1985 Sunroof to pop top conversion?

[Bikechunk]

I’ve got a 1985 sunroof and I’m wondering if it’s worth it to stick a pop top on it.

[danfromsyr]

is it worth it to you?

do note that the latch at the front of the poptop will be near the edge of the sunroof.. I do not recall how close the 2 areas intersect from the edge or if it's in clear air.. so measure carefully.


to some people a tintop Sunroof is D'a Bomb...
to some people a poptop westy is D'a Shyt..

what is it to you.. and are you concerned over relevance to resale value..
in other words are you owning this for ever or just borrowing it till the next custodian.
converted it will NEVER be worth equivalent to a full OE westy.
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[campism]

If making a mod like that, put a highroof on it instead.
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'87 Westy in Wolfram Grey Metallic, tragically crushed by a falling hickory tree in my own driveway and now gone, leaving me Vanagonless and with no plans to replace it, alas.

[DuncanS]

Bike... Post some pics to get more of a response. Tell us what you are trying to achieve in terms of the use of the car after the mod, and we can help you with ideas, posts, troubles and how-tos. For example, I have a 95% daily driver, but I wanted the ability to stand up for loading awkward cargoes, 5% camping and even the ability to have an open roof like my '87 factory sunroof which I loved.

What I now have, love and wouldn't go back for the world. A fiberglass hightop could be made and clamped to the rain gutters too.

This started as a normal tintop.

Anything can be done if you want it.

Duncan

[leecat]

I just bought a really nice survivor '84 sunroof tin-top last night, saw this post on another thread while considering the same thing:

"One very cool thing you can do with a sunroof is get a small pup tent and cut a matching hole in the bottom of the tent, place it on top of your sunroof when camping and you have an enclosed private bug screened room addition. I did this to my 85 using a "pop" tent which has the colapseable ring style that "springs" open like a band saw blade or sun shade. I used some large magnets on the inside of what was left of the floor of the tent to secure and it all folded up neatly when underway."

What I'd really consider is building a 'Roost' style tent, but without the hard-top or hard base. It would have the 'Westy' triangular look but could be packed up and down without altering the van. We don't plan to sleep up top, so only want the top tent for standing room while using the van kitchen.

Then I started to look at 'pet tents' - there are some crazy cheap, good looking large dog tents that seem to have a large enough footprint - I bet that would work as-is to cover the sunroof and give you some stand-up room until something better came along.

[DuncanS]

[Phishman068]

My first bus was an '85 sunroof that someone had fitted a pop top onto, and I've vowed to never let anyone go down that path again. It SUCKED.

So, when you do fit the pop top, even though you've got the hole from the sunroof- the roof it'sself is a different profile, so you won't be able to put the bed up there and fold it back. You can build your own rear piece of the platform to a different profile, but to actually use the bed- you need to carry the front piece somewhere down below, which is insanely awkward because it's "wider" then the vehicle- so you can only place it in very specific spots.
So essentially, yes, you get standing room- but there's no good way to have a bed, and the carrying of the extra piece is insanely awkward (And literally not possible if you also transplant the entire Westfalia interior, because then it doesn't fit any way you try to make it fit!).

All you'll be doing is ruining a rare sunroof bus in exchange for the look and standing room of the westy. And then, the rear hinges will eventually bend the crap out of the roof structure and ruin the vehicle entirely- since a Westfalia has a reinforcement plate behind the roof structure- and your riv-nuts won't.

I still own this car, it sits in a field, useless and unloved all because someone put a pop top on it.
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http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=559766&highlight=winter+rust
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=482402&highlight=sunroof+syncro
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=569774
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6864936#6864936

"Along with the ability to go fast, one looses the desire to hurry."

[tim_ha]

Here is what I ended up doing: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=557575&highlight=

Coincidentally, I have procured a Coast Mountain Hightop and am in process of installing the hightop. Too bad you are so far away... The custom pop-top is available free for anyone that would use it.
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1986 Syncro Sunroof EJ22
www.subagonsouth.com