Devon Roof Springs

[dt100]

Hi - I'm onto the roof of my 1971 Devon - it's off and I'm in the process of dimantling - but how do you get the springs out?

Do you need to remove the 'pin' hinges - if so how?

Also any advice for re-assembly?

Hope my quation not too vague.... any help appreciated.

 

[ozziedog]

I seem to remember a complete rebuild thread on one of them, and fairly comprehensive too. Don`t think it was on this site though (but it may be) I think it`s more than likely on VZI, but well worth a look. I`m not good enough on the puter to find it I`m afraid,

Ozziedog,,,,, computer shitterate, :?

 

[Guest]

half way down the hinge shaft there are some small retaining bolts that hold the spring and upper portion of the hinge together. carefully remove them and watch they dont 'ping' off to the other side of the garage. you will need a small flat head screw driver to take them out. there are 4 in total.

follow the diagonal bar on the hinge down about 5 inches, here you can just see the nut just sticking up on the upper edge from a retangular hole. Once released the top hinge should come out when you have removed it from the bottom section (two large screws) the spring will follow. you can get uprated springs from JK if your roof was a little weak. They are designed to take the weight of the roof cap they supply so are alot more powerful.

 

[dt100]

Hey - at least your words read like real words.... unlike my dixlexic fingers!

Thanks for the nod in the right direction - found a fairly detailed 'pre '75 Devon Pop Tow How to' on the VZi forum which i'm sure is the one you are referring to.

However, it doesn't say how to disassemble the 'strut assemblies' - I've heard 'brut force' is the way to go but with the brackets starting to twist dont want to apply said 'brut force' in the wrong place!! I think the 'hinges' need to be broken but if anyone has experience of this then please help as they seem like big solid rivets.... or could be inteference fit which if i heat and hit may break apart.... hoping for soeone of greater experience than me!!!!

 

[Guest]

ive already done this on my 71, if you need anymore pictures please just ask. It was very easy to take apart as explained above, just two retaining bolts on the springs and the screws into the body.

 

[dt100]

Thanks Jonny - I need to get home tonight and have a look for the 'bolts' as can't picture them!

I have removed the two structures from the roof completely and the hinges just seem solid 9like a big rivet) - if I can't find what you describe hope it ok if i can post a picture for you to draw a big arrow onto!!

Regards

 

[Guest]

here

you cant/dont need to remove the hinge pins they are flat rivets so you would need to drill them out which is pointless. the easiest thing is just to separate the top and bottom parts as i have described and the springs will come out.

 

[dt100]

Thanks for your help - so simple!!!.... well it would have been if two of the bolt heads hadn't previously been shared off!! - seem to find drilling out bolt heads a common occurance with the van!! Your picture helped massively do appreciate the time you took to post and detail for me.

No chance of it springing accross the garage though - even with the bolts gone it needed a fair old tug to get apart - no wander the roof wouldn't stay up!! The tubes seem a little rusty and caked with solid grease.... hence a couple of more questions:
1 - any advise on how best to clean the tubes before re-assembly?
2 - for re-assembly what type of grease to put in the tubes / on the springs?

Regards,

 

[Guest]

steamhose them and let them dry, i used a lithium grease on the springs, not too much though

 

[dt100]

Thanks Jonny.

Looking forward to the putting back together bart of the project.... been scraping half inch of dried up bitumen off the top every night this week.... thought it was going to be a fairly simple job.... ha, how wrong!!

Thanks again for your help think I got it straight in my head what I'm supposed to be doing now.

 

[dt100]

HELP - thought my 'amateur' work on the roof was going too good...

I have been working on the aluminium surround piece (the big piece that holds the inner by rubber, and seals to the static piece)... I'd cleaned it up by hours of sanding... but leaving paint where it was smooth and feathering the edges to areas that I'd gone back to aluminium..... it looked good! I then used an 'etch primer' over the whole lot, and it looked better still.... and then I sprayed an acrylic gloss white over the lot (5 coats in fact).

Now 24 hours later around the edges of where the 'feathering of old paint was sanded' I'm getting pin prick bubbles through my pristime looking roof piece - devastated!!

I'm guessing that the 'etch primer' is lifting the old primer so I have two questions:
1. What sould i do now - I think I know the answer - spend hours sanding the bloody lot back off?
2. how should I have primed it - just used ordinary primer (not etch) - but would this have been ok on the bare aluminium patches?.... or should I have stripped the whole lot back to bare aluminium before using etch primer.

My emotions of disappointment aren't coming out on this question - feeling delicate - please help!!

 

[ozziedog]

I`m thinking that these areas may be contaminated, possibly by silicone. Why I`m saying this, is these roofs have a remarkable history of leaking, possibly almost from new. If that is the case, I should imagine every type of sealant has been used including silicone at some point in this roofs history. Silicone and most paints don`t seem to want to mix and you can get various results. If you look very very closely at the problem area, is there anything that looks like fish scales or fish eyes ??? Whatever it is , it does sound like a reaction to either mis matching paints or possibly some sort of contamination, possibly silicone. Clean it up and start again ,,,,,,, I know you didn`t want to hear that,, but PW may be on later and he is a bit of a smart cookie when paints involved, try him for the miracle cure,

Ozziedog,,,,,,,,, :shock: :? :shock:

 

[Guest]

did you use a pre paint cleaning solution to get rid of contaminants like silicone?. im not an expert regarding paint at all but aluminium doesnt rust but it dies oxidise, so you dont really need to use etch primer.

 

[dt100]

Johnny - no I didn't!!... thank-you for your adive on this will undertake before re-doing!!

Also thanks for your advise on etch primer - I think using this was the real issue, as it was the feathered edges of the old paint / primer which bubbled I think it was the etch primer that reacted with the original old primer.

In any case I am rubbing it back down, and with your advice will use a paint cleaning solution before ordinary painting and then my final gloss white.

Wasn't going for 'perfection' but spent so much now on the roof that I don't want to make a compromise!!

Thanks again.

 

[Guest]

different sprayers have different techniques. Im no expert. ProfessorWheeto might be a better person to ask as its his bread and butter.