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Thu May 24, 2012 9:55 pm

so I have a 91 syncro westy and love it

Summer

And winter

But I tired of some of the drawbacks of the poptop:
1. limited storage... humping bags up and down, back & forth, every time you cap or head out from camping
2. too cold when winter camping... (yes I do have a propex and poptop insulation, still looking for more cozy!)
3. limited stealthiness for camping (yet more humping bags but only onto the front seats or floor, ugghhh)

I've enjoyed a hightop in the past and decided I wanted one again. I admit many are FUGLY but some look pretty damn good to me.

I looked into various options but finally scored myself a used POS Getaway top from an '82 turdmobile that's been parked up the road from me for years.

"Get-away Van" is a still-active rv supplier from BC that did vanagon conversions (including hightops) back in the day. My inspirations included a Getaway conversion syncro that's owned by samba member dipple.

Here's dipples van:

And a local getaway van (that's for sale - $6900!)

Nice interior eh? 8)

And a photoshop mockup (done before I got the top, you can compare with the finished product):

So anyways here's the getaway that I found... not looking quite as sharp:

and the rescue:

and in transit:

and on arrival (geez what an eyesore) :

got it painted:

And then the endless job of insulating, installing new vent, reinforcement points for racks, new window from ebay, bulkhead and wooden arches for stiffening and attachments points, and gluing headliner material over the whole mess (yes i know my methods are a little ridiculous at times) :roll: :

Once the top was done it was time to actually install it. Much help from and thanks to samba members redcanoe and ragnarhairybreeks:

Here's the finished product (after about 3 months of messing about with it). Went on a little trip down to the Oympic Peninsula last weekend; loved the space and cozy feel. No real change in driving experience or mileage as far as I can tell so far. One big change is the lack of top-popping on campsite arrival... still need to find something to do beyond beer-opening to mark the event... I'm thinking awning, patio lanterns and welcome mat :) ). A few things still need to be done: interior cupboards above the sink, exterior racks and lighting and such...

Exterior:

Interior:

So that's it! Still looking forward to cold-weather camping with the setup, and still lots of concerns about weathertightness, condensation management etc. But for the most part I'm quite pleased with it and feel it's turned out pretty damned well :D

Wave if you see me!

Thu May 24, 2012 10:43 pm

Wow! I've always liked the look of the getaway tops. Rarely see them outside BC. It takes some serious nerve to make such a big change to a factory syncro westy (especially such a nice one), but the end product looks incredible. =D>

Thu May 24, 2012 10:49 pm

noganav wrote: It takes some serious nerve to make such a big change to a factory syncro westy

Nerve, or maybe stupidity?

Must admit I've held onto the poptop just so I have an out if I decide I want to return to stock. So far though I'm really liking the headspace (literally & figuratively) of the new top.

Thu May 24, 2012 10:55 pm

Well done. I must admit, I would love a hightop, but the wife keeps telling me she would leave me if I were to take a tin opener to my Syncro.

Thu May 24, 2012 10:57 pm

I try not to use awesome as a descriptive to often, but it applies here. Great job!

I like the bracing w/ lightening holes and hand-holds particularly, looks like the inside of a Zeppelin up in the ankle-biter stowage compartment

Thu May 24, 2012 11:34 pm

"westy into a hightop? Oh I see"

cheers Simon,

alistair

Fri May 25, 2012 12:07 am

Note the Eurovan driver pointedly ignoring you... :roll:

Fri May 25, 2012 5:11 am

i enjoyed your write up.
you half sold me on a high top.

Fri May 25, 2012 7:14 am

Having done some high roof installing, I really appreciate your work. Looks great. X2 on the clapping guy and the scariest hit man in the movies. LOL Still have night mares about a cattle gun.

Fri May 25, 2012 8:35 am

Syncroincity wrote:
I like the bracing w/ lightening holes and hand-holds particularly, looks like the inside of a Zeppelin up in the ankle-biter stowage compartment

Credit where credit's due; the arches, the bulkhead and idea of using the headliner material (which I'd highly recommend) were born of the genius of Alistair ragnarhairybreeks. Much thanks to him with those and many other parts of the project. 8) :D

Fri May 25, 2012 9:44 am

Me likey! 8)

After 3 years of poptop I was hankering back to my hightop days.

In 3 days time I take delivery of a gutted 2WD rolling shell with Dehler Profi roof intact and then start the project of taking Westy roof off my Syncro 16" and attaching the high-top. Seeing you do similar fills me with confidence, as at the mo I'm at the 'oh no what have I let myself in for' phase!

Fri May 25, 2012 10:33 am

Amazing work and attention to detail. I like the two color scheme for your paint choice as well. I've had both a high top and a pop top and share some of your same feelings. I really like the pop top for the camping part of the van, but enjoyed the high top for hauling skis, mountain bikes, and so much more. Enjoy your "new" van.

Fri May 25, 2012 10:56 am

The line between brilliance and stupidity is usually drawn in very tight, careful strokes by an obsessive person who makes a virtue of vice by meticulously crafting greatness one overly-engineered and precision-crafted step at a time. Your work is impressive by any standard.

I'm not a huge fan of hightops, but your post makes an excellent argument for having one. I'm more than a bit jealous... maybe I'll start looking around!

Thanks for the post ~ informative and engaging.

B

Fri May 25, 2012 3:01 pm

I agree about the fine line between cool and fugly with hi-tops.
In your case..... definitely NOT fugly.
Very cool 8)

Fri May 25, 2012 4:25 pm

Aww shucks y'all, thanks for all the nice comments! :D :oops: Blushhing :oops: :lol:

mickyfin: You never know, the wife might change her mind when she stands up inside, turns on the fan over the stove, pulls pots and pans from the head-height cupboard, goes into the fridge for ingredients and cooks you up some bacon and beer!!

syncropatrick: 16" syncro westy with dehler profi top? Be still my beating, drooling heart! Pretty sure regret won't be a problem. Pics please!

Fri May 25, 2012 6:18 pm

Great job on the build. I have a couple of questions since I'm planning on doing a similar build. What kind of paint did you use. How did you fasten the foam insulation to the fiberglass.. How is the hightop fastened to the rain gutters of the vanagon. And lastly, what kind of window did you find on Ebay, Are there more. Thanks, Paolo

Fri May 25, 2012 8:03 pm

man....I need a hightop.

bassturd.

Fri May 25, 2012 9:21 pm

I have a pop top, been living in it for 6 days now. It rained the last three. Is this an issue with hightops? I would imagine the powered vent fans go miles in keeping the inside dry. No more kid sleeping on floor when it rains either? It takes nearly a half day of driving just to get the windows dry.

Fri May 25, 2012 10:35 pm

hi klueinc; I'm pretty sure condensation will be as big an issue with the hightop (even w/ powered vent) as it is with the poptop. The hightop is less breatheable and also tends to build condensation when colder ouside than inside. My plans include the powered vents and a permanent supply of 'dry z air' (or similar).

One sure benefit of a hightop is that the kid is guaranteed comfy upstairs in all weather.

Fri May 25, 2012 10:43 pm

Great job Simon.. That thing looks sweet and the finishing touches are super cool.