Date:         Sat, 10 Sep 2011 17:06:25 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Adding a tall top to a non-westie ?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

  I know there are "adventure wagons" with pretty tall hard-shell tops, and
that people seem to like these a whole lot.

  Well, I was just trekking about in our field, looking at what needs to be
done before this winter and I saw my old Dodge Van...a camper van I used
with pleasure before fuel got really pricey.  So I was thinking about the ad
I saw..." will remove your junkers and give you $300 for them"  I have that
in mind for the Dodge.  I've tried to sell it but nobody wants these
anymore....  Then I looked at the fiberglass aftermarket top on it and began
measuring stuff.....With some careful scribing, I could put that top over
onto my 84 tin top van....It would fit.   That thing has lasted for 20yrs so
far...Why send that to the crusher?

That particular top, it tapers toward the front...it has a low section over
the driver's area that sticks up maybe 6" (enough for some storage shelves)
then at about the C-pillar, it takes a turn upwards, has a couple of fixed
plexiglass windows across the width and then it continues  back to the
hatch, rising all the while at a gentle slope, where it adds 19" in the
center of the width of the van. Has a funky little kicker at the
back...Looks like the "A-Team Van"....  In the Dodge, we had the bed cross
wise across the back with that extra height above used as storage....The
'walk around area' (my van has most of the westie interior...sink stove
fridge water, etc)  in the Dodge...there was almost full standing headroom
with this top, and you could see out those windows...

  So if I saw off the top of my GL and simply pop-rivet or screw this thing
on in it's place....is my van going to turn into a 'slinky-toy' and get all
flexible because the roof is gone?  Do factory Westies have more body
structure to make up for no real structural roof?  Ya think if I go for it I
should have some tubes bent to tie the sides together, cross wise and maybe
bridge the slider somehow?  I guess I could integrate the plastic roof into
the structure by bonding it tightly and adding some carbon fiber to carry
some of the chassis loads....

  just thinking out loud here..anyone want to comment?

  Don Hanson