Sliding Interior Roof Panel ???

[xpfloyd]

OK, had a better look at mine just now. Theres actually a small groove/rebate below the roof bed that I can fit a sliding panel in -







Small issue I have realised it that the black metal thing I attach the straps to is too low down but I reckon I can relocate this higher -



Heres my current setup with the SCA thermal cover. It does the job but doesnt look great and sags a bit -

 

[xpfloyd]

So my revised thoughts are - relocate the metal loop that the straps attach to, remove the thermal cover, make a plywood slide panel that fits in the small rebate (ill measure but 4mm or 6mm plus carpet should work). Im now thinking I dont need to attach it to the roof bed at all, I can just sit it in place in the opened position, lower the roof, fix the holding down straps then slide the panel forward over the gap. When I open the roof I can either leave it in the forward position (to act as a shelf of sorts) or lift it out completely and stow it somewhere (maybe just lie it on the bed itself when the bed is up

 

[Ayjay]

@xpfloyd. Two thoughts on that (if I may):

At a metre(ish) wide, a sheet of 4mm ply wouldn't really bear much of a load even if it was covered in 4 way stretch carpet. With 2 short sides and one long side supported by the frame, the remaining edge will always be a weak point if anything weighty goes too close to it (BUT I'm not basing that on any professional knowledge).

Even covered in carpet, I doubt 4mm ply would have much sound insulating capability. My van is definitely quiter with the cover in place and I put that at least in part down to the 18mm timber under the carpet covering.

 

[xpfloyd]

Agree on both points

I wouldnt actually use it as a shelf, I just might leave it in position when the roof is up. With regards to sound my existing cover is crap in that regard anyway so im ok with no improvement. Im limited in thickness due to the rebate dimension, if I go down the 18mm route I would need to rethink how it attaches and where it sits. Its hard to see in your photos but you seem to have a groove I dont that the thicker panel can slide inside.

 

[xpfloyd]

Just measured the depth of the rebate there and its actually 15mm so thinking 12mm plus carpet should do the trick nicely

 

[Ayjay]

@xpfloyd. What depth are you measuring? When the roof is up on mine, the strengthening frame of the roof gives a level and flat area about 6 cm wide on both long sides. IIRC, the bed board is 20mm (sorry, don't know the material) which indicates that I could have got away with the same thickness hatch cover. My roof is a West Dubs and of course, all roofs are different but I always thought that most of them also had space to leave at least a thin mattress or similar in place when the roof was down. As I said, we never use the roof for sleeping so no mattress is present and that's the extra room that I need to push the bed board up and slide the cover back under it.
Back to using 4mm ply, I was wrong in saying that there would be just one unsupported side - on mine at least, it would be only the two short sides supported and on that basis, I doubt 4mm would bear much more than a couple of bog rolls!
Also, I've decided that the grey handles stay as they give me the option to put the roof up with bed board and the cover on top it - the handles stop it sliding all the way down.

 

[xpfloyd]

Hi @Ayjay , maybe wasnt explaining myself properly so heres a marked up photo. The panel will be supported on 3 sides when closed as the rebate runs along the front edge too. I need the panel to be able to slide back when the roof bed is down so that I can get into the holding down straps to put the roof up. Once the roof is up I can simply lift the panel out and stow elsewhere or slide it back to the front/closed position out of the way. If it didnt need to slide under the roof bed it could be much thicker and sit on the frame like the roof bed does

 

[DXX]

I’d have two concerns about fitting a piece of ply above the cab seats
1. It will act like a drum unless damped and amplify the wind noise.
2. Wearing it in the event of an accident.

 

[Ayjay]

Looking at all the pictures, to my simple mind the groove is irrelevant as the board can just sit flush on the same 'shelf' as the main bed board. Unless I'm wrong and you can't do that for some reason, I reckon my approach would also look better as you would the two boards sitting flush but it's your van! Whatever route you choose, I reckon that it would look better than the piece of material that's doing the job at the moment. Whatever you do good luck and keep us posted.

 

[xpfloyd]

The carpet will take any noise away and once it’s in that rebate it physically can’t come out. It will be in the same position as the proper SCA one that comes with the newer roofs

 

[xpfloyd]

Looking at all the pictures, to my simple mind the groove is irrelevant as the board can just sit flush on the same 'shelf' as the main bed board. Unless I'm wrong and you can't do that for some reason, I reckon my approach would also look better as you would the two boards sitting flush but it's your van! Whatever route you choose, I reckon that it would look better than the piece of material that's doing the job at the moment. Whatever you do good luck and keep us posted.

The only way I could do this is to cut big holes to access the straps (SCA straps in different position). I wouldn’t be able to pull the roof down though as the board would have to be in place first, I need to pull the roof 3/4 of the way down then tug the tent both sides to ensure it doesn’t snag the mechanism then fully close. So my only option is a sliding panel so I can do all that first then close the panel

 

[mlh677]

Having finally got around to profiling and carpeting a sliding cover I just wanted to say thanks to you guys for providing the inspiration which led to a re-think of my originally intended approach to making a sliding hatch cover and bed extension.

To keep things simple I decided to try for a hatch cover which is effectively 'captive' and slides between topside of bed-board and underside of mattress. After playing around for a few days I added a couple of channels to the profile shown in the photos so as to keep the hatch centralised when sliding, and I will probably fit a recessed handle at some point in the future if I decide to keep "as is".

Otherwise, I just went for a very simple solution for the bed-board extension which can either remain 'in-situ' or be stored in the roof when travelling (and it also works with the sliding cover to enable further extension of the roof bed). Also now carpeted and I am pleased with how it has turned out. The only problem now is that I may need to carpet underside of the roof bed itself at some point.

 

[DXX]

If you are going to cook in the van I would advise carpeting the bed board, steam rises and it could get damp.

 

[xpfloyd]

If you are going to cook in the van I would advise carpeting the bed board, steam rises and it could get damp.

Do you mean “wouldn’t” advise? I’ve got an un-carpeted bed board and cook in the van all the time and haven’t had a steam issue

Edit - having said that the bed board is normally raised when I cook now that I think about it

 

[DXX]

Do you mean “wouldn’t” advise? I’ve got an un-carpeted bed board and cook in the van all the time and haven’t had a steam issue

Edit - having said that the bed board is normally raised when I cook now that I think about it

Yes, sorry my typo. I occasionally cook with the roof down and I have a smooth (melamine?) bottom on the bed board. I get some condensation there because it isn’t always possible to open the windows / door in bad weather.
If the pop top is up and ventilated it shouldn’t be a big issue.

 

[mlh677]

Yes, sorry my typo. I occasionally cook with the roof down and I have a smooth (melamine?) bottom on the bed board. I get some condensation there because it isn’t always possible to open the windows / door in bad weather.
If the pop top is up and ventilated it shouldn’t be a big issue.

Good catch... I have the same experience with the bed board and cooking; I was on the same wavelength as DXX earlier and must have flipped the words in my head without even realising!!!

 

[xpfloyd]

Gotcha, I considered carpeting my bed board but I like the fact it’s easy cleaned (and doesn’t involve me spraying spray glue inside the finished camper )

 

[BuzzardBoy]

resurrecting this thread! does anyone know if "interslider camping wizard" are still trading? I cant find them on facebook/google and was keen to see their solution before embarking on any DIY options.......anyone who can help?

 

[Martinsdub]

I built mine as a slider below the pop bed ( so in the van) using shower panel fix aluminium strips approx 9mm depth then got a piece of ply cut to fit inside the runners.. when happy with fitment I just covered it with grey cloth ( same as walls) and added handles. This is virtually the same as Skyline roof do bur they used thicker ply sheet to stop warping and router the edges to fir the slide rains.

 

[Dale]

It's a shame one cannot buy (at least I can't find one) an sliding cover like that fitted to the California.
IMO a properly made and fitted cover makes one's Campervan look truly finished.
Think I'll have to make one for my T6 with a Reimo roof.