New Hightop Option

[VeeDubDaySpa]

[jimf909]

What attachment methods do y'all plan to use?

I'm thinking of gluing two channels that accept t-nuts and screwing the panels to the nuts.

My primary concern about gluing the panel directly to th top is that it'll be a pain to remove if/when the panel fails or becomes outdated.

Also, thanks for pointing out the 80 watt panels.

Finally, I agree that a smaller panel always in-place will keep the battery charged with zero attention. I plan to use my current 100 watt flexible panel as an aux power source that I can position where needed, when needed.
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- Jim

[jimf909]

[figborg]

Love it! Can't wait to see interior pics. Will you have a top bunk or just storage?
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-- PF
Providence, RI
1986.5 Westy camper (G year code, grey interior), 2WD, manual transmission, Subaru conversion by Vanaru. Spoiled rotten.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=662374

[jimf909]

I've waffled on that. It was originally intended to be 100% storage with a bulkhead but after seeing a van with a bunk in place, I left it open and will try the bunk out. I'll bet I still use it as storage though.
_________________
- Jim

[J Charlton]

First 6 hightops of the fall 2016 production run heading South in the back of Adrian's truck. 4 of the tops to Virginia, 2 to Nashville for installs or distribution.

The next 20 will be heading west late December.
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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

[J Charlton]

We're in the last couple of days of our 3 weeks on Big Island Hawaii. My two sons and I arrived Dec 19 and leave tomorrow, my wife joined us on the 24th and flew back on the 7th. For 2 weeks the 4 of us roamed all over the island - literally - in our hightopped diesel vanagon. I believe in hightops even more than I ever did and appreciate even more the space and versatility they add to a vanagon.
We got into a routine of having everything except the camp stove and 2 plastic containers filled with cooking and eating necessities and a water container stowed up in the top leaving the entire cabin free and clear for the boys - they're 15 and 13, growing like weeds with feet the size of small boats so they need the space. Driving around and enjoying the drive was great. We got our routine for setting up for sleeping so finely tuned that we can do it in less than 5 min with nothing left outside the van to indicate that there was anyone inside and slept great
Sunset here is about 6:15 so we always tried to. E set for the night before that even if it meant moving a mile or two after dark to a sleeping spot.
We kept all of our food in a cooler, buying ice every second day or three when we bought food - boys EAT!!!
It's been a great trip - we've met lots of local Hawaiian as we moved around and camped, lots of cultural activities that largely go unseen by tourists. I can't imagine a Hawaiian vacation in an "all inclusive" resort and not having our experiences. And I know that we would have been at each other's throats were it not for the uncluttered interior space that the hightop enabled us to have.
I'll post pics etc when I get home I haven't figured out how to do that from my phone.
_________________
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

[J Charlton]

I meant to post lots of pictures earlier - however - it seems that the OS on my computer was so far out of date that I could no longer move pics fro my iphone to my computer to upload to Samba to post. So after a 24 hour OS upgrade I can now view all of my Hawaii pics on my computer but other than this 1 pic that I cannot remember how I did it, do not seem to be able to get the group of pics from Hawaii onto my computer so that I can select individual pics to upload and post to Samba.
If anyone has some insights into the convoluted passage way of pics from iphone to icloud to imac, I'd appreciate it

Anyway, here's the one pic I did manage to somehow move

_________________
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]

John, I can easily upload pics from my iphone to the samba. Get on the samba website from your phone and use the gallery add photo function. When you get to the part to choose the photos to add you should be able to browse and see the pics on your phone and choose them. At least that works for me. 😀
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[purplepeopleeater]

[TequilaSunSet]

[dobryan]

^^^ 😆
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[tates1882]

[pablum]

Or to select a range of pics click the first, then hold the shift key down while clicking the last pic in the range.
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The wise man learns from history, the fool from experience.
-
I see [a cat] in the street and i aim for the pest with my car. -- bluebus86

[J Charlton]

OK some other pics:

Thanks to all for their helpful suggestions - the problem was the result of having to convert inches to millimetres to grams to ml to pounds to kilopascals to watts to joules to UKpounds to Imperial gallons to litres to hectares to light years to Canadian Dollars. Think I got it figured out though - sorta.
_________________
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

[jimf909]

Great pics! Looks like a great trip.

Also, nice work on organizing gear and food for four. My van has always been a two person van and I have no idea where two more people plus their stuff would go.
_________________
- Jim

[J Charlton]

[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

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

Thanks !

[campism]

[mpabegg]