Ideas for making the internal vista view hole look prettier.

[lgastall]

I’m sorry if the title made little sense but I don’t know how else to describe it.

When I got my Airstream the vista view blinds were pretty knackered so we decided to remove them. The only problem is I don’t know quite what to do with the unsightly rectangular hole in the wall.

We thought of trying to make an aluminium frame for it but because the original hole was square the new frame will have to be really fat and I think it may look a bit odd.

Has anybody else come up with any solutions?

Thank you in advance,
Lucy.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by lgastall

I’m sorry if the title made little sense but I don’t know how else to describe it.

When I got my Airstream the vista view blinds were pretty knackered so we decided to remove them. The only problem is I don’t know quite what to do with the unsightly rectangular hole in the wall.

We thought of trying to make an aluminium frame for it but because the original hole was square the new frame will have to be really fat and I think it may look a bit odd.

Has anybody else come up with any solutions?

Thank you in advance,
Lucy.

Lucy;

You can use two thicknesses of the ceiling vent cover gasket between the inner and outer shell.

If carefully done, it would look good, be permanent, and not cost much for the materials.

You could also add a curtain type shade to cover the hole to block out sun light.

You can still use the "U" shaped vinly molding for the inside shell, as Airstream originally did.

I will look into perhaps designing something else, after I return to the office, as many of those original plastic shades, unfortunately, are doing a Patsy Cline (falling to pieces).

Andy

[Aage]

Why not use the knackered slider to make a new one, perhaps out of wood, or maybe a similar substance to that which was used originally?

After all, the original one lasted what, 37 years before you decided you didn't like it...?

[driftless]

Originally Posted by Inland RV Center, In

You can still use the "U" shaped vinly molding for the inside shell, as Airstream originally did.

Andy

All of my vista view openings ('73 Excella) are now borderless and look very unfinished as expected. Is the vinyl molding available and is it flexible enough to fit around the corners of the openings? Also, I have only two of the "handles" that were poorly riveted to the bottom of the vista view covers. Are those handles or the extruded plastic material available?

If it ain't something, it's something else. Rosanna Rosanadana. Bless her heart. She must have owned an Airstream...

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by driftless

All of my vista view openings ('73 Excella) are now borderless and look very unfinished as expected. Is the vinyl molding available and is it flexible enough to fit around the corners of the openings? Also, I have only two of the "handles" that were poorly riveted to the bottom of the vista view covers. Are those handles or the extruded plastic material available?

If it ain't something, it's something else. Rosanna Rosanadana. Bless her heart. She must have owned an Airstream...

The metal handles are the same as for the tambour doors.

The vinyl vista view window trim, is still available.

Andy

[funkill]

Oh Andy -- if you could design something for this, it would be grrrrrrrrrrreat!

I have been racking my brain for ideas on the same thing. Worse yet, my sliders are so brittle & broken that the cover no longer slides up/down easily (and looks like hell when open anyway). What I just recently drafted is a flat *closeout* panel - 1/2" larger perimeter than the rectangular cutout - with an oval cut-out in the middle the same size/shape as the vista view vinyl molding. The panel would be riveted to in place to cover the original cut-out. The slider would be positioned all the way up, secured in place with a few rivets and the handle removed before securing the new panel in place. Then a rigid cover can be fit to position in the vista view - maybe made from auto reflective/foam window shade stuff - and covered with matching fabric - that would hold in place with friction or a piece of velcro.

Send me a check for $19.95 and I'll share my sketches with more details.

That's the best I've come up with - without a lot of work....

Laura