When I moved the awning brackets on our Troll I used fresh self-tapping screws, and replaced like-for-like. They are stainless Posidrive raised countersunk 1¼" No8s.

The screws need to go through the infill strip (which squashes flat), through the aluminium awning rail and into the structural square steel tube framework behind.

The first time I did it I drilled the appropriate-sized hole (3.5mm, if I remember correctly) through the trim strip and awning rail (having checked and double-checked that I was putting the bracket in exactly the right place and going in dead square) and then stopped when I felt the drill go through the front wall of the square tube.

I thought that would do it, but when I tightened the screws up with the brackets and spacers in place, the tips bound on the back wall of the square tube before the bracket and spacer were hard to the awning rail, and it was possible to rock the bracket - albeit slightly - by hand.

That didn't seem right to me. While the brackets' main function is to locate the awning frame rather than carry a substantial load per se*, it seemed to me that they should be rock solid. Given that the same brackets and spacers had been just that - rock solid - in their previous locations using the same sized screws, the only answer was that the screw tips must have penetrated the back wall of the square tube as well.

So I very gingerly drilled a slightly smaller hole in the back wall too, being especially careful not to apply too much pressure and have an accidental and unwanted hole inside the van.

Reattaching the brackets and spacers gave the desired result, and now they ain't going anywhere in a hurry.

I'm afraid I can't help you with which way up the brackets should go because I don't have the van here, and I can't remember which way they are. I think ours went on tapered side up, though if it's just a hook or a spike going into the hole rather than some special fit kind of fitting, I don't imagine it would matter too much.

To cut a long story short, you will have to drill holes in the structural framework, and when you do, make sure you smush some mastic into the holes before attaching the brackets. More mastic is better than less. If it squidges out when you tighten the screws up for the final time you can always remove the excess, but at least you'll be sure that water can't find its way in.

P.S. If you haven't got any of the right screws, let me know and I'd be only too happy to put a handful in the post for you FOC. I've got dozens of them.

* It might be worth bearing in mind that the brackets - and screws - are potentially subject to quite a lot of accidental leverage if, as in our case, the wind gets under a half-dismantled awning. That resulted in a few bent poles and some bent bracket screws to boot...

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