to the canvass so we new which bit came from where...allthough you cant go far wrong.
we started on the bottom trims...putting the screws in a little pot as we went.
the back is awkward due to space...
once all the bottom and top trim is off....and organised for refitt you have to remove the H fram top mounts to release the old canvass. 2 x nuts removed with 10mm spanner left side....and hooch the old canvass over....replace the bracket. Then repeat for the right side.
just be careful that the roof does not drop and hit you...its really heavy.
this bit is best done with 2 people.
then take your new canvas...in the right orientation and pass it over the H frame using the same right then left process. Refit the nuts and secure...replace the grey caps. my brackets are horrible and rusty and will soon be replaced with nice new stainless steel ones.
we then started at the top front.
we marked the centre of roof and canvass and proceeded to make a small hole in the rubber edging and pop the screw thru aluminium trim and canvass......we then fixed the first screw in the centre hole on the roof.
we then worked one screw left and one screw right until we had secured the canvas at the front top. The corners are a bit tricky as you need to wrap them around the trim....and secure. a bit like wrapping presents.
we then fitted the left side long top trim....one screw at a time. pulling the canvass a little to take up the slack before piercing and screwing into the holes. it gets a little awkward as you get to the back due to space....but nothing too hard. its an upside down job though! repeat for the other side. I would say each side takes about half an hour ?
we then fitted the back strip....and the canvass was "hanging" but attached.
We then took an adjustable prop and lowered the roof by a little so that we were not fighting the tension.
we then started to fit the front lower trim.
this bit is quick and easy apart from the corners....which are a pain.
we decided not to cut the edging...but instead to just tuck it to ensure it fitted and looked neat. Cutting maybe a better option....Im still not sure....i just thought cutting was a bit "final"
we fitted the front...and then quickly moved on to the left and right bottom trims. again you have to work 1 screw at a time...piercing, pulling and making sure everything lines up before screwing thru the canvas into the van bodywork.
the left and right corners were a struggle. we found it best to fit the left side corner....leave all of the centre screws out....then fit the oposite corner....and then fit the easier centre screws. this bit was trial and error and took a couple of goes to get it right.
in all it took us 4 and a half hours. My son did 90% of the work...I held bits...pulled the canvass and passed screws mostly.
the front is quite tight...and the sides look good to me. I left it raised all night so that all the creases might drop out. It looks flatter next morning.
anyhow...its done.
