B190 Enthusiasts

I plan on repainting the top on my B190. Has anyone removed the pin strips on the top of the van? Are they paint or vinyl?

dougb wrote:I plan on repainting the top on my B190. Has anyone removed the pin strips on the top of the van? Are they paint or vinyl?

Mine are vinyl. All of mine have shrunk and cracked in many places.

My 95 has anodized aluminum airstream blue trim on the upper turtle top. Some time between 93 and 95 they cihanged from vinyl stick on Airstream blue to anodized blue aluminum trim. The problem I had was that water would get behind the aluminum trim and cause leaking on the inside walls in some places and pooling of water under the overhead bunk. I was able to correct this by putting a thin bead of clear RTV along the top edge of the trim all the way around the B van. I am not sure why it was leaking inside but have heard that the top is joined there and is made up of two pieces. Or maybe the trim fastener holes were not sealed. Ether way the RTV solved my problem. My good friend has a 93 and the vinyl stipping has gone south. He got a new stripping kit from Airstream I think the vinl trim would be a better seal against leaking.
Happy trails, Howard

"I am not sure why it was leaking inside but have heard that the top is joined there and is made up of two pieces."

Does anyone know if the top is in fact 2 pieces? I always assumed it was a one piece unit, but would love to know the facts!

The top shell is one piece molded fiberglass....no seams