Date:         Sun, 31 Dec 1995 15:18:14 -0400
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From:         smitht@unb.ca (Tim Smith)
Subject:      Re: Camper Top Transplant

>Has anyone ever heard of or transplanting a camper top on a Vanagon?

Yes, but not this extreme.

>I have an 88GL and am thinking of cutting the metal roof off at the top of
>the posts and doing the same to an old 81Westy and then welding the camper
>roof to the GL body thus making a pop-top camper out of the 88GL,  Any
>feedback on this?  What do you think a welding shop would charge?  I can do

A small fortune, not to mention risk of structural cracking later.  Have a
really careful look at your donor Westy once the roof is stripped bare.
They are very different from the normal roof.  You may be able to do what
you want by cutting about one inch wider than the Westy cutout, creating a
giant figure '8' the shape of the roof. Prep this, then use it as a guide to
cut out the soon-to-be Westy.  This way you won't destroy the factory
unibody integrity you get from all the spot welds in the roof edges,
raingutters etc.
        Looking at the Westy roof, there is a preimeter lip that holds the
bed boards in place, you need this and its profile follows the non-Westy
roof tin up to where the roof air ducts are.  So you would have to match up
the outer (top most) roof AND the inner roof, and get them nicely spotwelded
together.  A lot of jig and fixture work, for a good shop.
        Why the poptop? If it's for standing room only when camped, just cut
a huge 4' x 4' sunroof right through between the roof crossbeams, roll the
edges and face with suitable vinyl molding to hold the headliner in place.
Only if you use the real Westy roof can you use the wood panelling as well.
With this low dollar option you get a Westy with standing room, nighttime
storage and access to the roof rack.  If you want a bed, it would be a lot
easier to then modify the bed mounting to fit the non-Westy roofline than to
chop the top. Might not flip out so easily, prolly slide forward instead,
but takes anly an afternoon with the jigsaw in the yard, not two weeks in
the body shop.  This is the way I'm going next spring.  One hard part is to
get the rear hinge plates anchored down properly, as the Westy outer roof is
stamped differently in the rear corners.  You will need a substantial
drilled and tapped backing plate, preferably curved to fit the non-Westy
corners to bolt the hinges too.  The front latch comes with its own backing
plates, no major probs there. The rear crossbeam in a Westy is very
different from non-Westy, since it is flat, not curved, and has a lip to
hold both bed boards. A conversion could be done by swapping over the beam,
then prepping the non-Westy outer roof, again a high level of commitment
from a shop would be required to make sure this was done well.   Good luck,
post to the list whatever happens.   Tim Smith