TheSamba.com :: View topic

Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:34 pm

well here are a couple of pics of my 85 GL.it's kinda of a Frankenstein as it has the big sunroof with the poptop bolted on over it. the guy I bought it from did and did a pretty good job.I don't think I would let anyone sleep up there though as it does not have the support of a Westy.we just use it to stow our clothes and stuff at night and then you can close the sunroof to keep out the cool air if needed. the guy I bought it from also made the rear bumper (hard to see in pic).

things I have done or replaced since I bought it in May:

new windshield

new tires (new hubcaps yesterday)

rotors

wheel bearings

coolant hoses

rad. temp sensor

painted the top (it was already black),wheels, pinstripe,mirrors,airvents front bumper.

added some more interior lighting,fixed existing lighting,dash lights included.

new rear seat and seatbelts. had one small tear $40 at the wrecking yard.
used old seat to fill in the rear deck,now its a full bed.I leave it down all time as i'm the only in it 99.9% of the time and I can haul full sheets siding and stuff.

new curtains. we made window shades all around out of those things you put in your windshield to keep the heat of the sun out in summer. slip them between the window and curtain for extra light blockage.cheap and effective.

wired for trailer

GW aux. battery kit. extrta 12v outlet and small inverter to run laptop to watch movies. have since bought a bigger inverter and plan to get Optima or similar type aux. battery.

Panasonic 45 Watt removeable face AM/FM cd player with aux. input jack so I can hook up my Creatin Zen M without one of those crappy FM modulators.
two 4 inch Pioneer 3 way speakers in the door running off deck power
two 6x9 Jensen Triaxal speakers running off a 75 Watt Dr. Crankenstein amp.
two 8 inch 50 Watt powered Bazooka tube subs.
the system bumps good,and has a good overall sound for jamming down the road to Jimi,Floyd,SRV,Allmans and Gov't. Mule.

a bunch of other stuff I did since that escapes me now. we keep all the camping gear in the little trailer ($75 with the Ex-Cargo carrier and a big 2 burner stove) so we have plenty of room in the van. I was worried about climbing hills pulling the trailer,but I went up Santiam Pass about 40-45mph.

I sold my 85 Suburban and 20 foot travel trailer and bought the Vanagon (and the kids 99 Jetta Wolfsburg edition) and love it! should have done it years ago. I was worried my wife wouldn't like it,but she digs it and she slept like a rock. look forward to many years use. my daily driver as well! a steady 17 mpg. had the diz rebuilt and tuneup last week and I changed the oil yesterday,maybe I can get 18+mpg now!!

p.s. no i'm not a Raiders fan,I hate the Raiders. Broncos,Giants and Packers in that order.my man Plaxico had the winning catch!!!!!!!

Tue Feb 05, 2008 9:55 pm

It's cool. I thought about the Westy top over my sunroof option.....but then said....nah....... I don't camp.

Have fun with it,

Chester

Wed Feb 06, 2008 10:53 am

I too have an '85 flash silver sunroof van with a poptop added by the previous owner. I must say, i hate it.....would much rather have a sunroof. I'll be selling it soon to hopefully buy a sunroof van. I'd be curious to see pictures of the bed atop your roof, as with mine only the rear piece of the bed can be up there with the top down. Therefore, i have to carry around this extra piece and once i pop the top, i can then put it up there.

Thu Feb 14, 2008 12:30 am

here is a decent pic (nighttime) of the bumper that was made by the guy that I bought the van from. now I need to find someone to make a match for the front.

Wed Mar 11, 2009 4:02 pm

Bruce Wayne wrote: well here are a couple of pics of my 85 GL.it's kinda of a Frankenstein as it has the big sunroof with the poptop bolted on over it. the guy I bought it from did and did a pretty good job.I don't think I would let anyone sleep up there though as it does not have the support of a Westy.we just use it to stow our clothes and stuff at night and then you can close the sunroof to keep out the cool air if needed. the guy I bought it from also made the rear bumper (hard to see in pic).

things I have done or replaced since I bought it in May:

new windshield

new tires (new hubcaps yesterday)

rotors

wheel bearings

coolant hoses

rad. temp sensor

painted the top (it was already black),wheels, pinstripe,mirrors,airvents front bumper.

added some more interior lighting,fixed existing lighting,dash lights included.

new rear seat and seatbelts. had one small tear $40 at the wrecking yard.
used old seat to fill in the rear deck,now its a full bed.I leave it down all time as i'm the only in it 99.9% of the time and I can haul full sheets siding and stuff.

new curtains. we made window shades all around out of those things you put in your windshield to keep the heat of the sun out in summer. slip them between the window and curtain for extra light blockage.cheap and effective.

wired for trailer

GW aux. battery kit. extrta 12v outlet and small inverter to run laptop to watch movies. have since bought a bigger inverter and plan to get Optima or similar type aux. battery.

Panasonic 45 Watt removeable face AM/FM cd player with aux. input jack so I can hook up my Creatin Zen M without one of those crappy FM modulators.
two 4 inch Pioneer 3 way speakers in the door running off deck power
two 6x9 Jensen Triaxal speakers running off a 75 Watt Dr. Crankenstein amp.
two 8 inch 50 Watt powered Bazooka tube subs.
the system bumps good,and has a good overall sound for jamming down the road to Jimi,Floyd,SRV,Allmans and Gov't. Mule.

a bunch of other stuff I did since that escapes me now. we keep all the camping gear in the little trailer ($75 with the Ex-Cargo carrier and a big 2 burner stove) so we have plenty of room in the van. I was worried about climbing hills pulling the trailer,but I went up Santiam Pass about 40-45mph.

I sold my 85 Suburban and 20 foot travel trailer and bought the Vanagon (and the kids 99 Jetta Wolfsburg edition) and love it! should have done it years ago. I was worried my wife wouldn't like it,but she digs it and she slept like a rock. look forward to many years use. my daily driver as well! a steady 17 mpg. had the diz rebuilt and tuneup last week and I changed the oil yesterday,maybe I can get 18+mpg now!!

p.s. no i'm not a Raiders fan,I hate the Raiders. Broncos,Giants and Packers in that order.my man Plaxico had the winning catch!!!!!!!

any pics of the inside of the bed/sunroof portion?

any idea how much this conversion costs..

Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:01 pm

I don't have any pics of the inside yet. the guy that put the poptop on said he bought it for $100 at a wrecking yard. the poptop some nuts and bolts and a measuring tape,I'm guessing less than $150 total. it looks better on the outside than in. I think he did a good job puting it on,just didn't do the "finish" work.there are cuts in the headliner from where it had to be bolted down to the roof of the van,the canvas is not really canvas but fabric. we use the "upper bunk" for storage at night and close off the sunroof to keep the heat in. overall we really like it. I will try to get some pics on my day off (Friday).