Westy High top interior panel removal

[Hacksawbob]

Has anyone got an idea of the way to remove the side and rear interior panels? I am replacing the insulation but to remove the sides does the entire bed and bed runner pieces on the side need to come out too?

[kervinmervin]

..you've worried me now looking at the pictures, its been so long that I'm starting to forget how it goes back together - anyway.

From memory the the runner pieces and metal cover plates need to come out. The black bracket supports the runners and is bolted through the ply panel. The square piece stapled to the ply spaces the runner channels and the screws/bolts pass through this.



I think the panel with the light in, is just supported by the galvanised angle section, but may be fixed under the bed?



It seems to be the same fixing under the bed, the metal cover plate looks like it sits on top of the brown laminated panel and lips and bolts over the small strip at the bottom of the runner and cover panel.




On the picture below, the strip at the bottom of the runner panel is fixed along the bottom of both the panels (one with slider and cover panel at end) from underneath and slightly overlaps supporting the end cover plate.



On a plus note the bed base can stay in and the lights come out easy!!



Hope this helps, let me know if you need better pictures, good luck

[Hacksawbob]

Nice one thanks I'll take a closer look at that runner section. do the ply squares stapled to the panels have anything behind them? ie on the other hidden side of the panel? from what I can see the runners have the main attachment to the roof near the flourescent light above the door, and the two screws to the rear are just there to hold them in place and stop them flapping, is there another load bearing point under/behind the runner panel in the rear bed section?

[kervinmervin]

Yes the ply wood panels I think hide a pop rivet, riveting the panel to the galvanised steel sub frame. The slim strip of ply at the base of the runner panel has a notch for the black bracket to support the weight of the runner panels. The runners are fixed by the screws all the way along the channel (nylon roller channel) and just two in the end panel fixing to the sub frame. The other end sits on top of the bed.


more detail


two screws in the end panel as well



does that help?

[Hacksawbob]

Thats great thanks, I think mine may differ slightly its an 88-89 and possibly later than yours. I was trying to work down from the bed but it seems you need to work upwards as each layer hides the next. My skylights rurned out to be OK so the leak is probably gutter related. I may leave this for another day and concentrate on just the roof panel repair far more involved than I had hoped just for a bit of insulation replacement!

[Hacksawbob]

OK just in case anyone searches for this in future Westfalia high top hightop high-top interior trim removal

This is a partial removal of the panels to check for leaks in the roof vent or repair roof damage. This procedure will remove the top two panels and the rear one.

1. remove both roof vent surrounds there are about 10 long wood screws under plastic caps including the one that holds the winder handle on. Use a stanley knife to pop the covers off, And remove the surround.

2. unscrew the front curtain 2 scrwes either end then bend the clips slightly to get the track out.

3. There is a rubber seal around the front edge of the forward top interior panel, it just pulls off.

4. front top panel should now be able to slide it forward so it is no longer held in the centre plastic connecting strip only on the two sides. you can then bend it and it will pop out.



5. you should be able to now see the rivets that hold the middle edging strip in drill them out. This will allow the rear trim to slide forward and like the front piece did pull down front and rear the panel will pop out.

6. The rear section needs the rear most horizontal retaining strip that was holding the top panel in drilling out rivets, be careful you dont over drill and put a hole in your roof! a bit of wood to catch the drill bit may be a good idea.

7. drill out 3 rivets along bottom of rear panel, it will now slide up and pop out.

This is as far as I got, I managed to remove the side insulation and put a webcam down to see if there was any corrosion it was clean so I am going to blast it with a bit of dinitrol in there, refill the insulation with thermawrap and put it back together.

It might be possible to remove the rivets from the frame that the panels attach too. there is a right angled piece as the outer frame. Then riveted to that there is an edging strip to hold each panel in place, one in each orientation where perpendicular panels meet, there are two edging strips at right angles to hold them.