In the vintage Rapido folding caravans (models Confort, Record, Export) that are popular in Europe, the “roof sliders” are plastic slats that are mounted to the ceiling. They are usually only visible when the caravan is set up, and therefore a curiosity as to, “what do those things do?”
When folding up, the rib of the small one slides on the length of the large one and helps prevent the interior walls from snagging and ripping.
After 40+ years the original plastic parts can break and the slats go missing. We set out to duplicate them in order to be 3D printed.
The original rivets that hold them to the ceiling are Ø4mm and approximately 6-7mm long. They were originally installed with an impact rivet gun which is impractical for the DIYer. Instead we sourced the appropriate size of “binder” bolts (aka Chicago bolts, or sex bolts). The rivets had to be carefully drilled and punched out so as not to snag the insulation layer that is in the ceiling.
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