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Sun Sep 16, 2007 1:42 pm

I have seen references to the Riviera pop top. How do these compare to original westy pop tops? I know the Riviera pop straight up vs. having a hinge at the back. Any other notable differences between the two?

Sun Sep 16, 2007 4:26 pm

One thing that is worth noting is that the Westy poptop was installed on a special version of the Vanagon roof that had a lot of extra reinforcing, while the ASI (Riviera) top was installed on standard Vanagon roofs with a hole cut in it.

That said, I've never heard anything particularly negative about the ASI top, and I kind of like it for its uniqueness.

David

Sun Sep 16, 2007 4:52 pm

A new canvas tent is easy to get for a Westfalia pop-top, you can get them in a couple of styles made of a few differant materials.
Finding new canvas for an ASI is going to be an adventure in itself, you may have to pay someone to make you one, If you can find someone at all.

Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:20 pm

That was hard (pardon the sarcasm).

http://www.countryhomescampers.com/poptopcanvas.htm

Andrew

Sun Sep 16, 2007 6:42 pm

To respond to the initial poster, I happen to have one of each and really like both. I have done a side by side comparison and the westy wins IMO in every way that it is different. The one toss up is that the dometic in the ASI is larger which takes up more interior space, but is also more useful. The pop top on the ASI does not allow one to sit without their head hitting the roof. The front seats do not swivel (can be added). Overall both are great.

At some point I will be removing the ASI top to replace the gasket. When it is off I will take note of what reinforcing was done to the roof.

Andrew

Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:19 pm

Andrew A. Libby wrote: That was hard (pardon the sarcasm).

http://www.countryhomescampers.com/poptopcanvas.htm

Andrew

Have you ordered anything from Country Homes Campers?

Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:01 pm

Nope.

Sun Sep 16, 2007 9:18 pm

MightyArt,

Are you implying that CHC might be dicey/slow/dishonest? It'd be useful to know, so I can cross them off my list of vendors.

Thanks,

Lanval

Mon Sep 17, 2007 6:04 am

Love my Riviera! New canvas top from PLF...well that was a few years ago now I guess. Swivel front seats. Propane heater on a thermostat for those winter trips in the Colorado mountains. We generally sleep with about 340 pounds up top and haven't noticed anything different than the Westy in terms of support.

While on the subject of the ASI...from everything that I have found they quite doing that conversion in '83...but mine is an '84 watercooled. Can anyone point me to some more accurate information?

Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:18 am

They built the Riviera campers through 1985. I've seen plenty of 85s and the ones I've seen were all built off of base model vans.

You could order the top as a custom installation all the way through 1991, I think.

David

Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:31 am

Country homes campers went out of bussiness several years ago.
Then they came back, and a year or so ago people posted that they weren't returning emails.
If they are back and ready to sell stuff I don't know, but I would give them a call and check on availability before I got my hopes up on what they have.

Mon Sep 17, 2007 9:00 am

prAna wrote: Love my Riviera! New canvas top from PLF...well that was a few years ago now I guess. Swivel front seats. Propane heater on a thermostat for those winter trips in the Colorado mountains. We generally sleep with about 340 pounds up top and haven't noticed anything different than the Westy in terms of support.

Were the swivel seats standard, or something that came aftermarket? Was this only on the GL or standard Vanagon as well?

Any other notable differences (other than the top) between the Vanagon Rivieras and Westys?

I've been trying to do some research on the riviera's (living in Oregon, I see my fair share). They seem to command a bit less on the market than Westys, but that's a good thing, eh?

Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:53 am

"A new canvas tent is easy to get for a Westfalia pop-top, you can get them in a couple of styles made of a few differant materials. "

The canvas available from suppliers that is not OEM Westfalia should only be ordered only if you know what the supplier is actually supplying, and I would reccommmend a written agreement for a full refund if the new canvas is not what is expected.

Previous thread here turned up a number of replacement tops laying about garages due to difficulities making the tops fit. The OEM Westfalia tops fit, the aftermarket tops fit sometimes. My canvas replacement was very difficult, and the supplier had no help, only excusess. I have fitted Westy OEM canvases with NO problems at all.

So far as canvases for Riverias go, no top is worth buying canvas twice due to suppliers who sell parts that dont fit. If you find a 'topless' Rivera, get a upholstery shop to fit a canvas, cant cost as much as two Westy Canvases.

Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:04 pm

I am thinking about fitting a top in the future to my 86 non camper. I was thinking of going with a riviera pop top, as I've never had one before.

Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:04 am

What good is new canvas when that cheap abs plastic starts cracking?
Or does anybody know where to get a whole new top?
Me personly I love my riviera as the wood grain interior looks much nicer than the white plain westys, but that damm top cracking and no way to repair it, might consider putting on a fiberglass westy top which might involve alot of custom work which I dont want to do, OR the most expensive option would be to take the top off and send it to a fiberglass shop and have them make a new one.
All possibilites leads to headache and empty wallet ](*,)

Damm you ASI for using garbage plastic as the choice material for the tops :2gunfire:

Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:32 am

camo westy wrote: .......The OEM Westfalia tops fit, the aftermarket tops fit sometimes. My canvas replacement was very difficult, and the supplier had no help, only excusess. I have fitted Westy OEM canvases with NO problems at all.

Are true OEM Westfalia canvas tops even available anymore? Do you have a source for one (OEM)?

I have read about the GoWesty (and others) that don't quite fit because of extra material, or too short, etc. This is why I chose to patch a hole in my original. If there's a source for OEM tops, I'm willing to replace.

Wed Sep 19, 2007 4:29 am

AMERI-SWISS wrote: What good is new canvas when that cheap abs plastic starts cracking?
Or does anybody know where to get a whole new top?
Me personly I love my riviera as the wood grain interior looks much nicer than the white plain westys, but that damm top cracking and no way to repair it, might consider putting on a fiberglass westy top which might involve alot of custom work which I dont want to do, OR the most expensive option would be to take the top off and send it to a fiberglass shop and have them make a new one.
All possibilites leads to headache and empty wallet ](*,)

Damm you ASI for using garbage plastic as the choice material for the tops :2gunfire:

are you streetlegal yet?

Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:43 am

Quote: What good is new canvas when that cheap abs plastic starts cracking?
Or does anybody know where to get a whole new top?

I don't know where you can get a new top but I do know it can be repair to like new

in my circle we paddle ABS whitewater canoes and we beat them up and repair them, and this is an excellent place to learn how to fix them.It's the Samba of canoes.

http://www.cboats.net/

there was a thread on there(forum) using ABS sheets and melting them with MEK and making a slurry,painting it on after prepping and sanding it down, and make it look pretty etc

and here is a webpage on how to weld ABS

http://www.mv.com/users/morris/paddling/boat-repair.html

this might help?

Wed Sep 19, 2007 5:54 am

oorwullie wrote:

are you streetlegal yet?

NO. I just got back from two weeks in Croatia in which we were supposed to take my bus but instead had to take a tent. Croatia is perfect for a bus as they have more campgrounds than hotels. And every time I saw a westy (which I saw hundreds) just pissed me off even more, But still had a great vacation. The paper work that they want now is, how do I explain this?, the bus is 1982, I bought it 2 years ago. And they need the certified ownership records because as far as they are concerned I am the only person who has owned this bus so for over 20 years this bus just sat there with no owner, and the American bill of sale is not good enough because its not officaily certified. WTF
And as soon as I supply this form then they'll ask where are the official oil change records and then the "how many times did someone fart in this bus records" and then the this and then the that. :roll:
GOOD LUCK BUCKO, I hear Germany is just as hard. Take all of your paper work to your local notary and get them stamped and certified, and I mean ALL papers. Maitnence records (fake a maintence journal if you have to), ownership records, and reciets for random sh%t.
If I knew it was going to be this hard I would of sold it in the states and bought one here, but it was too late I already fell in love with my bus.

Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:03 am

good luck with all that then. :wink: