Vapor Barrier Replacement How-To

[lostsailr]

I just finished (mostly...more later) the passenger door and this thread was invaluable. I found 6 mil plastic at Lowes, although I had to buy a lot more than needed. I'm sure I'll make use of it. Have the driver side, slider and rear hatch panel, so some is already earmarked. I took out the speaker and did not cut a hole in the new panel (Bust Depot) and am removing all stereo equipment. (Bluetooth portable speaker for simplicity and less battery drain).
I covered the basic panel with vinyl from a boat supply company, I think.
I didn't add any batting between panel and vinyl, as the original didn't seem to have any, but it does leave the back of the clips showing through the vinyl.

Oh, and the new clips I got were also larger and crimping in one side seems to have made them functional. I'm not sure which auto vender on Amazon I got them from, but not very close to OEM
Mistakes to improve for next door...
1) Don't let the tiny metal screw support on the latch-pull fall behind the panel (oh brother).

2) don't let parts sit too long and misplace the plastic cup from inside the latch pull (I know it's around here somewhere, LOL)

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The Bus came by and I got on, that's where it all began!

[busdaddy]

Krafty!, too bad you have to modify new parts to begin with though, where'd you buy those so others are warned?
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Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

Please don't PM technical questions, ask your problem in public so everyone can play along. If you think it's too stupid post it here
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[mcdonaldneal]

So, some of my old door clips were corroded or broken, so I had ordered new ones along with the rubber plugs.
I tried fitting the door card with all new clips, but they wouldn’t seat properly at all.
The old ones are brassy coloured, and the new ones silver. You can see that the ‘wings’ of the originals taper in at the end so that they can grip inside the rubber grommet. The new ones are parallel sided, so don’t grip at all!
I found a way of bending the tips (which are pretty stiff) by putting the tip of a torx wrench inside, heating with a blow torch and then nipping the tips in with pincer type pliers. Unfortunately, the whole clip is pretty fragile and so I ended up destroying as many as I altered, by snapping them in half!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

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[mcdonaldneal]

I have just finished this job on both doors. It took me an age, but I was in no rush! Part of the reason it took so long was that I cleaned and serviced the door locks and check straps, and repainted the inside of the doors while I had it all exposed. (and went abroad for 10 weeks!)
Some top tips that might add to this thread:
I struggled to get thick enough plastic sheeting but I eventually found 36”x48” clear plastic rubble sacks (super heavy duty garbage bags). They were 0.006” (0.15mm) thick and after trying a few adhesive tapes I secured the inner flap with greenhouse/poly tunnel repair tape.
I made a couple of extra cuts in the template and reinforced them with the clear tape: one for the door opening rod, and one for the strut of the window mechanism (1977 bay).
I secured the plastic to the door with strong double sided tape. It sticks completely to the door, but the plastic sheet will peel off if needed.
I warmed the rubber grommets in hot water before fitting, and used the ball end of an Allen wrench to poke them into the holes in the door. Guide holes were made with an awl/spike.
End result seems good. Tight, tough sheet with no holes to let water through. I’ll post the problem I had with the door clips separately!

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1978 marino yellow Bay Dormobile camper
1969 signal orange Karmann Ghia convertible
1976 martini olive Bay Dormobile camper

Stop dead photo links! Post photos to The Samba Gallery!

[hometurbine]

Hello all,
as an update to this thread. I just finished my doors and did as Tcash shows in the prior picture (factory), except the following:
1) I used butyl rubber sealant tape (Fabral metal wall sealant tape from Home Depot- $5 for 40 feet- 1/4 inch wide)
2) I taped the flap instead of gluing. We'll see how it holds up.
The key item was that I wanted to be able to take the vapor barrier on and off as I assumed I'd be in there many times. It turns out I had to take the panels off to fix things 3 times, so good decision.

Key things to remember:
1) I had to add a seal around the vent (I forgot initially- see yellow line)
2) Make sure that for a '75 the blue slider is in there before the panel
3) I used Werksberg panels, so not even sure if vapor barrier was necessary, since they are plastic, but erred on the side of caution.
4) Make sure you look at the vapor barrier package before you buy. I thought I was getting clear but ended up with black. Didn't feel like returning it.

Pics
Initial bead (added more around vent- yellow line)

Vapor barrier cut-out (used packing tape to attach flap)

Vaper barrier installed (don't forget to cut-out around vent like shown in Tcash's pic

Close to the final product (except the cut-out for vent and the sliding lever should be there- recall I screwed up the first time).

Finally don't put the bead at the very edge as it will squeeze out, so pull it in a little from the edge.

Bill
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Bill
'75 Westy Bus with Subaru EJ25 engine
GE CT58-100 helicopter gas turbine
Tiernay TT10 APU gas turbine

[Tcash]

Behind a door card, showing uncut original vapor barrier:

[Xevin]

Will be taking on this job soon. Just snooping for updates on how some of these ideas mentioned are holding up.

Ray, what about EVA shower curtain liners (I realize “V” in there). What about Thermoplastic sheets? I can procure those products cheap in reasonable quantities. Where is a good place to get polyethylene film for this project? The carpet liner/protector idea is intriguing. But I’ll go with whatever just works.

[ivwshane]

When I did my door I use some 3m acrylic double sided tape.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tape-4910-width-length-Roll...&psc=1

Its comes in different sizes and I recommend the thinnest one that's about 1/4" wide. Its repositionable so long as its clean but can be cleaned with soap and water and after drying out will stick again.
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77 westy 2.0 FI
69 ghia coup 1600dp
70 single cab

[ewdb92]

[surfbus23]

Ok. Thanks all for the help. Final question. Does this get attached to anything or just float free? I got varying impressions. I know Colin used a clip on his, but if you clip it down wouldn't that affect airflow when the vent is open?

[ewdb92]

[Himejii]

[surfbus23]

Ok. I think I got it now. How far down does the flap extend?

Edit: I guess what I'm asking is there is the narrow end of the door that has another opening and does the flap need to cover the backside of that opening as well?

[ewdb92]

[Himejii]

The flap goes inside the door, so that water that gets inside runs to the bottom where it drains out instead of getting between the plastic and the metal.

[surfbus23]

I'm about to cut out some vapor barriers, but I'm having trouble understanding what the flap looks like. How is the flap different than just a single sheet covering the entire door? I see where the top attaches, but where does is the bottom supposed to go?

Thanks!

[Amskeptic]

[Himejii]

Finally got mine done today. Used the Krylon repositionable. Note to self: ignore the directions and apply liberally. A "light mist" is not enough, at least for 6mil poly. But it all worked out in the end. I used the most expensive gaskets and clips they had at CIP (used my original clips where they weren't broken). The gaskets were waxed already so I didn't feel the need to lube them. I used a 4mm ball-end allen key to shove them in, worked like a charm, no punctures, went in really easily. The clips were tight, but I suppose that's the point. I don't think the panels will be as easy to remove next time as they were this time, as those gaskets were 40 year old rubber and had no grip left whatsoever.

All told, it took about 3 full days to do both lock mechanisms and the vapor barrier / panels.

I kept thinking "I threw in the towel" along the way and giggle every time. It took me a couple reads to pick up on that, so when it clicked, I apparently found it hilarious.
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1978 Canadian Deluxe Campmobile

[Hoody]

I know that I am in in the extreme minority crowd on this. But the route I took for several different reasons was to use the "Duck" double faced carpet tape. The results were absolutely perfect. I found out the hard way that there is only one adhesive made by 3m to successfully attach the flap. Everything else will fail in short order. I don't have the tube in front of me and the power is out but if anyone wants to know what to use to adhere the flaps I will gladly share. There really is no reason to remove the entire vapor barrier. This was an inexpensive way for Vw to do it. When I need access back into the areas that need to be lubed I will simply break out the exacto knife and cut a hole in the barrier. Then once the maintenance is done I will patch a piece in with the correct adhesive. The tape holds the barrier perfectly and it's tight as a drum. It probably takes a lot longer to do it this way but I am very happy with the results. As far as coating the panels I went with Rustoleum outdoor water based spray bomb....Varathane. Low VOC's no sanding between coats. I went further then most because I installed BD's door panels that are beautiful and better made then the originals. If anyone wants pics PM your email and you can post the pics. Hope this helps!

[Himejii]