I have 2 pieces of plastic, made from cutoff's of that wavy translucent
fiberglass sheeting used for decks & simple carport/shed/roof/covers,
...mine was trimmed from a new aircraft hanger door.... anyway... I then
trimmed them on my bandsaw to 12" x 12"... at that size they fit under the
bench on top of the heater and take up no space...the way I use them
is...(with the poptop down)
one of the curved edges goes up under the edge of the poptop, then the other
curve rests on the rain gutter, and sticks out over the windows on each
side, it even allows you to open and close the sliding door without being
removed.... have to be careful... people walking by close to your van in the
dark (like coming back from visiting that call of nature in the night) can
run into the edge sticking out... I relieved (rounded) those edges on mine,
but it's still thin material... with the skylight cracked and these windows
with awnings open, it makes for a cooler van in warmer rainy weather.... and
even thought I love the ride and maneuverability of my Syncro.. I miss the
jalousie windows on my Champagne edition 78 Westy.
Rob
87 Westy SyncroGL.....Cynosure 79k km
Moonstone Ont.
rountree@planeteer.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Macaulay <smacaulay@INFINTIUM.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Date: Monday, March 15, 1999 2:04 PM
Subject: Sliding side window mini-awning / rain deflector ideas?

>Last weekend while camping in my 89 westy in the rain, I started wondering
>about fabricating some sort of side window mini-awning / rain deflector
that
>would allow me to open the sliding side windows above the sink and the
>sliding door while it was raining without worrying about the water coming
>inside the van.  I was wondering if anyone on the list has come up with a
>neat idea on a quick on/off non-permanent attachment that works for them.
>One VW friend of mine mentioned that he justs fastens a quick-and-easy
>awning out of thin foil whenever he needs one and molds it on to the window
>seal.  Anybody have any better ideas?
>
>I was also wondering if it is possible to replace the 80s-era sliding side
>windows with the 70s-era bus hand-crank split window.   Anybody tried this?
>This seems like a nice "always available" option that would allow me to
keep
>the vents cranked open in the rain.
>
>All ideas appreciated,
>
>Steve
>
>89 Westy
>