Installing Westy Ceiling Panels — Advice Needed

[HereToGo]

I figured it would be a snap installing my new ceiling panels and it sure was. I snapped the pop-top piece trying to install it last night. It broke at the rear section where it's only an inch or so wide.

How are these things installed, by putting them in the grooves and pushing straight up or fit in one groove and pressing up along the width until the second groove goes into place?

Thanks for any tips.

Ev

[Flipseat]

When I put mine in (sub hatch westy) I made the mistake of cutting out too much of the sub hatch hole. The thin strip up front cracked Good thing the trim covers it. Anyways... I would say to cut out the sub hatch (pop top?) after you install the panel. Put both ends in the rails and it'll form sort of a very curved shape... then you stand up in the bus and push up on it popping it into place. It comes pretty close to the point of breaking and can be a little scary, but thats how it goes in. Thats how I did mine.

Good luck! Its kind of a pain!
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[pyrOman]

Sorry for not offering any real help but at least I know exactly how you feel. I've done the job before, by myself, THREE times!!! It was a real farking pain in the arse and after craking the third one I opted to just leave it as it came out.

The only sound advice I'd give anyone attempting this is to buy extra panels before starting the project. You're bound to ruin one or to on the first tries so you have extras of the same type, grain, and color. I bought just what I thought I needed and when I went back for more could not find the same "shade" so I ended up with a mismatch.

Good luck!
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[HereToGo]

Thanks, guys, I think for my next attempt I'm going to 'break the backbone' by making relief cuts on the back to make it curve and pop in easier. Not too deep though, just a light score with a utility knife.

Glad I'm making these panels myself, I would hate to have broken someone elses work and I only have myself to blame.

When that panel snapped I had a Bill Shatner moment. Khaaaaann!!!

[Roamingwesty]

[Roamingwesty]

I just remembered one more thing. The headliner grooves on my westy was kinda tight, making the panel a tight fit. To coax it into lining up pefrectly with the poptop hole I used a rubber mallet, hitting the panel lightly at a sharp angle, after it was installed. If you lined it up well during step 1 and 2, you shouldn't have much adjustment left, if any.

[HereToGo]

Thanks, Roamingwesty, I'll give that a shot.

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When installing the ceiling panels make shure you install plywood strips along the top sides (inside of rain gutter). this keeps the plywood from poping out of the grove .
Another tip to make it real easy get the orig metric spec plywood.
The orig panels are alot thiner than the cheap Birch plywood that most are useing. I found a plywood co. in NY that can make the orig spec panels in the correct orig LIMBA wood. The limba plywood is alot more flexable then the commomn birch stuff going around.
I am ording some Limba panels this spring if anyone wants to go in on a orded. This will be a east coast delivery.
Ther must be a plywood co out west that can also make the panels?
The sample they sent me are a perfect match to my orig 55 westfalia panels.The limba panels have a ribon like grain that birch just cant match.
Also limba was the same wood the late 50,s Gibson flying V was made out of .and thats the holly grail of electrics with a'price to match. so it's a pretty cool wood with a great history.
BTW limba was used all the way up into the vanagons. it's the wood they use under the lamanate. Westfalia never used birch.
The early westfalia had the quater sawn limba ply wood which is the most exspensive to make . later westfails used the rotary cut limba plywood which is much cheaper to make. its the rotary cut style that looks more like birch.