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Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 22, 2023 6:54 pm    Post subject: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Hi Guys,

About a week ago, I popped the top of my '95 Winnebago EVC, and one of the scissor hinges in the back gave up the ghost, with the main crossmember snapping in half around the bearing and bolt that goes through it:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


After disassembling it, I noticed that the crossmember on the other side was stressed and a bit bent:

Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.


I don't know how long these might have been on their way out, as i got the van only a couple of months ago. I replaced the struts on the poptop with the OEM equivalent from EuroCampers.

A local welder was able to reconnect the broken crossmember and straighten the bent one. I had a heck of a time doing trial and error to try to get the hinges back in and the struts in place at the same time.

I thought I put the hinges back correctly and that I bolted them back where they had been. However, as soon as I put the struts back on, the top skewed about two inches to left side and it won't close. If I remove the struts, I can yank the top down and to the right and get it to shut and lock, but put the struts back in, and the top is misaligned and won't shut/lock.

Anyone have any experience with this? The scissor hinges are NLA, so I can't get a new set. Hoping there's something I missed in reassembly or that there's an order of operations I didn't follow or something. Let me know if you have any insight. Thanks!
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 6:16 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Wow, that's a real bummer. I don't have direct advice- assuming everything is still the same length with the hinge pieces, assembled same way side to side, I'm not sure why it would happen. I think my next step might be to try the old struts. I would not try lifting without the struts, there's no H-bar like a vanagon or bus, the struts are carrying a sideload.
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 6:59 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

While the exact replacement poptop hinges are not available, Dr. Bjorn's sells a similar looking set:

When I compared the crossmembers to mine, I noticed that when I reassembled mine, the little half-moon cutouts on my crossmembers are opposite of the ones on Bjorn's. Compare:

Bjorn's:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Mine:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



When I was reassembling mine, I assumed the half-moons went where they did so that bolts would sit in them when compressed. Maybe I got it backwards? Not sure if that would clear the misalignment or not, but it'd be a lot of work just to try.

Can anyone with a Winnebago EVC take a look at theirs or shoot me a picture of what the rear hinges look like so I can note the assembly? That would really help!
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 7:46 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Scottn59c wrote:
While the exact replacement poptop hinges are not available, Dr. Bjorn's sells a similar looking set:

When I compared the crossmembers to mine, I noticed that when I reassembled mine, the little half-moon cutouts on my crossmembers are opposite of the ones on Bjorn's. Compare:

Bjorn's:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.

Mine:
Image may have been reduced in size. Click image to view fullscreen.



When I was reassembling mine, I assumed the half-moons went where they did so that bolts would sit in them when compressed. Maybe I got it backwards? Not sure if that would clear the misalignment or not, but it'd be a lot of work just to try.

Can anyone with a Winnebago EVC take a look at theirs or shoot me a picture of what the rear hinges look like so I can note the assembly? That would really help!


If nobody else replies by the time I get home tonight, I will take a look/pic.
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1995 Eurovan Camper "Marzivan"
2020 GTI SE manual
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 10:14 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

I took another look before I went off to work today. The picture I posted above of the disassembled hinge sitting on the rear bench of my van did have the crossmember installed inversely from the Dr. Bjorn replacement set I was comparing to, however, I reversed it (so that it's the same as Bjorn's) before I installed it to the top this past weekend. So I think I have it in right side up. Nonetheless, @mikemtnbike: If you do get a chance to look at yours and/or snap a pic later, though, please do - that will help me.

All I can think to do is to take the bolts out of the hinges and try again to make sure that I didn't create the misalignment when I took one hinge out to take it to the welder. But, really, it seemed to me like there was not a ton of room for adjustment back there. Maybe if I hold the back up with a scissor jack, I can get a more even gap to work with back there when attaching the hinges.

Anybody ever replace these hinges or adjust them before? I couldn't find much when I searched the archives here.
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Scottn59c
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 23, 2023 5:56 pm    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Hey Mike, you're off the hook on that pic. I think I see my problem. Upon further examination, it looks like my right side hinge isn't totally straight, so the top is failing to close.

It looks like it might be back to the welder with that side to get him to help me straighten it out. I don't know what the heck bent it in the first place, though. If I get it straightened, I might need to spring for a new set of struts, too, just in case they put too much force on the hinges and caused my problem in the first place. When I bought the van, the original struts were shot and doing nothing. But the top opened and closed straight. Perhaps the EuroCamper struts bent it.
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mikemtnbike
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 5:42 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Didn't get home until well after dark last night, if it's different today, will try again.
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1991 Vanagon GL 2.1 AT Westfauxlia. "Frankie" Totaled Sad https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=764510&highlight=carnage
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2020 GTI SE manual
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MrPulldown
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:30 am    Post subject: Re: Winnebago poptop hinge/misalignment Reply with quote

Seems like something you can find used. E-bay doesn't have any right now (I did not search very hard). There are junkers that you should try.

Do you carry anything on the pop top roof?
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