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Mon Sep 22, 2003 9:28 am

I am about to buy some material to make some curtains for my bus and i was going to ask about good colors to match with a orange bus. and i also need to know a good setup and just the best way to hook them up without damaging anything.

_Doug) :?:

Mon Sep 22, 2003 4:22 pm

The westies use an aluminum flat bar, maybe 1/16" x 3/8" or so, with rolled edges (kinda mushroomed (===) ) like that. The bar is just screwed in at the ends, and slightly bent at each end ho make a space between it and the van. The back window has a bar on the bottom too, so the cutain doesn't hang down when the hatch is open, and the rear side windows have a cable streched across the bottom that we can tuck the bottom of the curtains behind. There is also a strip of wood trim, maybe 2 1/2 - 3 inches wide hiding most of the curtain rods. As to colours, choose whatever you'd like. One thing to consider is sun bleaching, so you might want to make an outer lining, out of a cheap, white or very light fabric, maybe (less expensive), and then an inner curtain of your chosen colour, or else ask and get some fabric that will specifically resist fading in direct sunlight. Jeremy

ps we did up a '78 in bright orange with pastel white on top, with some dark green cabinets, some natural birch paneling, and white curtains. Looked great!

Mon Sep 22, 2003 5:15 pm

Search the swap meets and junkyards for the Westy aluminum curtain rods. They are very pricey if you have to purchase them brand new. That is the best way to go. Having said that, I ghetto rigged a set using bungee cords and I was happy. I often got compliments for my hawaiian print curtains. More a statement of my wife's ability to sew than my curtain set-up. I went to the local boaters supply store and got very thin bungee cord by the foot. It was cheap. Then I got ring-end electrical connectors from the Ace hardware store and crimped them to the ends of the bungee cords. The hardware store also carried Ace brand hooks that are stamped out of sheet metal and sit fairly flush. I screwed the hooks down to the interior sheet metal approx 6 inches above the windows. Don't try to have one long run of cord or you will get sag. You should overlap the cords by about 6 inches in total where 2 cord sections come together so the curtains can close all the way.

Since that time I got a new headliner so I took my curtains down. I am looking for a set of Westie curtain rods on the cheap so I can replace the curtains. If that doesn't pan out, I will put back the bungee cords.

Best hint is go to the nearest big-city wholesale fabric district you can find and look for your curtain meterial, you will save a lot of money that way. Here in Los Angeles we have a huge wholesale fabric district that you can shop in. Your head will spin with all the fabric choices.

Tue Sep 23, 2003 8:19 pm

I've had VW Campers for over 25 years, and I have replaced the curtains quite a bit. I have made a few mistakes. Feel free to learn from them:

Cotton fades and wrinkles almost immediately and rots soon thereafter.
Nylon doesn't rot or wrinkle, but it fades quickly.
Sunbrella doesn't fade, rot or wrinkle, but it costs over $10 a yard.
If you can afford it, get Sunbrella.

Tue Sep 23, 2003 8:47 pm

This applies here, a good shot of the interior, including curtains.

Fri Sep 26, 2003 3:09 pm

i have a set of rods, all but the slider rod that is that you can have for 20$, includes the stretchy one that goes the entire length of the drivers side