Polar Bear 1

[bettyford]

looking great


Ron

[Zaskoda]

Finally seeing it come together...



It's not bolted together tightly... Just as we got it on the van and secure, it started dumping rain and hail. It was the busiest little thunderstorm I've seen in Colorado so far; I rather enjoyed it.

Every new piece of black I add to the van makes me hate the remaining chrome that much more. Those mirrors are killing me!

[Zaskoda]

Now that so much of the busy work on refinishing the rack is done, it's time to get the brackets put together.

I started by taking a piece of c-channel steel and cutting down about 1/2 of one edge with the plasma torch. Then I used a grinder to smooth the edges. The guy cutting in the picture isn't me, he's the guy I'm sharing shop space with to get access to the metal working tools.



Then I sliced it up into 6 brackets and drilled some holes.



A test fit exposed two problems. The first was that the edge needed to be cut down more than the half way... The second problem was the length of the bolts I picked up... they get in the way of the van doors.



So I took the grinder to it and just completely removed the edge making it more of an "L" channel... I forgot to snap a photo of the test fit, but I think it'll work just fine.



I got some primer and a coat of paint on it tonight and will need to apply a few more tomorrow. I still need to cut some rubber to go between the mounts and the van. All that and some new bolts and I should be set!

[bettyford]

Thats a big Rack I like big Racks!!!

Ron

[Zaskoda]

Originally Posted by bettyford

Thats a big Rack I like big Racks!!!

Ron

Me too, Ron, me too.

[wanderer351]

ever get the lead on the door seals??

I used jc-whittney for the window track..triangle glass seal isnt available so I got 2 new ones at $75 from some online junkyard...plan on gettin this kit for mine (slider)

http://www.weatherstripping4less.com/fo ... g-kit.html

[Zaskoda]

Originally Posted by wanderer351

ever get the lead on the door seals??

I used jc-whittney for the window track..triangle glass seal isnt available so I got 2 new ones at $75 from some online junkyard...plan on gettin this kit for mine (slider)

http://www.weatherstripping4less.com/fo ... g-kit.html

I never did find out, but the kit you linked to looks great. It's a little pricey, but if it seals up my doors it's more than worth it. Would these be like new? Better than new?

I don't know if my doors are in correct adjustment in general. I worked on the back doors and improved the seal. I tried for hours, I couldn't get a tight seal on the top. I wonder if these seals would help me.

My triangle glass is good. My track seals are fairly degraded. I never thought about replacing them. I wonder if that has anything to do with the rust at the bottom of the door. =/

[bettyford]

If the Rust is on the door its self on the bottom. A easy fix is After you fix the rusted under part of the door, drill a few small holes in the bottom of the door and the water will drain out and stop the rusting problem.

Ron

[wanderer351]

they are new kits...its standard weatherstripping heated to conform to the bends in the door (around the window/corners/frame)

[Zaskoda]

Originally Posted by wanderer351

they are new kits...its standard weatherstripping heated to conform to the bends in the door (around the window/corners/frame)

Just ordered a set, thanks for the link. I can't wait to get them on and see how much closer they get me to a good solid seal. By the way, I sure am jealous of that turbodiesel you're running. =)