Here's a link to�my slideshow on the slider screen my bride sewed. We already had the grey vinyl left over from her having made a Westy-matching dog bed from the vinyl and fleece.� I highly recommend the magnetic closure since you can make a run for the door with hands full while being pursued by mosquitoes and enter the van with no delay and no trouble.

Stephen

Picasa Web Albums - Stephen - Westy slider ...

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Picasa Web Albums - Stephen - Westy slider ...
Photos by Stephen, Jun 7, 2010  
View on picasaweb.google.com Preview by Yahoo  
 
� 

On Sunday, August 24, 2014 2:20 PM, Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET> wrote:
  

I too have both rear and slider screens.� The rear is factory, using existing snaps.� No installation involved, and fit is VW perfect.� Could not be better.� Slider is GoWesty.� Came with excellent instructions.� Installed exactly per instructions.� Pitiful fit, pitiful in use.� Do you know what May Beetles are (called June bugs in some parts of the country).� They can and do get in.� So, mosquitos have no problem at all.� The screen is better than not having one, but certainly is not perfect.� We modified it to close down the center with velcro rather than a zipper, and stitched the two halves together at the top.� Both helped some, but it is still not what it should (and is advertised to) be.� mcneely

---- Brett Ne <brettn777@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> I've been away from the list for a while, so I hope that this response is
> not too late.� I also have an 82 and I installed the rear and sliding door
> screens this spring.� If you're anywhere near the Portland, OR area, I'd be
> happy to show you where I located snaps.� I put off installing the screens
> for over a year because of the lack of instructions and the fact that the
> screens are rather ill fitting.� On top of that, Albert is a Riviera, and
> the cabinetry is rather different than the Westies, so I couldn't just copy
> what someone else had done.� Oh, and the first screw I put in for the rear
> screen went right through the sheet metal into the rain channel for the
> rear hatch...not a good start!
>
> The first thing that I did was to take both screens to a seamstress to
> create a better fit.� The rear screen was much too wide, so I had both
> vinyl side edgings folded over and stitched to the netting.� I had
> something similar done to the leading edge (towards the front of the van)
> of the side screen at the top to help it fit around the bulge of the door
> track.� Before committing to these changes, I spent a lot of time taping
> the screens in place to help figure out how to make things fit better.
> Don't think of these screens like some kind of factory part that was
> carefully engineered to bolt in place; think of them as an oversized
> garment that needs to be fitted to make it work.
>
> On the side screen, I attached the rear edge first, as it was the most
> straightforward, and worked my way along the top towards the leading edge.
> The most important part of the fit is how the bottom edge meets the floor.
> It should just barely graze the floor.� Too high, and bugs can get through;
> too low, and the screen will bunch up at the bottom and create gaps for
> bugs to get through.� To install each snap, I held the screen where I
> wanted it to be and pushed a thumbtack through the vinyl and dug a small
> gouge into the van to show where to drill the hole.� Leave the thumbtack in
> the vinyl while you drill the hole into the van.�  Then pull the thumbtack
> out and drill a hole through the vinyl where the thumbtack was so that it
> will be easier to push the post of the snap through.� Screw the male part
> of the snap into the van, and use the provided tools to attach the female
> part of the snap to the vinyl.� Snap the screen in place where you just
> installed the snaps and move to the next location on the that edge and
> repeat.� You will want a good selection of drill bits to choose from.� The
> sheetmetal is reinforced and thicker in some spots & will require a bigger
> hole so that you don't break the screw while turning it.� If you're putting
> a screw into cabinetry, use a much smaller screw so that the threads can
> bite into the wood more deeply and provide a good grip.� You are likely to
> break a couple of screws & may be going to the hardware store for
> replacements.
>
> So, tape the screen into place(or have a helper hold it there) and
> determine the location of the first snap in the top corner of the trailing
> edge being mindful of how the bottom edge meets the floor.� Once that snap
> is installed, work you way down the trailing edge until you get to the
> bottom.� As I recall, the metal is fairly thick here because it's the main
> structural pillar that makes up for the large door opening(you'll find the
> same thing on the leading edge of the door opening.� I always have the
> screen attached with at least the two previous snaps before marking the
> location of a new one.� As you're working your way down, the vinyl can be
> stretched or compressed if needed to adjust how the screen meets the
> floor.� Near the floor, I put two snaps fairly close together as I figured
> they would see the most strain.� There's no exact place the screws need to
> go; just split the snaps up between trailing, leading, and top edges and
> space them out as you see fit.� Once you have the the traling edge in
> place, work your way across the top.� Along the top edge, you'll be
> drilling into the ventilation tube, which is thinner sheetmetal than the
> pillars & you can use a slightly smaller drill bit than is used on the side
> pillars.� If you drill higher up� than the ventilation tubing, you'll drill
> through the roof, and that's a no-no.� As you work across, always be
> mindful of how the screen meets the floor.� When you get close to the spot
> where the sliding door channel curves inward, stop.� Now start with the
> leading edge near the floor and install a snap, being mindful as always of
> how the screen meets the floor, and also being mindful that that screen is
> pulled a little bit tight� from side to side.� Continue working your way up
> the leading edge.� When you get towards the top, it gets to be a bit of a
> headache.� The inward travel of the upper door track creates a 3
> dimensional demand on a 2 dimensional surface, and there's no way that
> you're going to make it look pretty.� Just play around with it and install
> snaps in such a way as to minimize gaps in the screen.
>
> The job takes a while, but it's really not too bad once you're underway.
> And the results are fantabulous!� When you have the hatch open, sliding
> door open, and top popped open, all with screens, you have great
> ventilation & views with no bugs(okay, at least not too many bugs).� It
> really creates a spacious feel
>
>
> Brett
>
>
>
> Brett in Portland, OR
> "Albert" '82 VanaFox I4 Riviera

--
David McNeely