Zip Dee has a little gizmo they sell with their current awnings that provides a positive locking second line of defense. It came with the window awnings but my patio awning didn't have it, so I bought one for it too.

It consists of a loop that's riveted to the side of the coach, and a swiveling hook that attaches to the metal weather shield on the awning. You hook and unhook it with the wand used to lower the awning.

It listed for $12.00 in 2003. Good insurance for any awning with a metal weather shield, but wouldn't work with fabric. Bill h's DIY solution would work on any of them.

Gunner,
Received your email instructions re:Zip Dee spring tensioning. Thanks very much for taking the time to explain the interworkings of these gizmos. Oh Goody, another DIY Project!........just when I thought I had caught up :-/
Don

I had an A&E on my 76, a Carefree on my 77 and ZipDee's on my 93. I liked the Carefree the best. But you can't beat the al covers on the zipdees's.

I had no trouble disassembling the 18' Zip Dee awning roller as per Gunner's instructions. Yep, broken spring but only a little over $100 for replacment from Zip Dee. I took the cavas off to replace or make sewing repairs if the material is worth restitching. Seems the going price for a replacement, using "Sunbrella" canvas, is apprx. $25 per running foot of 8'wide awning. Has anyone found a place to beat this price without sacrificing quality?

Thanks,
Don

With luck, the sunbrella fabric is salvageable. The rotted stitching is probably cotton. I had to replace the fabric strip that attaches the awning to the rail on top (they call it Flex Key) because the stitching had deteriorated. The sunbrella fabric was still good.

Yes Olroy,
The stitching is cotton and had rotted due to excessive, long term moisture build up in the weather housing (wonder why they don't use a rot proof stitching). The broken spring was damp and also very rusty which prolly led to the spring fatigue failure.
Seems to me that it would be a good preventative maintainance idea to spray some type of lubricate (rust preventive) into the awning's roller via the pop rivet holes and then use a sealant on the end caps and rivets.
Now, I wondering if there is some sort of canvas rejuvenator product which would breath new life into the old fabric....something equivalent to using neats foot oil on old dry leather?

Don
1984 Regal

sunbrella is acrilic and I'd use Armour-all,
but if you want to get fancier they have a web at
http://www.sunbrella.com/usa/carecleaning_awningmarine.shtml
with cleaning and retreating instructions.

Tigger

Too bad you are in Pa. and i am in Az. I have a 21ft. patio awning that i am going to replace with a window awning and will sell it cheap. Originally they had a window awning on that side but changed it over and i prefer to put a window awning back on. Lot less hassle to put up and down, will stand up to a lot stronger wind, but don't have a large shade area of course, but if we are outside we just move to the side that has shade.

Shadow man,
I'm not in PA (you're thinking Harrisburg).
I'm in Hattiesburg, MS.
Shipping would not be a big deal.
What color is your old awning and is it Zip Dee Sunbrella fabric, nominal overhang dimension, apprx. 7' plus the valance (apprx. 9")
At any rate, if the material is sound, I could have it customized locally.
Don

Just saw bill h's note on the AE lever and will NEVER depend on that alone. Thanx Bill!

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Dan & Suzy Z
'81 Euro 28