New Hightop Option

[VeeDubDaySpa]

We fit 100w in the same location:

There are a lot of poorly made panels out there that will only last a year or two. We have tested many and are on our third version for the NAHT top. Thinking we nailed it on this one.

Now just gotta figure out how to ship them.

Van pictured has 250w
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North American Hightop Installer/Distributor
Current stock (5)
Hot Water Systems
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90 Syncro NAHT Vanagon RHINO
86 "Syncro" Van DIAMOND
87 Syncro Hightop WestyCamper ROCKY (for sale soon)
79 bay window OLIVER

[joetiger]

[joetiger]

I ran out of time before our big trip and didn't get a bulkhead installed, so instead I just put up a chunk of wood with some L-brackets and a 12v receptacle. What I found on our trip is that this simple divider is perfect for storing Mountainsmith cubes (as well as lots of soft storage in front of them.) Having the sides open works for stuffing raincoats and small items in there.

It's since been replaced with a more finished walnut piece. It's not going to win any awards, but it's extremely functional for our purposes.
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[?Waldo?]

[joetiger]

[joetiger]

Added a Lensun 55 watt panel to the front.

That gives me 120 watts. Link to panel:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G12RLCG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[Syncro Jael]

The donor Syncro Westfalia Pop Top.

I finally received the top from John. After scrubbing it down with degreaser/wax remover I began the process. I set it on top of the van and measured/trimmed/measured/trimmed/measured/trimmed It took a lot of trimming to get the top to set like I wanted. The front really needs some trimming to keep a gap above the front windshield rubber. I even trimmed down the sides at the rear to get it to set level. Make sure you undercut/bevel the edges.

Here it is just sitting on the gutters.

John explained that there would be trimming, so plan on a few hours to get it right. I used a grinder with an 80 grit flap disk. It worked perfectly.

I made a jig to mark and cut the 3/4" exterior plywood for the windows, interior lights, and MaxxAir vent.

With the double thick Prodex and Flex Form Carpet Silver I would use 5/8" next time. It ended up really thick but the windows fit well. I also used a bunch of grabber screws to suck the fiberglass up then followed up with an 8' 2x4 down each side to pull everything tight. I used Sika Flex 221 for the adhesive.

I then adhered the wires for solar, power vent, and lighting, with Gorilla tape.


Next was the double thick Prodex. I did the sides all in one piece, the back, then top and front in one piece. So my seams were minimal. 3M 38808 headliner was used. I purchased (8)eight cans and used 3 on the prodex. I also triple sealed each seam with aluminum tape.

Next came the Flex Form. At 80in wide I also positioned it so the seams would be to the front and back. This stuff does not seam really well so make straight cuts and take your time. I used another (4)four cans of the 3M to adhere the Flex Form Carpet. The added thickness of the Prodex and Carpet Flex form should give me pretty decent insulation properties.

Then I taped off, measured, measured, measured, and cut out the windows and power vent holes. I used a laminate blade for the jigsaw. It left a really clean edge.

Black Butyl Seal tape was used for the seals. 1/8" x 3/4".

I then used 8mm/2436 Multiwall Polycarbonate Sheets and on the large panel I used Therma/Pan where it sits on the bump for the vent, and just the sheets under the other 50w solar panels. These were adhered using EternaBond double stick tape. The panels were then installed over the sheets and EternaBond White 3" sided tape was used to secure them. The top 170w Sunpower panel fit perfectly on the top. I cut the Poly sheets around the fiberglass riser for the vent. This made for good air flow under the panel.

I chose Sunpower Flexible Solar Panels. (1)one 170w and (2)two 50w panels.


Link

Solar Wiring was run to a Ogrmar Plastic Dustproof IP65 Junction Box DIY Case Enclosure (6.2"x 3.5"x 2.5") on the back deck. With Waterproof Nylon Cable Gland Joint Adjustable Connector for the wiring to run through.


The MaxxAir power vent was installed on the back deck rather than on the very top. This was to keep the height down and improve the airflow all the way to the rear of the top. It works great in this position. I also installed a Link Solar Weatherproof ABS Solar Double Cable Entry Gland for the CB and Cell Booster Antenna cables to run through.

I installed some really nice Touch Ceiling LED Light - Genuine Marine DC 12V 3W 2800K Soft White Memory Light Annular Frosted Lens with Stepless Dimmable, Surface Mount lights. These had great reviews and work wonderfully.

After everything was installed I hooked up a spare battery to test the circuits.

Next was prepping and adhering the top to the van. I used 40 grit paper on a palm sander to get down to metal quickly. The NAHT does not adhere as high as you would think. So when you are positioning it for trimming take a look at the sides and mark how far down it will touch. Don't to do metal above that but scuff the paint.

Everything was wiped down with Acetone. The top was set on 2x4's and then the Evercoat FIB-813 Maxim Medium Set Bonding Adhesive was applied. You need some Popeye forearms to get this out of the tubes! I used a figure eight pattern and almost 3/4 of a tube on each side. In hindsight I would have smoothed the adhesive flat across the joining area. But we slide the top to the front then back into position. This smeared the adhesive.

I opened the windows on the top and van then ran a ratchet strap around to pull the top inward and down. I also cut some 3/4" beveled spacers to press into the rain gutter and wedge the top against the van. This worked well.

Then I Gorilla Taped the front and rear seams from the outside. The third tube of Maxim was used to adhere the front and back. After putting a thick bead at the joint I pressed the top out so the adhesive would get under the beveled edge. Then put a large bead across the joint.

Now was the time for the U-Pol Products 0728 White TIGER SEAL Adhesive/Sealant to be applied all around the inside. I used (6)six tubes to get a good uniform seal.

Finally after the Maxim had set I removed the tape and used a seam sealer to seal the top from the outside.

I measured the total height at 8'10" with the vent closed. The rear vent is the same height at the very top solar panel.

Now I drive a HighTop Westfalia!

Since my install was on a factory Westfalia the interior will be very easy to finish off.

This will come once I get more done.

Cheers, Ron
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1987 Syncro Westfalia Hightop - NAHT
Subaru EJ25 Forged Frankenmotor, Triple Knob.
Jael = (Mountain Goat)

[?Waldo?]

Looks excellent. Thanks for sharing.

[joetiger]

Looks great Ron, congrats! You're going to dig it.
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Joe T.

'86 NAHT Vanagon GL Syncro/ supercharged ABA 2.0 "Pigpen"
'04 GTI 1.8T
'04 Golf R32

"get metaphysical with it. if it's simply a means to get to and from places, it will let you down. if it becomes your zen, it can't fail you." -dabaron

"Still, it's good to be afield."--VWagabond

Available Now! Vanagon to Louisiana--A Two-Lane Reckoning Through Past and Present

www.josephtrussell.com

[jimf909]

What a great write-up for folks who do this. I appreciate the detailed product info. Enjoy the standing room, storage and comfort.

p.s. that's a lot of adhesive!
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- Jim

[shagginwagon83]

Nice job Ron! Such a bad ass high top Westy
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Brandon
"Jo Ann" - '83.5 Westfalia EJ22e w/Peloquin
Instagram @joannthevan

[VeeDubDaySpa]

[J Charlton]

Hey Kevin - great job in sorting out what looks to be a very promising "out of the box" "plug and play" solar solution for NAHT hightoppers.

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9129561#9129561

I think that your comment "Ron that double thick prodex looks nice! Haven’t seen that before! " bears commenting upon.
First - the role of insulation in preventing condensation should be reviewed - see

http://canadianhightops.ca/condensationandinsulation.html

The primary role of the closed cell insulation in the prodex is to limit the transfer of energy from one side of the prodex to the other. Certainly doubling the thickness of the closed cell barrier will further limit that transfer - BUT - the effectiveness of the Prodex is due mostly to the Infrared reflective nature of its bonded surfaces. Most of the thermal energy hitting the prodex reflective surface is reflected back to whence it came - therefore keeping the interior warm in cold conditions and cool in conditions of strong sunlight/heat. See Joe T's comments towards the end of
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9123019#9123019

"Oh--One thing about the high top:

Saturday morning I slept in until around 9:00. (I may have stayed around the keg with a few gents until the wee hours...) I opened the slider and saw that everybody was out of their vans. A guy in a bay camped close to me said, "how could you stand the heat in there? We were all out first thing, my van is like an oven.

The combo of full top insulation, limo tinted windows, and the vent fan had my van nice and cool even as the day was already scorching. Made me proud."

When the Prodex - whatever thickness - is applied properly and the seams sealed properly with reflective tape it creates a very effective thermal and vapour barrier. The closed cell nature of the thermal barrier is important to inhibit any migration if water vapour or condensation that could occur through any breaks in the reflective/vapour barrier - something that air bubble encapsulated reflective variations from (eg ) Home Depot cannot do - is very important.
I probably spent 6 months researching various insulating options for hightops before selecting Prodex as a very effective and cost effective insulation solution that I would subsequently recommend to installers and DIYrs.

Inasmuch as it is the reflective property of the Prodex that "does most of the work" in terms of keeping the top/van cool or warm I'm pretty certain that doubling the thickness of the insulative closed cell foam thermal barrier would not have any significant effect on the overall efficacy of the insulation in a hightop.
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NAHT hightop availability May 18 2023 -
Bend Oregon - for Oregon, California- (7 tot , 3 available), Kennewick Wa (6 tot, 1 available), Small Car Performance Fife Wa. (7 tot 4 avail ), Fairbanks Alaska (1 tot 0 avail)
Future availability TBD : Springfield Mass. Staunton Va, Florida, Colorado, Grand Junction Co., SLC probably late 2024

[Syncro Jael]

Last weekend I was fortunate to attend a gathering of Volkswagens at Lava Hot Springs Idaho. This was the maiden voyage for camping in the NAHT and a few hundred miles of freeway speeds.

I did not notice much difference on the wind effects on the van with the NAHT vs the Pop-Top. There is a little more side wind push but nothing more than a camper on a pickup truck. The NAHT is quieter driving down the road at speed. On the way home I stayed at 70-75 most of the way. I had some gusty side winds of 15-20mph and had no issues.

Camping with the High Top was great. Even when the van was sitting in the sun and 90°f temps, the top was not warm to the touch on the inside. The vent kept the interior temps down. Sleeping was great and the noise level was reduced from sleeping in the pop-top tent.

So far this modification to the van has been a plus.

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1987 Syncro Westfalia Hightop - NAHT
Subaru EJ25 Forged Frankenmotor, Triple Knob.
Jael = (Mountain Goat)

[J Charlton]

An insulated hightop also turns a van into a 4 season camper. Several folks with hightops have found that some ski resorts allow them to plug into parking lot outlets. A small electric heater in the van keeps it quite cosy and smart use of the power vent manages humidity.
Maybe someone "out there" will some day source a small humidistat and modify the circuitry of a power vent to place the humidistat in parallel with the existing thermostat so that the vent could/would open/close and manage the internal van humidity. I've done it with an attic fan in a house - works great. In that case I scavenged the humidistat from a dehumidifier that someone was throwing out. Still working well 30 years later.
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NAHT hightop availability May 18 2023 -
Bend Oregon - for Oregon, California- (7 tot , 3 available), Kennewick Wa (6 tot, 1 available), Small Car Performance Fife Wa. (7 tot 4 avail ), Fairbanks Alaska (1 tot 0 avail)
Future availability TBD : Springfield Mass. Staunton Va, Florida, Colorado, Grand Junction Co., SLC probably late 2024

[BCgee]

Almost finished the build-out of our Syncro Hightop, figured it was time to share a few photos and give back a little energy to the hightop tribe.

Mike @ VanLab did the scary roof cut and initial Sikaflex gluing while I've slowly worked on finishing it out since this Spring. Exterior is full Monstaliner (carrying on the vision of PO Scott Shelley), with windows installed after I built out plywood panels on the interior (sorry for crappy phone pics). I used the same pro insulation as others plus 1/8" plywood wrapped with one of the marine grade carpets out there.

Still to be installed is the MaxxFan 4500, ceiling lights, and aux battery set-up, plus a custom tubular steel roof rack is in progress. As many of you know well, we get sidetracked with all kinds of other more pressing maintenance projects such that its gratifying to see progress on these more aesthetic projects.

Practical experiences so far are fantastic. I'm 6'2 and standing up alone at any time is a game-changer, not to mention the storage capacity for camping is all-time and convenient.

Playing with windows creates a nice cross-draft which alongside the insulation has meant very comfortable temps both day and evening. I'm sure temp control will improve with the MaxxFan. Most importantly the wife and baby approve so far. We've made it out to the San Juans, to Sun Valley, down to Moab, and several overnighters in our local backyard of SW Montana.

I'm very much looking forward to winter testing. I redid interior insulation and soundproofing below alongside the hightop install and will be installing an Espar B4 aux heater this fall so that the Syncro can serve as a comfortable base of operations for our 6 months of cold and snow up here.

I couldn't imagine going back to a tintop now that we have the hightop; its simply a great fit for my family and our outdoors lifestyle while remaining a legitimate kid-and-dog-hauling commuter. No thanks, Sprinter/Promaster/Econoline

Keep up the good work everyone! Viva Hightops!

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1987 SVX Syncro Hightop

[jimf909]

[hans j]

[J Charlton]

"I did not notice much difference on the wind effects on the van with the NAHT vs the Pop-Top. There is a little more side wind push but nothing more than a camper on a pickup truck. The NAHT is quieter driving down the road at speed. On the way home I stayed at 70-75 most of the way. I had some gusty side winds of 15-20mph and had no issues."


The actual shape of a hightop has great deal to do with the effect of side winds on it and the van. Our NAHT has 3 distinct planes on its sides - so chosen to facilitate side winds being shed up and over before they actually have anything to "bite" onto. Similarly the front profile has 2 planes which allow up and over- which accounts for the quieter ride with a hightop on relative to a westy pop top. I notice better fuel consumption figures as well but I think they're somewhat harder to quantify as the reduced road noise promotes driving at higher speeds which really clouds the issue. As I've mentioned before the only noticeable "wind effect" that I've felt is from winds from the rear that "quarter" onto the top. They can be felt. A straight behind tailwind can certainly be felt.

Having said all of this I am convinced that the height of the sidewall of a van's tires is the primary cause of feeling the effect of sidewinds. If the overall radius - rim plus tire - of a 14" rim and tire combination is the same as that of a 16" rim and tire combination then the additional sidewall height of the 14" combination will certainly result in more sway in sidewinds irrespective of hightop or not.

I hope that all vanagon drivers, hightoppers or not, if they feel that the effects of sidewinds are significant, would have the common sense to JUST SLOW DOWN
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NAHT hightop availability May 18 2023 -
Bend Oregon - for Oregon, California- (7 tot , 3 available), Kennewick Wa (6 tot, 1 available), Small Car Performance Fife Wa. (7 tot 4 avail ), Fairbanks Alaska (1 tot 0 avail)
Future availability TBD : Springfield Mass. Staunton Va, Florida, Colorado, Grand Junction Co., SLC probably late 2024

[Steve M.]