samwise Samba Member
Joined: May 04, 2010 Posts: 611 Location: North Salt Lake, Utah
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Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:43 am Post subject: Fit a pop-top roof, or get the sunroof holes filled? |
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I have a '79 7-passenger van that a previous owner fitted with two glass sunroofs - one over the front seats, one over the rear seats. Both leak to one degree or another (the rear one is like Niagara Falls in an automated car wash ), and the front one is in the ideal position to slice sun into your eyes at certain points.
We have a complete roof from a '74 Westy (all it would need, assuming we haven't lost anything, is a new canvas, naturally, and the upstairs bed mattress - we have the bed etc.) including a couple inches down the various pillars:
The metal roof was cut just behind the B pillar to get it in the pickup safely.
So, as I see it, our two choices are stay as a tin-top, get the sunroof holes welded shut and a new headliner installed (whether a tintop Westy plywood one (if I can find the bits and pieces), or a new vinyl one.
Or
Get the Westy roof cut welded on, replacing our existing one.
Our first baby is due in June (we're aiming to have two kids eventually), so I suppose that, long-term, the Westy top is the more convenient?
We have to get some welding work done around the various window frames, plus some on the cargo floor, so whichever roof welding we choose could be added to that financial ouchie.
I don't want to sell Harvee and replace him with a Westy - partly because we've just had the engine rebuilt so we'd never see the money back, and partly because we like the 7-seater functionality, especially as he has the full-width Z-bed rear seat fitted (that's another issue, something appears to be out of whack on the driver's side as the seat base needs to be finagled back into position!).
Thoughts?
Any idea on costs of either option? _________________ Ben
1979 7-passenger bus
Harvee the Wonder Bus' pics |
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