At last, the van is finally completed! This week the awning was added and I think it looks great. Fitting a professional awning can be hundreds of pounds and normally requires the awning to be fitted before lining the van as the brackets are bolted through the side panels. I didn’t even consider the idea of an awning until halfway through the build and therefore decided to create my own without having to strip the inside of my van and drill holes in it.
For my individual (bodged) awning I bought a good quality 5m x 3m green tarpaulin with eyelets in the sides, a pair of 2m tent poles and a few small steel tabs to mount the awning from. The first step was to weld the tabs in position securely below the water channel above the side door:
- Grind off the paint: Use a wire brush drill attachment or angle grinder to remove the paint locally where the first bracket will go. Cover nearby windows beforehand to protect the glass.
- Prep the surface: Dry and degrease the surface, use newspaper and masking tape to protect the van paintwork and prep for welding.
- Tack the bracket: One at a time, tack the brackets in position ensuring that the gaps between the tarp ringlets will fit between each one without being too loose. Repeat the process until all brackets (4 in my case) are tacked in place.
- Finish the welds: Complete the welds before priming and painting to protect from rust.
It took two of us (thanks Tom) about 3 hours to complete the work in the pouring rain but the results are great and the welds are solid. I can now bolt through the eyelets to secure the awning in place, position the tent poles and peg in the guy ropes, job done. The resulting awning is much bigger than can usually be found on the side of a camper and gives an additional side for more protection from the weather – all for around £50 in total. It does however take longer to put up/take down and must be stored inside the van.
No comments:
Post a Comment