Front window cover

[Hazel in Sk]

Our Ventura has a cover over the front window. It is designed to crank up to let in more light, I guess, and would make a little awning or sunshade. It seems to be made of corrugated plastic or fibreglass.

We have never bothered with it as it is incredibly ugly and cracked (and until today it wouldn't move anyway. Hubby has applied some WD40 or something to the 'arm joints' and things now move.

Can anyone suggest how to set about replacing the ugly cover thingie? Now our camper is getting spring cleaned and spruced up a bit it would be a good time to deal with this.

[Donna D.]

Another piece of fiberglass inset into the frame? Or replace it with another piece of corrugated fiberglass. It should be readily available at a big box store.

Pictures?

[sparky1]

sold in the Patio section--Lowes..Home Depot---be careful it might shatter when cutting---I was told rotary blade backwards. like cutting Plexiglass.
haven't tried it.

[Hazel in Sk]

Thanks - hubby thinks he can handle it when he finds time!

[Andy B]

Originally Posted by sparky1

...I was told rotary blade backwards. like cutting Plexiglass.
haven't tried it.

???? Rotary blade cutting backwards for Plexiglas? I have cut tens of thousands of feet of acrylic (Plexiglas) and have never heard of installing a blade backwards. If the blade was backwards it would wear or melt through the acrylic not cut it, leaving a ragged edge. We always use 60 to 80 tooth carbide tipped blades, installed the correct way, and get a very smooth cut without chipping. Never had a piece shatter. We even stack 5 layers of 1/8" and cut them simultaneously. Any sharp, fine tooth blade will cut acrylic, a dull blade, or not enough teeth, can cause chipped edges. Acrylic will wear out the blade faster than wood.

[David B.]

I'm replacing mine with a 100 watt solar panel. It is supposed to stand up to hail in 50 mph winds, so we'll see if it'll stand up to bugs and a well aimed rock. We only have a very small window up front, so the panel will be mounted with the longest part down toward the tongue, that way it would only be vulnerable toward the very middle of the trailer, which I hope will be protected by my truck's cap/bedcover or by the height of my Jeep Wrangler's
hard top (both vehicles sit at or higher than my Scamp).

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by David B.

I'm replacing mine with a 100 watt solar panel. It is supposed to stand up to hail in 50 mph winds, so we'll see if it'll stand up to bugs and a well aimed rock. We only have a very small window up front, so the panel will be mounted with the longest part down toward the tongue, that way it would only be vulnerable toward the very middle of the trailer, which I hope will be protected by my truck's cap/bedcover or by the height of my Jeep Wrangler's
hard top (both vehicles sit at or higher than my Scamp).

Good idea! You might be able to put a additional layer of plexi over it while driving and fold the plexi down while the panel is in a horizontal position.

[Dudley]

Hi Hazel
Took mine apart last year on my Ventura. It was pretty bad with mildew. Cleaned it with bleach /water solution , sanded and spray painted grey. I will probably replace the fiberglass this year as some of the paint is chipping. Pretty easy to take apart but thought a picture is "worth a thousand words so here are a couple of thousand words". You will probably have a rivet holding the center support, drill and replace with screw. The previous owner also drilled holes in open and closed positions and used small hitch pins to hold it up rather than the screws. Hope this helps