1965 SO42 Large Pop Top help

[DrDarby]

We've got a '65 SO42 Westy that lost it's big pop top while we were towing it to the shop. It evidentally came unlatched and ejected while on the trailer. As unlucky as that was when it ejected on I90 and left the van the wind caught it and it cleared 3 Westbound lanes, 2 inner shoulders AND 4 Eastbound lanes landing in the Eastbound outer shoulder and never got hit!
My question is does anyone recognize the top? The bus was a German import post 1990, the top is hinged at the rear, opening like a 68-71. It has a Fiamma skylight in it date coded 1983. The pop up roof is fiberglass, has wood reinforcements glassed within and as you can see in the pics has various ribs molded in.
Overall the roof survived but lost what must have been the very front panel that was molded on to "finish" the front exterior.
I'm trying to find info on it as I'll most likely need to replace the tent plus I'd like to get info on it anyway as we are doing some light mechanical work and will be selling it soon as its done.
Thats all the info I have so dont know if the van was painted in Germany and the roof installed there or is it a roof from an old Dodge camper and done here?
Lets see what you folks think, thanks!

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Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Woodstock, IL

[mandraks]

not sure if this was originally designed for a VW, but you could try doing an image search on google. try: VW BUS T2 Aufstelldach for example. There were several manufacturers not just westfalia. Reimo for example,
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regards

Uli

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'53 3-Fold Oval, L35 Metallic Blue, looking for a narrow hatch panel

[velvetgreen]

would be interesting to see what the mcode tag says as well. I don't recognize that particular pop up roof but as others have said there are/were a tonne of different manufacturers of pop tops over the years

[BarryL]

Do you have the Big Top Tent for it?

[DrDarby]

The big self standing exterior tent? No. The pop up roof does have a 3 screen tent that took a little damage but looks fixable.
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Midwest Autosavers, Inc. Woodstock, IL

[Clara]

That pop top was not stock for a 1965 SO-42. It was retrofitted at some point. Glad you found the top and it was relatively unscathed!!!

These roof options were available in 1965 -
dormobile top, square pop top, the hatch top was being phased out in 1965

The 'big top' SO-42 tent can connect to the tent rail on the rain gutter of your bus:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/album_search.php...t_dir=DESC
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The Obsolete Air-Cooled Documentation Project http://oacdp.org/

[BarryL]

Your tent rail is riveted to the rain gutter. Does it have a plastic strip between the aluminum rail and the gutter or is it riveted directly against the paint?