What does the roof bolt screw into, though? There’s no nut behind the sheet metal, right?
Hidden awning rail under Pop-Top
- Thread starter Mike Dean
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- awning rails c-rail pop top
There is multiple layers of sheet, i very very carefully by hand screwed it down so i didn't make it pop.
Right! I see your point.
You know… following your lead on this, I’m all ready to go. And now the rail is sold out
Gazdeth
Member
Check out the hidden rail from camper essentials.co.uk. Just fitted mine. Beautifully hand finished too, screwed and bonded.Right! I see your point.
You know… following your lead on this, I’m all ready to go. And now the rail is sold out
Mike - this was a great post and answered most of the questions I was having with myself. I have the sample of the same profile you have used from funky leisure and have concluded with cutting out around my pop top hinge (west dubs - so 2 large sections) is the best discreet option for me.
One question I do have for you now that you've experienced it for 20 months or so - have you had any regrets about only having the option to use it with the pop top up? I'm thinking of a situation where you have a drive away awning up but in windy conditions you want to put the pop top down? And/or is it actually possible to put the pop top down with the kador strip still attached and running under the rubber deal of the pop top? Or is that not advisable?
Also - any issues with the profile size at all? Has been compatible with your kit ok? What beading size has worked best?
Would welcome your real world experience and any other's input. I have just bought the drive away awning and planning the best way to fit it as discreetly as possible with minimum drilling, or certainly with new drilling in non-exposed areas.
Many thanks
Rich
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Nope, none at all!
Works ok with mine, kador strip doesn't rub paintwork so seems fine
I've been using 6mm-6mm kador as per this kit from Funky Leisure - MP9511
Hi Rich,
I’ve fitted mine the same way.
It will be too windy for an awning before it’s too windy for your pop top. Learned this in February camping in Wales. Awning became a flapping parachute, pulling our pegs and dropping poles. Pop top was rock solid.
I’m wondering if I’ll ever mind the rail being under the pop top. It hasn’t been an inconvenience yet.
I’m very sure I could raise the roof just slightly, run the awning through the rail and lower, if I felt I needed to.
Very helpful thank you. Think my mind is made up!
Very useful insight, thank you @RunDSG . To think that all that wind buffeting wind and the pop top was solid. Always worries me, that!
Also great to see another photo angle proving I shouldn't be getting too worried about cutting out long sections and just relying on bonding adhesive if necessary. I think I only have one unused original bolt hole and wasn't massively excited about drilling fresh holes. Are you bonded only on this set up? What adhesive do you recommend - I've not used it before and have a rear spoiler to fit yet too.
Yea, the pop top was great. Other vans put their roofs down, and even though I’m a cautious person, we left ours up with no reason for concern. Hard to say what the wind speed was. Weather apps said gusts in the 40s but we were in the trees. We were on the beach another night with gusts in the 20s and again, no concerns.
I bounded only the rear attachment point. It didn’t hold the first time… I had compressed the joint too much when fitting the sealant and left the sealant too thin. Redid it and it’s rock solid. I used CT1.
Hi @antburt1 did you manage to attach a hidden rail with your skyline roof? Is it the aurora you have?
I've just done a hidden, no drill no screws awning rail on my T6 with an Austops roof. I used rail with the larger footprint like that sold by Wild Earth for a larger contact area, added a slight curve to follow the roof line then temporarily located and fixed it with Gorilla tape, checked for clearance then after using alcohol wipes bonded it to the roof with Sika 522 white ( top half of the van is white ).
Gorilla held it tight down to cure then I ran a bead of Sika along the visible edge after taping the roof to get clean lines, finished it with the washing up liquid in water method for a smooth finish.
It's held on so strongly I can rock the van from side to side, glad I didn't user self tappers, total cost £32 and my time.
The Wild Earth canopy with the optional extending poles is a nice bit of kit too if anyone is thinking they might want one.
Gorilla held it tight down to cure then I ran a bead of Sika along the visible edge after taping the roof to get clean lines, finished it with the washing up liquid in water method for a smooth finish.
It's held on so strongly I can rock the van from side to side, glad I didn't user self tappers, total cost £32 and my time.
The Wild Earth canopy with the optional extending poles is a nice bit of kit too if anyone is thinking they might want one.
Photos?
You got any pics? The wild earth one I've seen appears to be 50 odd quid? Did you go with separate 1m strips?
I'll post some pics when I have them, I should have thought to take some but didn't, I used 2 1.2m pieces I got from Ebay which is the same profile as the Wild Earth stuff and longer........their awnings are 2.4m so I've no idea why they would sell 1m pieces except to have you buy three and waste almost an entire strip. Also, it's not in the gutter as the Austops roof makes it too tight to get a full unbroken length in there, I went through that with camperessentials hence this simple and cheap solution.
Very interesting post and some useful info guys did anyone fit a hidden awning rail alongside a skyline Aurora yet
Yes, that’s what I’ve done. See my post above.
Cheers pal everything ok with it yeah does the rubber seal around roof not catch it when you put roof up and down also which rail did you use appreciate the help pal
Yep. Works fine. Rubber seal brushes past it on open/close but doesn’t sit next to it, so no rubbing.
I used the FunkyLeisure LWB rail for roof bars.
Cut it to fit with an angle grinder and dremel.
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