loose black plastic panel over water intake

mine has become loose. This is not an uncommon issue. Some have removed the panel and just painted the metal black. I would like to have it reattached. BUT i'm open to suggestions.

Juju

Reattach it. Highly unlikely to get a replacement. If in good addition, keep it.

You'll need to find a capable person to use a very thin thingy to squeeze adhesive behind panel--like a syringe.

1. Adhesive--recall maybe Sikaflex of some type. Original adhesive holds on so strongly that panel removal is by breaking pieces. Need a strong flexible adhesive.
2. No way to really prep underneath (maybe water and dry)
3. Tape panel securely while adhesive sets (do not let tape get exposed to sun and use right type of tape). After tape sat in sun, I had to spend hours getting the gooey adhesive off the panel.
4. In early retrofit campaign, one modification was to trim edges of panels so there was a bigger gap between edges and body sheetmetsl. Don't know whether this was to prevent panels from cracking or expanding/separating from body.

Maybe someone can chime in on whether a flexible sealant/adhesive around perimeter might help. Wind from prying underneath--would leave bottom gap to let any moisture to leave.

I also vaguely recalling someone using rivets or screws to keep in place. Would need some caution as original black panels often cracked from the screws through the panel around the water filler (later panels had a bigger opening so screws for water filler did not go through panel).

Also, folks who removed panel permanently indicated some prep work needed as sheet metal under panel was not paint ready (rippled).

Its called panel bonding adhesive.


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Discus,
I'm heading through the south, I need to visit Dr. A for a major service, 100K miles +. I see you're in GA. Do you know of a body shop that could handle reattaching the panel?

Old West,
I called Colonial and the service dept. wasn't really interested in doing anything.

I'll see what ideas and suggestions the Westyfest group has. I recall Tim had his taken off and painted black. My panel is still in good shape, improved design that was replaced when the original cracked around the water inlet, and I prefer to get it reattached.

Call David @ +1 (404) 510-8240. He is not far from me. He has worked on 2 westies. We can certainly meet up. When are you arriving?


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Discus,
I'll probably be in the area the latter part of Sept. I'll give you a heads up when I pass through the Mason Dixon line.
Thank you for the info.
Juju

I would like to remove my black plastic panels permanently.

What is behind them, glass windows or the metal panels you see on cargo vans with no windows ?

Any suggestions for removing them without damaging anything ?

Are they any pictures of Westys with them removed floating around?

I found what I was looking for over on the Yahoo group.

I don't understand what the purpose and/or design idea was behind the black plastic panels ?

I like the smooth look of the body metal, but I will paint them (the side and two rear panels) silver/gray to match the rest of the rig.

Mine was cracked so repaired with Fiberglass and sprayed with 2 component bedliner.


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May be an exterior shade for the window which is intended to keep the coach interior cooler and maybe hide the inside.
Glass will conduct a lot of heat into the van. Problem is it looks to be UV sensitive and it's black. Is it vented?

Do they prop open like an awning?

discus...nice work as usual. I prefer the flatness and textured finish on yours better than the OEM. Maybe I should return to the mountains of NE Ga. for some riding again and give my rig over to you and your shop for an exterior make over.

Old Crows...it is my understanding from reading the Yahoo group postings that there are the OEM metal panels behind the black plastic panels. The picture I've attached seems to confirm that.

1. As the black plastic panel is corrugated, early thoughts as a cooling device--even though black color would be hotter than silver, might transfer heat less than black painted metal because of material and corrugated airspaces. Some anecdotal comment that after removal of panel and sheetmetal painted bkack, higher temps inside. (Europeans have same problem of cracks in panels.)

A large scale graphic with those logos might work. Westfalia itself uses these graphics on front doors, rear doors, and covering side windows on some of their more recent campers.

Discussion at one WestyFest about preserving the aesthetic original version and what that original was (given Westfalia mods to fit American market and Airstream installed mods).

Black to look like windows and create a horizontal impact.

Earlier Westies also had black out vinyl taoe between the windows which made even more of a horizontal impact.

A dealer customized Westy in some posted photos made a continuous blackout all around van to include front windows and windshield.

2. Largr black panel has water filler. Cap is black but apparently also available in white, and could be painted. Cap sticks out from sheetmetal but is flush with plastic panel.

3. Our vans have the window indentations whether there is a window or not. Maybe black perforated or other vinyl graphic would give illusion of a window instead of black plastic panels. Thought about but have not done--graphic of Westfalia and prancing horse semi-circle PLUS Van Conversion words (see photos of back of removed bathroom sink cabinet which has all three components: Westfalia, Van Conversion, and semi circle Prancing Horse.

Another poster here had a small sticker of that made and applied to van to clarify this was a van conversion and not an RV.

The James Cook logo is a partial compass.

The prancing horse logo was superseded by a Westfalia and full compass (Ferrari was concerned that folks would think our Westies were Ferraris).

Above paragraphs rearranged by accident--typing on cellphone. General order--panels, usefulness, black out horizontal effect, replacement with window graphics and Westfalia logos, and aesthetic preservation.

Old Crows: The three panels do not tilt open although lots of people have stuck their fingers on the botton edges to see.

Would have been nicer if these were like the A-Team window louvers to give effect of a real window cover underneath.

The newer James Cook Westfalia had a real rear side window with a clever operable smaller window inside. A quick look would show a large window and would not notice smaller window. Behind small window were the concealed electrical and water hookups.

Westfalia on their newer version also cleverly hid the awning inside the fiberglass top.

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21256

Toward end of thread, poster had new panel installed but started to lift. Poster added some type of sealant around top and side edges.

The plastic panels have a lot of adhesive as you can see in the picture. They are bonded to the sprinter body. I had to replace my right rear door and it was a beast to salvage that panel.


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