New Hightop Option

[BavarianWrench]

Love the install, very clean. I love that the little rascal can bounce of the walls in there. Thats a happy hound. Nice Job!

[/quote]

[Energy Concepts]

[quote="mpabegg"]

Energy Concepts wrote:

Streamline Audio had a pipe type rack / wall support system I saw in one of their installs. It left a "luggage rack: up above instead of a upper bed. It was quite nice to have a open concept look ! Thanks !

Not sure, but you may be referring to my install. Although, it was not done by Streamline Audio. I used Aluminum L-Track and it has held up great. We have taken the van on some pretty serious trails and abused the heck out of it. We even lived out of the van for a year. I did the install April of 2014. I made it so the entire framework can be removed and changed if/when I wanted something different. The interior has morphed from a Carat style to full westy and now in the process of removing some of the westy cabinets to fit the full width bed again.

Hi mpabegg,
That Looks Great !
My 91 Started out as a Carat as well.
I have removed the plastic panels and installed GL panels.
The Full width bed was one reason for doing this, but also the Carat folding table
was in the way of my Westy type 3 X 2 ft cabinet.
A Full width Seat / Bed. Along with a ton of sound proofing and insulation.
I also removed the rear AC. I wanted the open feeling and the head room!
I will have a Vintage Air in-dash heater/ AC system
and TK's type window AC for when we're stopped and camping.

Your System is very similar to what I saw
Justin at Streamline do for one of the local Battle Ground, WA Vans.

It now resides in the San Fran area (I believe )
So it was not available to me to take a closer 2nd look.

Looking at yours, I'm very impressed that it looks and feels
more open!
And I like that you have made it removable.

What did you have to do to the body?
Are there brackets welded to the top uniframe?

Thanks !
John C...

[J Charlton]

The larger roof cut conversion that is pictured above certainly does "open up" the van.
However, before folks considering a hightop get too excited there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
1. Removing the large section of the roof as in the above post, removes a structural roof member (the roof rib over the c column)from the van (tintop). In a factory westy that roof rib is replaced by a lateral brace that serves to replace the roof rib and to act as the front support for the bed platform.
2. If the roof rib is removed, it should be replaced by some other lateral bracing. The weight of the sliding door is hanging off the van by the c column. If not laterally braced somehow the van will tend to "splay out" if the roof rib over the C column is removed and not replaced.
Justin did do a "larger cut" install while he was with Streamline - he had very nice cross braces fabricated, one for (approximately) over the C column and another for over the B column (it was a really big roof cut) . I remember him telling me at the time that when the roof rib over the C column was removed that the splaying out as immediately obvious and that when the roof rib over the B column was cut that the van sides tended to move inwards. His brace to replace the C column roof rib fabricated to hold the sides together, the one over the B column was intended to keep the sides from moving inward.

Removing structural members of the van is something that (IMHO) should be done by a van owner on their own van. I would be hesitant to do it for an install for someone else - they are STRUCTURAL members. Having said that however, I will be doing a "large cut" opening on my personal van for myself. I will be dropping the upper rear platform (bed platform) down to just above window level and fabricating a set of brackets to support a lateral brace which will support the front of the bed platform and serve as a lateral brace as well. I'll probably shorten the bed platform and locate the lateral brace about 8-10" aft of the current roof rib so that the bed platform isn't too much of a head banger when standing up from sitting on the rear seat. In any case, I'll be leaving the roof rib over the C column in place until I have the lateral brace to replace it securely in place, that way I'll know that there will be no "splaying" out of the van sides when I remove the roof rib.

On another note - production is back on track for our next shipment of tops slated to get on the road about 3rd week of March Tentatively - 3 tops Odessa Tx, 4 Boise Id, 7 Garberville Ca, 7 kennewick Wa.
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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

[WedgeAntillies]

I can't afford a real hightop at the time so I came up with my own look alike.

What do you think?

_________________
1987 Westfalia, Slate Blue
1986 Syncro, Timor Beige (Sold)

[Energy Concepts]

Update: I found a picture of the bus
with the Open Concept Pipe Reinforcement system.
If you have pictures of the interior you'd like to share
that would be nice !

Streamline Audio had a pipe type
rack / wall support system I saw in one of their installs.

It left a "luggage rack: up above
instead of a upper bed.

It was quite nice to have a open concept look !

I could have missed the info on this Topic
as there are now 50+ pages Shocked

But does anyone know of this system,
how it works out &
any pictures / links ?

Thanks !

[J Charlton]

The AW top conversion pictured was done by Justin Hall when he was with Streamline Audio. Justin had a fabricator make up 2 really nice aluminum welded cross braces, one for (approximately) over the C column and one for over the B column (they removed a great deal of the forward roof as well). I remember that the braces looked like works of art - unfortunately they are not visible now as they are integrated into the support of the rear and fore platforms.
_________________
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

[Energy Concepts]

[Energy Concepts]

Also, bought this air caulk gun.

Then read the post that says they may not mix the epoxy?

Does this one fall into that category ?

[J Charlton]

If you are using the Maxim 2 part epoxy, do not use that air powered gun. The 2 parts of the Maxim are in separate "bags" in the tube. They are of different viscosities - i.e. the resin and the "hardener" . That gun works by applying air pressure into a chamber that puts pressure on the contents of the chamber forcing them out the end of the caulking tube - HOWEVER - if there are two components that are supposed to squeeze out equally into a mixing tip, the "runnier" least viscous of the 2 will squeeze out first and you will not get a proper mix in the mixing tip.
Use ONLY a gun that has a mechanical plunger that will compress each bag equally as it moves up the cylinder.
The gun you have is great for single component material - fine to use it for the Sikaflex or Tiger Seal but DO NOT use it with the 2 part Maxim.

Ryobi, Milwaukee and DeWalt all make cordless plunger type power caulking guns. I found the Ryobi too "light" for the job and i bought it because I already had batteries and charger etc - I'm now waiting for the DeWalt to come on sale somewhere.
_________________
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

[Energy Concepts]

[J Charlton]

Three (3) tubes of the Maxim (medium set) 2 part epoxy and 3 or 4 tubes of either Sikaflex or Tiger Seal - (make sure its white) Local availability will determine if you use Sikaflex or Tiger Seal - eg. I can't find Sikaflex around here but Tiger Seal is readily available.
The Medium set will give you about 30 minutes working time - enough to get everything done but you still have to have "your ducks in a row" - i.e. everything set up and planned out ahead of time to the extent of even practising your clamp up procedure
_________________
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

[Energy Concepts]

[jimf909]

[J Charlton]

All dressed up with everywhere to go. Very nice conversion done winter 2017 in Alberta Canada

_________________
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

[dobryan]

[finboy]

[J Charlton]

[finboy]

Cheers! I engaged the owner through the above steps, and small world, he lives about a km from me

Definitely interested in checking out what they look like in person, the girlfriend isn't a fan of sharing then we with 2 large dogs, which is pretty much our current setup.

[J Charlton]

Our fabricator, Terry, and I spent Saturday building a skid, then a saddle for tops to be shipped on. The pic below shows 22 tops in a stack, ready for crating

Big crate - weight of all tops and crate about 2300lbs. A long and tiring day for the two of us.

Crate should be picked up Tues or Wed next week and in Kennewick about a week later.

Keep yer stick on the ice!!!
_________________
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

[kaalualu]

That's an impressive stack of tops, John!
Non stop in the True North.

Got my stick in the waves.....
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'84 Transporter 16" CLK's/LED's/ AT's/Mansi injectors
'86 Wolfey Weekender Westfalia AT's/otherwise stock
Sold-'82 TinTop Diesel