Westy High Top Install - Photo Documentary

[purplepeopleeater]

No hightop updates, got side tracked with the another engine swap, and the suspension R&R...I am pretty much done outside, except finishing my tire carriers I made up,

Still gotta make the tire mount and machine a billet hold down knob, I am making one for the passenger side to hold a couple gas cans and my honda generator.

[purplepeopleeater]

With the added hightop I HAD to rebuild my frontend, stuff was shot and side winds would cause my frontend to lift and I almost lost control once, I had almost 2mm of slop in my balljoints

the old...

Wifes cutting board snatched from the kitchen,

All new bushings, balljoints, tierods, dust sheilds, rotors, pads, bearings, GW 1.5'' lift springs and balljoint spacers

[Welchmaster]

Very impressive mike! My favorite high top locally here in the NW.
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90 2wd Orly Blue Multivan weekender. "Van-Duzer"

"Further up, further in!"

[purplepeopleeater]

[Jedi]

Now you just need a syncro drive train so you don't have to chain up
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1961 Westfalia SO23 Mango Green/Seagull grey
1961 Westfalia SO34 T/BW
1961 Westfalia SO34 SWR
1964 Westfalia SO33 pearl white
1965 Westfalia SO42 Velvet green
1986 Syncro Wolfram grey with black int GL
1986 Syncro Doka
1987 Syncro Sevana beige Adventurewagen
1987 syncro Sevana beige GL
1973 Pumpkin orange Thing
2 1963 Rag top bug's
1965 Manx
1970 Single cab
1971 combi
1990 Vanagon GL
2007 Audi A4 3.2L quattro

[purplepeopleeater]

Not a whole lot getting done on the van but I need to get on it hard.

Installed truck mirrors on it today (I used well nuts...aka rivi nut)

before

after

Next on my list is aux power setup, my current battery bank is only a small deep cycle and with a propex, dvd, cell phone chargers it doesn't leave me with much.

I am considering replacing the batt I have under the drivers seat with 4 UB12220's, I'll be adding a solor panel on the rear of the top at the same time, I need to get all my wires in place for the solar panel so I can install headliner in the top....the spaceship look inside is getting old.

[pnwkayaker]

Mike, it's looking more awesome with every new update - be prepared to give a tour and answer 32,564 questions from me if you bring it to Walla-Walla
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87 Syncro Westy EJ25 ("Tardis")

Seattle Meetup at Marymoor (link)
A collection of Simple Useful Mods (SUM) (link)

[purplepeopleeater]

Oh I'll be there with it!

[purplepeopleeater]

Ok now on with the hightop stuff but a few things I have to decide on before I put headlinder up..

I will be adding a solar panel to the rear and I want to conceal wires behind headliner in a smaller piece of conduit.

It looks like an 85watt panel is about as big as I can put in the rear nook that my top has, there are a gazillion options

I run a propex 2800, adding a truck fridge...so my power needs are fairly high.

[purplepeopleeater]

this is the setup I've been looking at,

http://www.sunwindproducts.com/Products/SolarandWindKits/80wattRVkitJuta1500.html

Panel is 34.4 x 26 x 1.38, that would fit perfect in the rear.

the controller and inverter are "ok" to me.

$500 seems spendy for what im getting

[J Charlton]

I agree - $500 seems to be a lot - I suggest that you talk to them, I think that an inverter is included in that price and you may not need it. Also, on their site there are some examples of racking that will allow you to tilt the panel up to maximize output.
Pm me about some gutter mounted heavy duty racking that I have developed for the high tops.
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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

[purplepeopleeater]

For my needs I think i'll only need a slow charge, I plug in alot and have a generator but i'd like to not tote the gen.

I'm looking at roughly a 35x25 area that I can put my panel on I could do a larger panel in the center most part of the roof but this is going to increase my roof height even more and I don't need that...this leaves me with little options in the way of mounting a large array on the roof, I plan building a rack that can be angled.

I'll use two of these panels,
http://www.solarblvd.com/p2723/W-Solar-Monocrystalline-35-Watt-12-Volt-Solar-Panel/product_info.html

35watts each and 1.9 amps

Controller wise i've seen these getting good reviews,
http://www.amazon.com/Sunforce-60031-Digital-Charge-Controller/dp/B001DZONCW/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp

$30 bucks seems too good to be true, i'm assuming its not an MPPT controller as its listed on some sites or I could get a PWM style controller by morningstar for around $50

[purplepeopleeater]

I finally have my panels mounted in place, I've put them in a clamshell frame with hinges (I plan on using a small electric lift to tilt panels, this is for down the road)

I used evercoat 810 med epoxy on the frame to roof, Its not going anywhere, plus I had half a tube left from gluing the top on.

the little metal tab is going to get trimmed and a hole drilled through it for a handle, I can tilt up the panel now to work on it.

I am using the yoosmart 1214 (aka tracer 1214) for my charge controller and this will be feeding a bank of 6 ub12220 batteries...

My big step today will be drilling a hole for the wires leading from the panels, I plan on using a 16gauge extention cord for this, as it appears that this has worked well for others on here...I am not convinced that just drilling and sealing is what I'll be doing though, I want to find a good water tight fitting for that.

Here is a link for the controller I picked up,
https://www.yoosmart.com/epsolar-mppt-tracer1215rn...-mt-5.html

[Syncromikey]

This is an awesome build!!!! I'm lovin' the progress.

Cheers,
Mike
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Love my Westy ...


My build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=528954

[shadetreetim]

Looks like those panels just fit the space. Looks good.
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Tim Potts

Doing my best every time I drive it to dispel the myth these Vanagons have to be slow!


'89 Vanagon Bluestar/Country Homes 1.8T & .77 4th
'74 Jeep CJ5

[kernewek]

Nice install, fits the space real well. How about using something like this for the cable entry into the roof? They work well for vans on this side of the pond (and yes, in the UK we get LOTS of rain, so no weatherproof issues!)

http://www.campervanstuff.com/shop_stuff/index.php?mod=product&id_prd=1073

~ Craig
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1998 T4 2.5 TDI with Timber Technicians high top
1985 T3 1.6TD hightop camper

[shepherdsond]

I used clamshell vents like these to cover the hole where the wires (for lights in my case) came through the hightop:

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=13073

I glued with expoxy and filled up the cavity with sealant after threading the wires. It has not leaked yet (8 months).
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87 Syncro Hightop Camper
3 knobs + solid shaft
2.2 Phase II Subaru
Hi-Top build thread:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=534517

[J Charlton]

Ho Mike,
Think about running the wire down the outside of the top. just "around the corner" on one side or the other. Thenthe wiring can be brought up into the van through the caulking/adhesive in that rear corner. I you use white wire and secure it in place with some high quality white tape made for external applications then the entire install would not necessitate any through holes.
Anyway, just an idea, but it is the way I'll be doing it.
John
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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

[purplepeopleeater]

Got to work on interior stuff so I can get wires hidden from solar panel...

I decided to use my hull liner on panels and screw them to the sides/top to give it more of a finished look, we shall see....

I used some 3/8'' plywood and furred out the interior to allow me to screw panels down

Gorilla tape holding everything up in place till braces went up

PVC pipes did the trick well

Cutting panels to fit the top, lots of angles....I used oak "door skins" these are a good width without wasting much material.

Cutting hull liner to fit

Made a roller to get things nice and smooth

All glued on, I used weldwood low VOC glue and a roller

One side done

More work tomorrow, glue has to cure 24 hours so I should be done gluing my furring by friday...

[Hodakaguy]

Oh yeah! Lookin good!

Hodakaguy
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My Syncro Build: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=517384

My Unimog Build: https://advrider.com/f/threads/meet-the-trotn-turtle-unimog-u1300l-build.1143869/

My Tacoma Builds: https://advrider.com/f/threads/hodakaguys-overland-tacoma-builds-on-to-new-adventures.1274770/

My 4wd Sprinter Build here:https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=9334401#9334401