Has anyone fitted a Brandrup Isotop 1V?

[Borris]

Hi Folks,
Has anyone fitted a Brandrup Isotop 1V to a T6 Beach yet?

Having placed an order for one of these roof liners in February, it finally arrived yesterday!

Now having fitted one of these before, but not to a Beach, it should be straight forward. However having just read the poorly written instructions, I have just noticed that the front top hook and eye (velcro) fixings need to be screwed to the internal roof. I am rather nervous at drilling pilot holes through the internal roof without further guidance especially as Brandrup have not supplied the screws. In the absence of any further clarification and I intend to contact Brandrup, however if they can't be more specific I suppose that I will use the shortest self tapper screws that I can get away with, possibly with a stainless washer. As I would rather not plough on and start drilling holes without being sure, if you have fitted one of these how did you do it?
Any advice will be welcome.

 

[California Dreamin]

You have just answered the question i was going to ask them in the morning - namely whether there were any permanent modifications needed. Does it look like you could use some beefy self adhesive velcro for a while instead of the screw plate? At least you could try it before butchering your roof.

I wanted to get one of Nick's internal toppers but they are up agaiant it with summer orders. Not sure what to do now.

 

[Borris]

Hello California Dreamin,
It seems that fitting an Isotop 1V isn't that difficult after all, although the instructions aren't well written. I finished fitting mine yesterday.

When I posted the thread I was extremely apprehensive about screwing the velco tabs into the pop up roof ceiling especially as it appeared that they hadn't supplied any screws. I wasn't going to continue without further advice and the correct sized screws. However the tiny screws turned up hidden deep within the fabric liner. I don't think heavy duty adhesive velcro would stay put as the fabric is under a little bit of tension when the roof is up. In the end I followed their instructions and screwed the velcro tabs to the roof and the liner fitted very well. If you are thinking of fitting one yourself, if you want to send me a PM I will describe how I did it. This was the second Brandrup Isotop that I have fitted. The previous one was to an SE.
The Isotop is a very well made item that is an excellent fit. I find that it keeps the light out, cuts down draughts and keeps the van warmer. However its main purpose is to keep the upstairs dry during heavy rain.
However my three main criticisms are:

1. The instructions could be a lot better.
2. They are very expensive for what they are.
3. You will wait an age for it to arrive.

 

[PhilSut1]

Hi Borris,

We've been trying to fit the Isotop to our Beach and have been having real problems (also with the instructions!). We've finally managed to fit the Isotop except for the 3 pads at the front which we can't attach. We couldn't get these to screw into the hard roof at the front even with an electric screwdriver. How did you do it, did you need to drill holes first?

We also had a disaster today when trying to put down the roof wit the Isotop inside (unattached at the front). Because I could no longer see the roof at the side when putting it down, it must have bellowed out and the side got ripped....

A very frustrating experience all round.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Phil

 

[calicasas]

Hi Borris,

We've been trying to fit the Isotop to our Beach and have been having real problems (also with the instructions!). We've finally managed to fit the Isotop except for the 3 pads at the front which we can't attach. We couldn't get these to screw into the hard roof at the front even with an electric screwdriver. How did you do it, did you need to drill holes first?

We also had a disaster today when trying to put down the roof wit the Isotop inside (unattached at the front). Because I could no longer see the roof at the side when putting it down, it must have bellowed out and the side got ripped....

A very frustrating experience all round.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can provide.

Phil

You will have to drill a small pilot hole then find a self tapper, but be careful to get the right size or the screw will snap! Then you'll have to get this out with plyers.
Got there in the end. My original iSOTOP came with sticky Velcro on the lower part and I got sick and tired with this coming away so I screwed it down with a self-tapper and it's been perfect ever since...

 

[Borris]

Hello Phil,
I am sorry you have had so much trouble and hope that you can effect a good repair. How big is the rip? Are you aware that the club shop does repair kits?

I know its now after the event but did you have a door or window open when you lowered the roof? Not being able to properly see the inside of the bellows with the Isotop in place is a dis-advantage but we have got round this by my bringing the roof down slowly whilst my wife stands outside and confirms that all is folding as it should. If there is a strong breeze then you must ensure you open a door or window on the leeward side. Opening a window or door on the windwood side might cause the roof canvas to bellow rather than collapse. Also, if you don't already have one, I would recommend that you fit a bellows bungee, avaiable from the club shop. These devices help to ensure that the bellows collapse inwards away from the metal work.

Also, be sure to watch that the liner and canvas dosn't get caught in the roof catches when you latch them down. You need to push both back behind the black stick up strap located just behind the overlock catch. You should see the metal hook on the catch gripping the metal bar on the roof with no material traped in between.

With regard to the front fixing, our kit included some tiny black self tapping screws that attached the velcro tabs to the roof. If you have the same then you will notice that they have tiny cutting edges on the tips. You have to persist using a little pressure and eventually the screw will cut its own hole. I didn't need to drill any pilot holes but just make sure that you fully understand the the instructions before proceeding. If you need any further guidance then feel free to PM me and I will send you my contact number.
Good luck.

 

[kave]

Any reason you didnt get the Comfortz Cali cozy?
I am trying to pick one, the Iso-top is available in a t6 Beach specific version now, the comfortz is not made just for the beach and is probably many weeks away but is almost half the price.

 

[Borris]

Any reason you didnt get the Comfortz Cali cozy?
I am trying to pick one, the Iso-top is available in a t6 Beach specific version now, the comfortz is not made just for the beach and is probably many weeks away but is almost half the price.

The only reason was that when I wanted to place my order, the Comfortz internal liner wasn't yet in production. If it had been, I would have taken a serious look at it. Comfortz products are all of excellent quality and I have personally purchased many of them.

 

[PhilSut1]

Hi Borris and Calicasas,

Thank you both for your advice, I really appreciate it. I do have the self-tapping screws so I think I'll invest in a new screwdriver that allows me to apply a bit more brute force and give it another go this weekend. Wish me luck!

Thank you also for letting me know about the repair kits Borris, I'll check it out.

Thanks again,
Phil

 

[kave]

Borris, I am half way mounting the isotop now. Should the rear top welcro be mounted to the aluminium in the roof (larger area),or the aluminium in the rear wall?
It seems the 2cm welcro is really too wide for wall mount in the top.

 

[Borris]

Borris, I am half way mounting the isotop now. Should the rear top welcro be mounted to the aluminium in the roof (larger area),or the aluminium in the rear wall?
It seems the 2cm welcro is really too wide for wall mount in the top.

Hello Kave,
I will take some photos first thing in the morning and put them on this post. I am hoping that this will help you. I need to look at it first to refresh my memory before replying.
Best wishes

 

[kave]

Great, thank you.

 

[Borris]

Hello Kave,
I have just been out to examine our Beach and here is my attempt to answer your question. Regrettably though, I have thrown away the original Brandrup instruction sheet so this is from memory, although I am confident that this information is accurate. Also I am reluctant to pull the liner away from the velcro to take photos because with my luck, I will have problems putting it back. However I don't think that such a photo would give you any more information. I hope this helps you.

The top rear of the Brandrup Isotop IV should be attached to the wider velcro strip which itself has been stuck to the transversal aluminium strip of exposed roof situated directly behind the rear roof light.

If you do not have the roof lighting option then just follow the internal roof liner towards the rear of the vehicle until it stops and you will discover a narrow exposed section of the aluminium roof, running from one side of the van to the other. From memory you have to cut your velcro tape to fit the gap from side to side but within the brackets/raised fitting that you will see in each corner. If you have the roof lighting option you will discover an electrical cable which supplies the lighting. You will need to pass the Velcro behind it and then stick it down. You then have to fit three circular velcro pads to each rear corner. Again from memory, one pad should be stuck to the bracket/raised fitting and the other two pads to the remaining exposed aluminium section beyond the bracket/raised fitting in each corner. As with the rest of the Velcro strip you need to leave it in place to become properly bonded for 48 hours before attempting to fix the liner in place.

The other fixtures that need to be put in place before fitting, are the two large black Velcro pads that are fitted, one in each rear corner. To fit these you need to prize the roof liner down a little in each corner and stuff the Velcro pad into place between the roof liner and the roof itself. It is a tight fit! However my advice would be to wait until you are going to fit the liner in place. Then offer up the liner to ensure that you are fitting these pads in the right place to correspond with the mating Velcro pad on the liner. If you don't then you may have to remove and refit them.

The other potential problem area for me at least, was fixing the three black Velcro tabs that have to be screwed into the front of the roof liner/ceiling of your new Cali . Brandrup's intructions and photos on this area aren't that clear. My advice here is to stick to their exact positioning measurements and double and treble check that you have positioned them correctly before attempting to screw into the roof liner. I marked the roof lightly with a pencil around the tab once I was happy with the position. The marks easily clean off. I didn't drill any pilot holes as the screws supplied are self cutting. Just ensure you use a good well fitting screwdiver and apply pressure whilst screwing into place. It will put up a fight but will eventually give in. When fitting the liner I did find that the black Velcro roof tabs could have lined up better with the mating Velcro tabs on the liner but I personally would be reluctant to screw holes anywhere else in the liner just in case it damaged the roof. The one thing about their instructions that I felt could have been clearer was the need to only screw these tabs to the beveled section of the roof liner. IMO their photo wasn't big or clear enough.

In this photo of the front top off side corner (UK offside), you can just pick out the beveled part of the roof liner which runs accross the roof from side to side. It is approximately 25mm wide.
When you come to fit your liner, the process is straight forward enough. Having fitted and left all the Velcro strip to bond for 48 hours, take your time and fit the liner to the vehicle by attaching it's lower edge to the Velcro strip around the roof aperture first. To do this find the exact centre of the front of the liner by measuring the distance between the bottom of the two vertical zips that you will find, one in each front corner of the liner and obviously then just divide by two to establish the centre line. Then start attaching your liner with this liner front centre line married to the centre line of the front of the main roof canvas. There is a reinforced strap in the middle front of the canvas roof to help the roof canvas fold inwards on closure. So finding the exact centre should be easy. It is essential to get this positioning right because if you don't the various fixings on the liner will not marry up well with the attachment points on the vehicle. When I fitted ours I started attaching the liner at the front in the middle and worked towards the rear down both sides.

Once the bottom edge is in place the rest is straight forward. The front just attaches to the black Velcro tabs previously screwed to the inside of the roof ceiling/liner. The next fixings, in order, towards the rear of the vehicle are:



This last fixing takes the form of a wide stiff plastic strip attached to the internal liner which you feed into the top of the roof canvas reinforcing strap which is itself a sleeve. Once you get it started it's just a case of shoving it down in. It makes an excellent fixing.
Finally you attach the liner to the rear upper fixings which are all Velcro.

The whole thing is a good fit and is very effective at keeping the upper deck dark, very dry and cosy even in driving wind and rain. So far all of the fixings have stayed in place and we have had no issues.

Only one criticism apart from the vague instructions and the price is that Brandrup should include an extra sachet of cleaner and glue. Being a thorough sort of chap I found that the cleaner sachet ran dry half way round the van.

I hope that you find this missive useful.
Best wishes and good luck with your fit.

 

[kave]

Exceller writeup and explanation. Brandrup should hire you to do the instructions instead. A big thank you.

 

[kave]

I mounted it today, went fairly well, but it seems according to the included instructions the screws should only attach to the plastic part of the roof and not the alu or plate under it. Even though it is plate screws that are included.
It even says use least momentum on the screwdriver so it wont make the holes in the plastic too large.
The images on the brandrup site shows a white isotop, but mine is dark grey.

 

[Borris]

I mounted it today, went fairly well, but it seems according to the included instructions the screws should only attach to the plastic part of the roof and not the alu or plate under it. Even though it is plate screws that are included.
It even says use least momentum on the screwdriver so it wont make the holes in the plastic too large.
The images on the brandrup site shows a white isotop, but mine is dark grey.

Could the aluminium plate above the plastic roof liner be the actual roof skin itself? You wouldn't want to screw through that.
As far as I am aware, all Isotops are now grey. At least the two that I have fitted were.
I am glad it went well.

 

[BerndRos]

My Q is about fitting an IV to an SE...

Have read the instructions and inspected the parts prior to starting. Does not seem very complicated.

But, I have 8 circular glue backed pieces, with Velcro on the other side. They appear to be for use at the rear ?

Can anyone please supply clarification & photos if possible ?

Thanks.

 

[Borris]

Sorry Bernd
I should have taken some photos when I fitted our Isotop. Anyway here is brief description of where to fit the round velcro stick on fixings.

The top rear of the Brandrup Isotop IV should be attached to the wider velcro strip which itself has been stuck to the transversal aluminium strip of exposed roof. From memory you have to cut your velcro tape to fit the gap from side to side but within the brackets/raised fitting that you will see in each corner. You then have to fit three circular velcro pads to each rear corner. Again from memory, one pad should be stuck to the bracket/raised fitting and the other two pads to the remaining exposed aluminium section beyond the bracket/raised fitting in each corner. As with the rest of the Velcro strip you need to leave it in place to become properly bonded for 48 hours before attempting to fix the liner in place.
If you get stuck send me a PM.
Good luck

 

[Erbster]

Borris, thanks for posting all that detail. I don't know if brandrup have changed their fixing method but there are no screws in my kit and I can't see mention of them in the instructions


Charles

 

[Borris]

Borris, thanks for posting all that detail. I don't know if brandrup have changed their fixing method but there are no screws in my kit and I can't see mention of them in the instructions


Charles

Hi Charles,
My above mentioned instructions were for fitment to a Beach. The Isotop lV for your Ocean is slightly different to that of the Beach. The Ocean version doesn't require screws. Instead there are three large black velcro tabs that have a sort of hinge to divide each of them into two halves. You have to force these three tabs between the joint in the front of the roof (see instructions for exact details). They are a tight fit. The Isotop attaches to the exposed section of these tabs that dangle down.

 

[Erbster]

Thanks again Borris. I'm relieved tbh because I was worried about putting screws into the roof, given the anticipated corrosion issue. I'll fit stage 1 today in this nice warm weather.


Charles

 

[Erbster]

I have fitted all the Velcro parts now and am waiting the required 48hrs before fitting the isotop itself. I agree the instruction are hard to follow and the pictures are too small (I even tried photographing the instruction sheet and enlarging it on screen).

The lower Velcro strip went on fine, but the wider one at the lower top (rear of van) did not go so well. I took some photos to help anyone who follows in my footsteps.

The Velcro strip should be attached between the plastic fitting in the aluminium strip. I did not discover it was too short for the whole width until I was over half way.

You can see in the above pic that the Velcro should butt against the angled plastic fitting. I just stuck the supplied Velcro along the gap I was left with. Hopefully this will work ok.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[BerndRos]

First night sleeping in the van with the isotop fitted, very cosy n posh.

 

[motacyclist]

Interesting reading @Borris, I was wondering whether to go for the Isotope, or refit the Comfortz Cozy from our previous van.

In the event, I refitted the Comfortz and despite having lost the instructions it wasn’t difficult. Rightly or wrongly, I attached the top before the bottom, opposite to what you describe. This made it easy to hang and locate the correct position at the bottom.

The Comfortz works well, although it does have a baggy appearance in contrast to the nicely taut VW bellows! It would be interesting to compare the two so hopefully we can do that at Slimbridge?

I note that the Comfortz one no longer appears to be available.

 

[Borris]

Interesting reading @Borris, I was wondering whether to go for the Isotope, or refit the Comfortz Cozy from our previous van.

In the event, I refitted the Comfortz and despite having lost the instructions it wasn’t difficult. Rightly or wrongly, I attached the top before the bottom, opposite to what you describe. This made it easy to hang and locate the correct position at the bottom.

The Comfortz works well, although it does have a baggy appearance in contrast to the nicely taut VW bellows! It would be interesting to compare the two so hopefully we can do that at Slimbridge?

I note that the Comfortz one no longer appears to be available.

Hello Colin,
Come and have a chat at Slimbridge. I'll show you mine if you show me yours! I have no experience of the Comfortz product but I'm pretty sure they stopped making it some time ago.