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01-02-2012, 03:24 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Washington - Ridgefield
Posts: 4,728
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
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Originally Posted by ANZAC
What do the brackets fit? What problem do they solve?
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They are brackets for the Fiamma awning. The SMB brackets require holes drilled in the body, and frequently cracks spread out from these holes. Eli's brackets are modifications of Fiamma VW awning brackets and clamp onto the rain gutter, no holes in the body.
Mike
__________________
Alaska to Key West, Labrador and more
Prostate cancer survivor. See Thread Prostate cancer and Sportsmobiles
2015 VW GTI 2020 Fiat 124 Spider
2012 E250 Hitop camper
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01-02-2012, 03:26 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,005
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Ford_6L_E350
Quote:
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Originally Posted by ANZAC
What do the brackets fit? What problem do they solve?
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They are brackets for the Fiamma awning. The SMB brackets require holes drilled in the body, and frequently cracks spread out from these holes. Eli's brackets are modifications of Fiamma VW awning brackets and clamp onto the rain gutter, no holes in the body.
Mike |
Ah ok, a bit late for my van then.
__________________
Sportsmobile-less.
"A job worth doing is worth doing at least twice."
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01-02-2012, 03:31 PM
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#13
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Site Team
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Southern New Mexico
Posts: 10,179
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
__________________
SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.
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01-02-2012, 04:00 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: California
Posts: 1,012
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
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Originally Posted by jage
I talked to Eli several months ago about making these and he gave me the go ahead- however I have no unmodified ones to take design off of and no drawings- Herb, you want to sell me those so I can copy them and get some quotes?
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I'll buy a pair of "Jage's Brackets" if you start making them.
__________________
2006 E350 6.0PSD 5R110, SMB 4X4, RB-50, ARB lockers front/rear, Aluminess galore, AMP steps.
Callsign KK6GIY
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01-04-2012, 08:43 PM
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#15
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Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 55
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Elusive Eli Brackets
I too contacted Eli a couple months back and he said he is no longer making the brackets. I am developing cracks in the sheet metal so I am desperately looking for replacements. If Jage is interested in making some I am buying. That said, I don't have any brackets to copy but would offer up my current brackets if that helps. Jage, I am in Fruita (outside of Grand Junction) if you could use the brackets for modifications.
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01-04-2012, 09:17 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,257
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Elusive Eli Brackets
Good news. I am going over to my friend machine shop tomorrow or Friday with my awning, van, and the posted pictures of the brackets that can be scaled. Frank who owns the shop said it should be no big deal to reproduce. I'll ask if he can make some extra sets if he even makes me some. He is one of those guys and shops that can build about anything. I'll report back.
Brad
__________________
2001 Ford RB 7.3 Quadvan (sold)
2006 Sportsmobile EB Transformer 6.0
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01-04-2012, 10:17 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 533
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
As has been said, make sure you have them built so the awning is spaced away from the side of the van. If you make them close to the PH side as Eli did, closing the PH means bringing it down while pulling it to the opposite side of the van, until the PH just clears the brackets, then pushing/pulling the PH top back to center so it will sit square in the rain troughs. It's not that hard but it is a bit of a PITA and completely unnecessary.
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01-05-2012, 04:58 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 412
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
Here is what I did in lieu of Eli's brackets. Did this as soon as I got my 'new' SMB home a few weeks ago and urgently before a Baja trip. Noticed the sheet metal splitting from the SMB 'temporary' expansion nuts.
A friend (used to do fabrication and repairs on F-14s) and I came up with this. Tacked stainless bolts through 2 pieces of 1/16" stainless sheet (if you look closely there's 2 layers below the crease in the body panel and 1 above). My 'new' SMB is pretty industrial so I was not concerned about this looking commercial and/or rough.
Pretty cheap fix, $40 in materials (with a lot of stainless sheet left over). Took a couple of hours. I like having the 2nd lower attachment point that I don't believe Eli's brackets have? I believe the stainless plate should be stiff enough to adequately spread any load on the body panel, both outward or inward. Should survive Baja now, made it through the first trip with flying colors.
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01-06-2012, 10:57 AM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 989
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
webbmac, I like your ingenuity. Question though, how are the brackets bolts/nuts attached? Are they attached to the sheet metal? What is behind the sheet metal? How are they tightened?
__________________
2007 Ford RB Diesel SMB 4x4 Pueblo Gold; Custom configuration (aisle layout); PIAA 580 driving lights; Picked up on Oct 19, 2007.
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01-06-2012, 12:43 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 1,005
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Re: Elusive Eli Brackets
Just fyi, my van is 10 years old, and I haven't seen any cracks.... where do they form?
__________________
Sportsmobile-less.
"A job worth doing is worth doing at least twice."
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