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Wanted: Information on Doka Canopy Suppliers
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BenT Syncro
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 12:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stacy,

I thought about replicating the tops but it would be too expensive for most people. The least expensive way to do this would be to make a mold taken from an existing top. Since my only Vindic top is not the type you refer to, any copies I ask my fiberglass to make would be based on it.

The one thing I thought could use a redesign would be the doors. I dislike the angled edges which do not follow the shape of the rest of the top. That also dispenses with any copyright claims as the doors would be different enough from the originals.
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sub-hatchtim
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

finally got one of my own

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cris torlasco Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad to see one more Doka getting to the US, Tim. Looks good!
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Believe it or not, we ARE in prototype production of German style hoops & canopies for Dokas & SCs.
We will provide both or either or for a complete package-no prices yet, but will try & be comparable to our 1952-1979 canopy prices & hoop prices by others.
1st canopies will be Sunbrella fabric, then develop into the "Rubberized" fabric like originals. Hope to have the pattern done in 1-2 weeks, then the first production Doka canopy to be made from that.
Pics to follow.

YMMV
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cris torlasco Premium Member
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Is a factory-look, but cabin-height canopy planned? Or just the standard, above-cabin height canopy as the original one shown above for now? Thanks,

Cris
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Bman
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:42 am    Post subject: Oyeah! Reply with quote

Very excited that any new aftermarket will soon be available. I will wait for a rubberized cabin height one in grey or black. There will be color choices, yes?

Good news Canvas Guy! Good news.

PS: looking good sub-hatchim!
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2WD Doka build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=503578&highlight=
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eventually if demand is there, we will make custom heights like cab high, as we make a hoops/gates adjustable jig that will allow us to make them any height like we do now w/ the earlier canopies.

Rubberized fabrics like original are 3-4 times the cost of Sunbrella, so want to get the canopies dialed in before we make those. We are still making minor improvements to the earlier canvases, even after making over 300 of those in the last 10 years.
That said, there are some really bomb proof fabrics out there now compared to even the original rubberized ones.

YMMV
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

After a very long incubation process we finally have something to show in the Doka/SC Canopy field!

See pics of the 1st SC canopy coming off the line, w/ Doka canopy to soon follow. We have made them more like the the earlier canopies at this time, but also made some improvements to attaching the canopy, etc. 1 change is a velcro connection for the front cab attachment so that the metal bar does not need to be sewn in the canopy, but can be installed after the canopy is done.

Let me know what you volks think. Prices still not finalized, FWIW!
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Bman
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Applause Very Happy Applause Very Happy Applause

Excellent news, and the final product looks grand! I really like that grey color, seems to be what the stock color looked new.

I already have a tall stock canopy, so I will be waiting for the cab height edition to roll out. Will there be a color option? I like the idea of a black color so I can go with a storm trooper look

Applause Well Done!
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2WD Doka build thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=503578&highlight=
FaceHook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/VW-T3-DokaSinka/129026087217120?ref=hl
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sub-hatchtim
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PostPosted: Fri Feb 08, 2013 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

is the material a ruberized canvas like og?
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ooops, look like my response post got deleted by moi!

The grey fabric shown is a Sunbrella marine grade fabric in Cadet Grey. As i posted earlier:

"Rubberized fabrics like original are 3-4 times the cost of Sunbrella, so want to get the canopies dialed in before we make those. We are still making minor improvements to the earlier canvases, even after making over 300 of those in the last 10 years.
That said, there are some really bomb proof fabrics out there now compared to even the original rubberized ones."

Cab high hoops/canopies will be made in the future as soon as someone orders 1.

Sunbrella marine comes in about 75 colors, so we can make them in any available color, although we have only had orders for about 10-15 different colors over the years. There is a higher grade marine Sunbrella fabric w/ a life time guarantee for water resistance called Sunbrella Plus, which only comes in about the 15 most popular Sunbrella colors, which varies from year to year.
We will make them out of the rubberized fabric, which comes in many different colors also eventually, but at much greater cost, I Believe.

Thanks for the feedback so far!
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Central Syncronizer
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad to hear that there will be a new option available. I don't want to hijack but here are a few pics of mine. Its a good system as I can remove the canvas and bows and leave the frame in place. It also has cross bars that attach to tabs that come up through slots in the canvas. I seal the slots with a wrap of silicone tape and it is waterproof. The whole thing is lightweight (50-60lb?) and strong enough for a roof tent. I only wish I knew who designed and built it.

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Crankey
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

that is similar to what I was thinking.

I was going to use 1/4" wall angel for the rear uprights and cap them with 1/4" plate that jogs out over the gate top like that.

then maybe a square tube going up from there. but I would make any upper tabs like that a bolt on thing so no holes needed for the upper tabs.

I had in mind something that might look like the Nato canopy only fabric to close in the sides.

now I have a front headache bar that needs diagonals but still, the top of the front could be made with some bolt on stuff to make it work like what you have.

canvas guy, I like what you have there. I like the straps that hold the sides and corners down. do you have metal grommets where the straps are ?

can you imagine something like this that is just a flat cover for the bed ?

also...I don't see any plastic cups to cover the rubber bumpers on the sides of the bed...probably no way to get something like that unless someone figures a way to make it...
how thick of plastic can you push a sewing needle through ?

I wonder if Tristar Eric can have cups vacu-formed out of thin plastic like he's done with the postal arches...or maybe something that can attach with glue and rivets. Think

either way...I'm afraid if I make my own support bars they won't be the same dimensions as factory so I'd be out of luck with canvas that fits original framework.

nice work on that.
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, very nice "one-off" custom canopy & frame. Somebody is very talented & made it him/herself, or paid $3-5k for the whole shebang?
The only issue w/ the completely welded hoops/rack is that it won't break down for shipping or storage, so the customer has to be local +- to get one, & storage becomes an issue?
We haven't sourced the rubber bumper cups yet, but we did reinforce the location of the bumpers on the inside so that they wouldn't wear in that spot. We also did the same on the hoops so that they wouldn't wear thru. Eventually we will do the cups, but in this situation the clients didn't care about having the 6 on each canopy, which are differently located on Dokas than SCs.
The OG hoops are 12 gauge steel & we had the steel rolled into the proper channel sections, then bent them to the correct shape & made the hoops so that they are broken into pieces for easy international & local shipping, then assembled together by the buyer.
We used the OEM 2 piece grommets, & loops in all the locations that the OG canopies did, but sewed alot of fasteners on instead of using rivets, as we noticed that a lot of the rivets on OG canopies went missing over the years.
We made a stronger connection of the bottom corners of the canopy to the truck by using a strap w/ buckle that goes around the gate latches instead of the vertical hoop section, to keep the flap pulled tight to the gates instead of riding up on the hoops like OG.
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Tonneaus-flat covers for truck beds to follow like the ones we make for earlier VW trucks.
See also more canopy details:
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Crankey
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

very nice ! Smile

oh, I had an original tilt top and it had 2 bumper cups on the back flap...but I only have one bumper on the middle of my rear gate....seems to me the side cups didn't match up quite right either. it's an 85 doka btw.
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D-roc
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

here is my doka and i just use a pop tent to cover the back in when we are sleeping in the back. It works really good but not much privacy lol.
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canvas guy
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the rear gates of all T3 trucks, the bumpers are on each side above the gate vertical supports, while on the side gates the Doka & SC have different locations of the farthest front bumpers.

YMMV
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BenT Syncro
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nice job, canvasguy. Are you Mr. BZ, by any chance?

I've always disliked the inconvenience of buckles instead of Velcro. But I suppose buckles are stronger against strong winds. This inconvenience is why I went to a hard canopy. Could Velcro on the gate side and rear buckles be offered as an option?

That custom job on Central Syncronizer's Doka looks like it borrowed the leg idea from the Vindic canopies. Looks slick but would probably be more of a match to the Alusingen alloy gates.
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Crankey
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PostPosted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

canvas guy wrote:
On the rear gates of all T3 trucks, the bumpers are on each side above the gate vertical supports, while on the side gates the Doka & SC have different locations of the farthest front bumpers.

YMMV


not mine, I just have one on the middle of my rear gate. the other more common locations have never been drilled for bumpers.
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