Van X Non Screw Awning Rail

[Carbon13]

Hi mate. I have just bought an S+S multirail and I'm looking to bond it on and not use screws. Can you give any tips or info as to how you did it? The rail is flat and straight and it looks like the screws help to form it to the van. Did you bend the rail first and if so how did you do it? Also, how did you keep the rail clamped to the van whilst the adhesive went off? Cheers.

Mines happily bonded under the pop top on the van not in the gutter. Bent it every so slightly to match the contour of the van, triple checked its position, bonded with Sikaflex, held in place overnight with Guerilla tape. I used normal aluminium caravan rail. Holds a Khyam Pro4 inflatable awning just fine. Don't get fooled into spending hundreds if you are just having an awning and don't puncture the van with screws in a position you can't then use rust prevention to stop corrosion.

 

[Bakes]

Mines happily bonded under the pop top on the van not in the gutter. Bent it every so slightly to match the contour of the van, triple checked its position, bonded with Sikaflex, held in place overnight with Guerilla tape. I used normal aluminium caravan rail. Holds a Khyam Pro4 inflatable awning just fine. Don't get fooled into spending hundreds if you are just having an awning and don't puncture the van with screws in a position you can't then use rust prevention to stop corrosion.

Hi mate. Thanks for the reply. So you have the c section awning rail that fits in the gutter? I have the multi rail that is supposed to be screwed to the side of the van at the top. I imagine that the awning rail is way easier to work with and shape than the multi rail. The multirail is a proper lump of aluminium. I guess I'm going to have to get creative in trying to bend it and somehow hold it tight enough to the van once I've put the bond on. I could potentially ratchet strap it round the van maybe. I just definitely dont want to screw it on!

 

[NikkiPotnick]

Mines happily bonded under the pop top on the van not in the gutter. Bent it every so slightly to match the contour of the van, triple checked its position, bonded with Sikaflex, held in place overnight with Guerilla tape. I used normal aluminium caravan rail. Holds a Khyam Pro4 inflatable awning just fine. Don't get fooled into spending hundreds if you are just having an awning and don't puncture the van with screws in a position you can't then use rust prevention to stop corrosion.

Do you have a link to the rail you used please? I'm having a nightmare trying to find a solution for my Westdubs poptop. And like you said I'm really reluctant to screw into the outside of the van. Thanks

 

[Carbon13]

Do you have a link to the rail you used please? I'm having a nightmare trying to find a solution for my Westdubs poptop. And like you said I'm really reluctant to screw into the outside of the van. Thanks

Pardon our interruption...

This is the exact rail I used, not in the gutter but on the van body, on the curve of the roof and fits mm perfect under an Austop roof. Measure 3 times, bend the front section slightly over your knee, if you don't get the joins perfectly in line the connector might snag but a couple of strokes with a file solves that. The top of my van is white so a little visible white bonding glue doesn't matter to me, if your van is coloured you might want to mask it for a clean finish.

 

[NikkiPotnick]

Pardon our interruption...

This is the exact rail I used, not in the gutter but on the van body, on the curve of the roof and fits mm perfect under an Austop roof. Measure 3 times, bend the front section slightly over your knee, if you don't get the joins perfectly in line the connector might snag but a couple of strokes with a file solves that. The top of my van is white so a little visible white bonding glue doesn't matter to me, if your van is coloured you might want to mask it for a clean finish.

Thanks for the detailed info. I think this is the right route for me to go down now.
I guess I could use any leftover adhesive for a new spoiler .

 

[middle-englander]

Do you have a link to the rail you used please? I'm having a nightmare trying to find a solution for my Westdubs poptop. And like you said I'm really reluctant to screw into the outside of the van. Thanks

Depending on how your awning hinges sit you may be able to use something like this in the gutter. Search for 'hidden awning rail' on here.

I installed one on my SWB with Skyline pop top this weekend. Three of the four existing gutter holes were available so I didn't have to add any. I had to cut away a little section for the strut.

I did however have to cut away a very large section at the back and the awning rail wasn't long enough to extend past the back of the pop top hinge. This meant that I couldn't screw it in so tried to use OB1 to stick the last bit down. It didn't stick at all despite me clamping it. It will see some action in a couple of weeks so I'll see if it needs tending to.