HowTo ·

Shade on Demand: Installing a Fiamma F45S Awning to Your AVC Roof Rack

Hey everybody, Matt here for AVC and welcome back to the blog!

Today, we're going to show you how to easily mount a Fiamma F45S Awning to your AVC Roof Rack. The great news is that our roof rack is specifically designed for this! All the slots for our crossbars line up perfectly with the standard Fiamma hardware, making this a straightforward install.

We are mounting the popular Fiamma F45S 3m (or 300), which measures 10 feet 1 inch in length. Let's get to work!

📦 Unboxing and Pre-Install Prep

First, let's look at what's in the box and what we need.

What We Need:

  • Fiamma F45S Awning

  • Three supplied Fiamma mounting plates/brackets.

  • Baggie of Hardware (Carriage bolts and Nylock nuts).

  • Crank Arm Keepers (for storage inside the van).

  • Stakes (to anchor the legs).

  • A sturdy piece of cardboard saved from the packaging (we’ll use this as a template!).

Tools Required:

  • Sharpie

  • 10mm Socket

  • Drill

  • Specialty Tools (Recommended): A small 90 degree ratchet drive for the Phillips screws and a small indexed ratchet open-end wrench. These tools are incredibly helpful for working in the tight space behind the awning case.

  • Your "Builder Buddy" (This is a two-person job!)

Step 1: Pre-Fit and Template Creation

Before climbing onto the roof, we need to locate the exact bracket positions.

  1. Examine the Awning: Roll the awning over. You will see stickers or labels indicating where the internal supports are located. The official Fiamma way is to position the brackets in front of these internal supports.

  1. Dry Fit Brackets: Place the three mounting brackets onto the back of the awning case where you intend to install them.

  2. Measure and Template: Measure the distance from the outside edge of the front bracket to the outside edge of the rear bracket.

    • Our 3m awning measured 117 inches.

  3. Cut Template: Transfer this exact 117-inch measurement to the piece of sturdy cardboard you saved from the box and cut it down to size.

Step 2: Marking the Rack and Awning

The AVC roof rack slots make aligning the brackets easy.

  1. Place Template: Place your cardboard template onto the AVC roof rack.

  2. Mark Rack: Using a Sharpie, mark the "pill shapes" (slots) on the back edge of the roof rack that line up with your mounting brackets.

  3. Mark Awning: Now, place a mounting bracket onto the awning case, lining it up with the support sticker on the case and the slot you just marked on the rack (visualized by the template).

    • Mark the Holes: Mark the two holes on the bottom of the mounting bracket onto the awning case. These marks indicate where you will drill.

  4. Confirm Drill Points: Open the awning case to inspect the interior. One marked hole will likely land in a solid section of the casing, which is perfect. The other hole might be near a hinge—do not drill into the hinge! If necessary, slightly adjust your mark (up or down) so you are drilling into an open area of the casing.

Step 3: Drilling and Bracket Installation

  1. Drill: Drill the marked holes on the awning case for the front and rear brackets. You only need to drill one hole for the center bracket, positioning it slightly lower than the normal square hole to ensure clearance.

  2. Assemble Brackets: Grab your awning bracket, one of the Fiamma backing plates, two carriage bolts, and two Nylock nuts. You are now ready to install the brackets onto the rack.

Step 4: Mounting the Awning to the Rack

This is where your builder buddy comes in handy!

  1. Lift: With your partner, carefully lift and load the awning onto the roof rack.

  2. Adjust Brackets: Before fully bolting anything, make the following adjustments for an easier install:

    • Front Bracket: Secure the screw part of the front bracket first.

    • Middle Bracket: Ensure the carriage bolt is perfectly aligned with the hole you drilled in the awning case. Once it's aligned, secure this bracket.

    • Rear Bracket: Once the front and middle are set, you can open the awning and adjust the rear-most bracket. This one is easier to reach from a ladder once the awning is partially open.

Why the middle first? Once the awning is open, it becomes very difficult to access the middle mounting bracket. Setting it first saves a lot of hassle.

  1. Final Tightening: Use your specialty 90 degree ratchet and indexed wrench to tighten the Nylock nuts from inside the awning case onto the carriage bolts. Be prepared—it's a tight squeeze!

With all brackets bolted down securely, your Fiamma F45S awning install is complete! Time to crank it out and enjoy the shade. Thanks for reading!

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