1979 Pop top refurb w/ "solid" headliner install

[Our79Westy]

(UPDATE: advice was dispensed as set forth below. Ultimately, I DID contact cement a formica substrate, cover it with sunbrella "like" material and install new canvas and seals, etc. Further, I opted to postpone professional fiberglass refreshment and did it all at home. As a teaser, I even painted some things with GLOW IN THE DARK paint. I hope what follows herein may help you in your endeavors to make your bus your own. Finally, herein you will find the thought process behind it and the ultimate outcomes. I will also keep you abreast of its test of time. Thank you everyone for the knowledge and advice.)

Original post:
Hello fellow baysters, please bestow me your advice.

Having devoured countless threads on pop top refurbishing, resurfacing/painting, reflocking, headlining, mold concerns, etc. I can't seem to find anyone contemplat(ed)ing using a 4 x 8 sheet of something thin like masonite, hardboard, wainscoting, formica, styrofoam, etc. to provide a solid backing/substrate to a fabric of choice. Please forgive me if I missed them and I appreciate any links/direction provided.

Situation is typical, my Poptop's current flocking is flaking continuously, even after washing/scrubbing softly with a soft long bristle brush. Covering it saves me from removing it completely or other remedy. Not to mention the desire to make it match the impending new canvas, custom curtains and headliner.

Problem is:
1. I don't intend to reinvent the wheel or go down the wrong path, so I rely on your collective expertise and welcome your advice, and

2. I was wondering how everyone else's poptop refurb has held up (or not) to the test of time (e.g. sagging headliner, paint problems, etc.) as some of said aforementioned poptop refurb posts were superbly accomplished a long time ago.

BRAINSTORMING

The adhesive will have to either match or determine the ultimately chosen materials, however I think a smooth surface contact cemented and/or friction fit into the pop top recess (i.e. that area encompassed by the canvas mounting wood) followed by installing new canvas and new tack strip (using 1/2 (half) inch Arrow Monel T50 staples and an air stapler) would provide enough support around the perimeter (depending on the substrate) to prevent contraction/sag by the extreme humidity & Temperatures experienced by said poptop. Further, dead air space between said substrate and the poptop ridges would appear to also improve insulation (or vise versa act like unintended humidity collection resevoirs?)

What follows are some substrate considerations and concerns and again I am relying on advice to add any plus or minuses, alternative materials, etc. Or squash the whole idea, (if so, please be kind as this is my first post

quarter inch siding underlayment: plus= R1 value, is 48 inch wide, flexible; minus= it's folded every 2 feet ergo multiple seams, adhesive concerns, etc. so not really a good candidate.

1/2 (half) inch two sided plastic coated styrofoam: plus= R2, value, softer head collisions; minus= Adhesive? Further, I would have to taper it around the perimeter in order to align the stapler, so maybe?

Masonite, hardboard, pegboard: Plus= thickness, size; Minus= To heavy? Holes for mold, warping?

posterboard: Plus= thickness, insulativer, adhesive; Minus= appropriating 4 by 8 solid sheet, temperature stability, mold?

Wainscoting or faux wood panel: plus= size, rigid, smoothish, on backside; minus= weight, mold, temp.?


Again, thank you in advance for your mental expenditures.


Long story short, I have removed (and harbored) the luggage rack and pop top to install new canvas, seals, hardware and stickers. I sanded, washed, tack clothed and hvlp, sprayed both with 2 coats of Majic Tractor, Truck & Implement Exterior Oil Based Enamel (Partly because it is made with 100% U.S. grown soybeans and Nontoxic when dry) in a homemade paint booth under my porch. I used 800 grit wet to knock off the glass splinters and also in between coats, followed by more tack cloth. There are relatively few areas that need attention to rectify runs, orange peel, etc. However the paint coated/bonded well, has the depth necessary to fix and hide defects and therefore I am happy with the ROI compared to what I have seen in other threads refurbs and the $3000 US dollar estimate i received to have it regelcoated professionally. I look forward to some warm weather to final flat with 800 grit wet followed by 1000 and finally buffing it to a blindingly white shine.

Making it our own, one design choice at a time.

(updated subject title)

[PITApan]

So you want to line in inside of your poptop?

I vote 1/2" or 3/4" dense styrofoam. You want something called "plaza deck" if you can get it that thin. Used for flat roofs under the tar. Or foil faced would be nice. The plastic faced will do.

it's very light so no extra work putting up the top. It also takes a minimum of glue. You use styrofoam glue. Comes in caulking gun tubes and is classically used to glue SF to cinder block and to itself.

You might get away with no glue at all. Cut thin strips of hardwood, about 1/8" thick by 3/4" wide. These span the roof side to side and are a hair long so they wedge in and bow upwards, holding the SF.

If you need the edges thinner you can crush them with a roller, like a rolling pin. You push the roller the long way with one end on the table. Gives a neat and consistent crush.

You get insulation from both heat and cold. You can tack a layer of reflextrix over it for even more R-value. (you could use reflextrix in place of the SF too but it wasn't in your list)

You can paint it. I believe any latex house paint will stick. Test this to make sure it won't flake and consult the guy at the paint store. I paint unskinned SF w/ no problem. Skinned might be a different story.


Soft on head bumps but it will dent and the dent will remain, just like an edge crush. This again recommends a layer of reflextrix. You could also cloth cover it before install. Polyester or other synthetic, no cottons or blends with cotton, linen, silk, etc. You avoid mold by keeping things dry. On a nice day put the top up and let it air out. If you have used wooden battens to install rather than glue you can bring the liner in the house to dry it and waft it w/ anti-mold (use white or bleach fast fabric)


Do think in terms of combinations, especially for a wedge in place panel. Like doorskin (a super thin plywood used to face hollow core doors, ask at a door shop) glued to SF. You finish both sides of the DS w. polyacrylic so nothing to absorb moisture.

The whole wedge in place idea installs over your staples so no issues there.
You can install small cleats along the sides to hold your battens if need be.


The downside of a wedge in place panel is you really need to be neat and tight. Excellent craftsmanship. If your are doing two layers of something you can put the SF in in pieces which will give a very tight fit. Then you use the SF panel as a pattern to cut the wood. With a glue in solution you can have gaps at the edges and cover them with trim, like screen molding or similar. You can actually use the trim with a wedge in place but something has to be doing the wedging be it battens or your edges.


On principle I like to leave small gaps at the edges of things and then cover it with scribe molding for that perfect looking fit. But I have the capability to mill those moldings out of whatever wood I like. So your choice of method can depend on what you can make or get.

[FNGRUVN]

I relined the top of my Vanagon Westy with some material I bought at a custom coach conversion shop here in town.

The material is somewhat stretchy and foamed backed with ~1/4" foam. I scraped off all the old flocking using hot water and a razor scraper. It went pretty fast.

I then glued it up using contact cement. I suggest using some type of commercial cement, used in the upholstery biz. The material stretches to conform to all the peaks and valleys.

It's been about seven years since I did it and it's holding up great. You might find what you need at a place like JoAnn's fabric. I've seen the stuff there, but I'm not sure it's wide enough and what you're looking for as far as color and texture.

Here's a picture of it.

_________________
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin

[Bala]

I believe the original flocking was there to prevent moisture from beading up and dripping on you. Keep that in mind if you don't install something that is a bit absorbent.
_________________
1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[PITApan]

[Our79Westy]

Thank you all for the advice.

Fngruvn your headliner looks awesome! I looked at the headliner matrials at both Joanne's and Hancock's and may consider using it as an intermediary layer between the substrate and the fabric chosen to be the actual headliner. As stated above, I don't believe I could satisfactorily install headliner directly to the fiberglass poptop without it being done professionally. From experience, I know that with the sheer size of the poptop and all those ridges, mine will pucker or crease or not adhere, or something somewhere. Hence why I want to use a solid flat substrate that I can then apply fabric to and then install in the poptop, either before or after installing the new canvas.

For the substrate, I am leaning towards a 4 foot by 8 foot, 1/2 or 3/4 thick styrofoam insulation press fit or captured or both as advised above (thank you Pitapan) after canvas install.

Joanne's had "force field" professional strength headliner trim and laminating adhesive that claims to bond to plastic, wood and metal. Doesn't specifically say it will dissolve styrofoam, so I'll have to test it when I glue the fabric (and batting) to the wood headliner pieces parts for the driver and passenger compartments. I will also acquire permatex, version of same and test on the styrofoam as well.

or

a 4 x 8 sheet of water proof/resistant MDF, trimmed to close fit and mounted using:

2 foot long strips of 1/2 inch wide automobile trim adhesive tape on the apex of each ridge of the poptop to stick in to the fiberglass poptop to keep it afloat and prevent harmonic oscillations.
Or

1/2 inch aluminum angle stock, drilled and screwed through the canvas (and mounting strip) on the driver and passenger edges then I could make it removable by using self adhesive 1/2 thick, 1 inch wide weatherstripping positioned along said poptop ridges to keep it from bouncing against the fiberglass.

As for the condensation issue, right. Humans shed a lot of water when they sleep. Combine this with nice cold sleeping weather and a cold poptop surface and wallah. This makes me lean towards 3/4 or 1 inch styrofoam to minimize such. As well as a fabric bonded thereto.

Concern? using a solid styrofoam sheet (covered with fabric), what are the chances condensate will form in the interstitial gaps between the fiberglass and the styrofoam itself? (Another reason to make it removable and/or as airtight a fit as possible.)

Notwithstanding substrate selection, the fabrics have been chosen. With the bus being basically the color of sand, we went beachy and found some awesome materials for the soon to be made headliners, curtains, custom thicker bed/seat cushions and covers. I will post those endeavors in a different thread though in order to keep this one on the topic of a solid headliner causing unintended consequences such as condensate, mold, or rot issues with the poptop components.

Again, thank you all for your comments, headliner experiences, longevity reports, et al.
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[Our79Westy]

I still don't think I've heard from anyone who has actually performed this modification to their poptop. Does anyone know that link/person?

Soo, yesterday I Flex tested some insulation panels and 3/4 inch styrofoam appears to be the best and smoothest substrate to bond the batten and fabric thereto.

I also found some 8 foot pieces of 1/2 inch 90 degree angled metal that will act nicely to capture said fabric wrapped insulation along the full length, inside and on top of completely installed canvas on both the driver and passenger sides. They are shiny and after I drill them for 1 inch long stainless pan head wood screws every 12 inches I will align them and predrill through the canvas, canvas plastic mounting strip and poptop wood.

Will obtain insulation soon and get started installing the canvas sooner.

thanks again for the knowledge and support. Again has anyone already done this? How has it held up and we're there any unintended consequences?
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[Bala]

Did you see this thread?

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=530977&highlight=

If I ever did anything with mine, that's the route I'd take.
_________________
1976 Westy

1966 Beetle

[Our79Westy]

Thank you bala, excellent link and poptop refurb there. Kudos to DaleNW.

More research indicates that acetone dissolves styrofoam. See this ehow link.

http://www.ehow.com/info_8741214_dissolves-styrofoam.html

Having recently acquired a can of Permatex headliner adhesive, I reviewed the contents of it (and the aforementioned forcefield adhesive) and they both contain acetone.

Soo, using 3/4 inch styrofoam (sf) still poses an adhesive challenge since I want to glue fabric thereto. I still can't help but wonder just how permeable the plastic coating on said sf is. If I tape any exposed styrofoam, e.g the edges, and make sure it's totally enclosed in plastic, then maybe it won't dissolve when I spray it and adhere the fabric. (Because the acetone evaporates I need only be concerned during initial application.)

POTENTIAL PROBLEM. Upon close inspection, the poptop's forward actuation components such as the spring loaded lifting hinge, lock, closing handle and the cross strengthening bar are all attached directly to the fiberglass such that any space introduced between them translates into a gap at the front of the poptop sticking up. Therefore the insulation would have to stop therebefore or be trimmed or be crushed, or something tbd. This will have some sort of impact with the actual headliner fabric that may or may not be a problem both mechanically and esthetically.

DaleNW, overcame the thickness issue by using formica laminate which is thin. Hence any poptop rise and subsequent closing/sealing problems should be minimal (awaiting feedback from dale). Further it bonds well. So, formica laminate is clearly an option barring any yet to be determined negative consequences from dale's install (fingers crossed he has good things to say).

Thanks again for your advice and help clarifying the quandry of unintended consequences.
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[PITApan]

[Our79Westy]

Thanks Pita. Snow here has prevented access to peruse substrates in a store, so everything is on hold till the area digs out. Further, I believe the chosen headliner is Jute rope sewn on 60% polyester, 20% cotton and 10% linen...which may cause some mold issues. more research required on that topic.

Therefore we are also considering installing JUST the tan flavored headliner material available at the local fabric store...to a flatter surface than the naked poptop surface as accomplished above even though were still awaiting update on that installs longevity and any unintended consequences.

Again, there is a lot of real estate on the pop top to cover, which is one reason they went with the flaking flocking in the first place. Ideally I would like to only do this once...but if I have to redo it in 5-10 years during a bare metal restore then so be it. At least there will be this story, your cumulative experiences and the ultimate results for reference.

I guess my main purpose was to provide a flatter surface to bond my own chosen headliner thereto. I also wanted noise reduction and warmth when the pop top is closed and we're travelling in the great white north ay?.

So thanks again to everyone for their input. advice and experiences as I pursue and ultimately resinstal my poptop with AT LEAST new canvas and seals.

P.S. I started a blog on the bus this is concerned with which you can find at the following link:

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7583173#7583173

thanks again.
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[Thrasher22]

Hippievanman did a really nice job with a plastic board, but I can't find the specific post. Seems like it's held up well to a year of tropical travel.
http://hippievanman.com/

http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=563444
_________________
1975 Westfalia - http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=516701

[PITApan]

well, if you have any condensation inside the lid, then you will have it on the tent too. So you have to plan to open the top and dry it during stops and breaks. The main panel is exposed with the top closed so it will dry---except around the edges where the tent bunches up.


I would look into marine technology for sprays and whatnot. Boat people have these problems.

[DaleNW]

Hey, sorry I missed this thread. I just updated my thread here:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=7584057#7584057

Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.

I've been stoked on my roof project! Good luck!
_________________
'78 Deluxe Westy - Loose Lucy (where I rest peacefully)
'77 Transporter (may it rest in peace)

[Our79Westy]

Hello again and thank you for your continued interest and advice. Also Thanks for the update on your poptop refresh.

this is a brief update. I will expound and add pictures soon.

I really appreciate the information and well wishery that is thesamba. Because of (collective) you, I made the leap in accomplishing this mod to my poptop. Wouldn't have done it otherwise....probably wooda just reflocked it (all up) or tried to cover it directly with all those ridges...(like trying to saran wrap a ruffles potato chip, I didn't think it would come out looking good.)

So yesterday I borrowed dad, and his van, (thanks pop) to source the formica...and stainless fasteners. (That was a long story short)

Longer story is that today, I
orbital sanded the fuzz off the areas to be contact cemented,
cut to fit:
Reflectex Insulation in between the ridges to support the formica ,
The 4 x 8 sheet of white formica, just short of the latch closure assembly (clearance concerns), and
contact cemented the formica into/onto the pop top.

The poptop is soundly sleeping (pronounced "drying" or curing) on a queen size bed in the guest bedroom. It looks so clean and peaceful, all smooth and white and not shedding flocking all over the place. I'm very pleased with the way it looks and almost feel bad covering it up...but condensation must be accounted for...

I thought about some wacky water recycling, kinda like collecting rainwater, that included a collection trough at the base of the smooth formica with a hose leading to a ceramic filter and bucket....but I don't think I'm that ambitious, and...that would only be properly fleshed out in a different thread...regardless of the redicularity. I digress.

Per the contact cement directions I'm planning on letting it cure for 72 hours. This weekend sand/scuff the formica to prep it for headliner install, install headliner...then new canvas, seals, fasteners and finally reinstall it on the bus, (after finish sanding, buffing and applying new westfalia stickers, cleaning and waxing bus roof and plethora other things inevitably waiting discovery).

Thanks for following along. Again I will be updating this entry with pictures of the various stages soon.

So if there are any questions or additional advice, I ask you please say something sooner than later.


_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[DaleNW]

Way to get after it! Looking forward to hearing your experiences. . .and seeing photos. Good luck!
_________________
'78 Deluxe Westy - Loose Lucy (where I rest peacefully)
'77 Transporter (may it rest in peace)

[Our79Westy]

Hi everybody and thank you for following along. Since the poptop was off the bus and all the hardware was readily polishable I spent some time shining and polishing the metal. I started at the kitchen sink with Barkeepers friend and a cut off 1 inch strip of 3M Metal Finishing pad to cut through the oxidation and remove 36 years of nasties. This helped cut down on the buildup of just using the 800 grit sandpaper first. I followed this with 800 grit sand paper keeping it wet under a dripping faucet as the oxidation and casting imperfections just keep coming off. The 800 grit gave me a dull luster so following it with 1000 grit started to bring up the shine.

Here you can see the progress taking shape with the untouched hinge on the left the first attempt at a shine on the right.

Looks like these things were “sand cast” and of course NEVER touched after they were installed at the factory.

Here is a picture of the Luggage rack after 2 coats of HVLP application of Majic paint and copious application of elbow grease and 800 grit wet sanding. As you can see, some attention is still required along the edge where the seal goes.

This is the formica I chose to install. Sourced from the lowes, it is the most inert material compatible with all of the requirements of adhesion, condensation, etc. Thanks DaleNW for helping me decide to go this route.

I also followed Dales install by cutting Reflectix pieces to fill the interstitial gaps between the poptop ridges. Not really counting on the insulative properties as much as the protective qualities for the formica during an impending collision with something or someone.

Test fitting the trimmed formica. Two thumbs up and ready to glue in permanent like.

Here is a picture of the drying contact cement applied to all the contact areas of the poptop and the corresponding areas of the formica. Due to space constrictions I supported the formica over the top using some scrap engineered flooring pieces since they were long enough and provided copious surface area to support the flexible formica during the drying process. You can see I chose to stop the formica right where the hardware attaches to minimize poptop lift from the added thickness of the headliner and formica.

Reflectix pieces are in place and the formica is ready to be married with the poptop.

As a teaser, in the next installment you will see the pictured Baltica Sandstone Outdoor Fabric that I installed onto the formica. The other fabrics are intended to be used as headliner in the driver passenger area as well as custom made bed and seat cushions and curtains.

Thanks again for following along and I look forward to your comments, advice and capitulations.

Warmest regards.
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[Hoody]

Edit

[Our79Westy]

Hello and thank you for following the process of my pop-top refurb and solid substrate headliner install.

After marrying the Formica to the pop-top I was merely going to let it dry under its own weight. However further consideration resulted in placing weights over the contact points and then leaving it to dry for 24 hours. Even though the contact cement bond was made the moment they touched, I wanted to make sure the Formica stayed in place. Further, at the rear most part of the pop-top the Formica needed to bend to conform to a flat ridge and the curve in the pop-top. I used the aluminum structural support bar (removed from the front of the pop-top) and additional weights (Heavy Speakers) to keep the Formica securely in place.

How do you transport a naked pop-top from one work place to the next? VERY CAREFULLY!!! and with lots of padding on every contact surface. You can see I haven’t even cleaned the top of the bus where the luggage rack goes. This is because all efforts are on getting the top back on the bus as soon as possible. The luggage rack I can do by myself, but the pop-top requires help. Mom and Dad were gracious in allowing me to overrun their garage for 4 days while I tackled the next stage…headliner installation so off we go.

After allowing the contact cement to completely cure the pop-top was finally ready for the headliner to be applied. Well almost ready as I must first rough up the surface of the Formica to grip the spray headliner adhesive. I used an 80grit beltsander belt wrapped around a sand paper sponge followed by vacu-orbital-sanding the lot with 120 grit. I also cleaned up the inside surfaces of the pop-top with both in preparation for new seals and refresh.

An ounce of prevention as they say. After vacuuming, blowing, tack clothing and taping off the pop-top, the headliner is test fitted therein and adjusted for alignment. This was a crucial step, as the fabric would have been installed upside down if I had attached it this way. (Can you figure out why?) The closet rod was what I used to wrap the headliner around to keep it off the adhesive while I installed it…the first and second times…but this was not how it was ultimately installed (as explained below).

Here we go, ready to make it permanent!

This stuff comes out similar to silly string. Reading the directions on the can I made a cross hatch pattern to ensure total coverage of the Formica surface paying extra attention to the curved areas near the front of the pop-top where the most action will be seen. This also proved to be the most challenging area to get the fabric to mold to without wrinkling.

Soooo, the next day comes and well, let’s just say that the results of the previous day were not acceptable. Lesson learned…once the fabric touches, don’t move it, so make sure it’s aligned and smooth while going on. This is tough on such a large area. Luckily the material came off without tearing and a fresh coat of adhesive reactivated the adhesive I sprayed on the day before.

Soo, it took 3 people, Two people folded the headliner in half and lined up the middle with the middle of the pop-top and kept it away from the Formica until the third person pressed the headliner into place. Then said third person worked from the center towards the edges and it went down sooth. Now I can trim the headliner in preparation for the new canvas. As you can see the pattern “drifts” a little, but hey, it is smooth and firmly in place and no one will ever notice.

Ahh, new canvas finally ready to be installed.

Installing new canvas with air powered stapler and MONEL ½ (half) inch T50 Staples. The electric stapler just folded the staples on themselves and didn't penetrate the plastic mounting strip.

Yay, Finally the new canvas is installed and looks GREAT with the new headliner. We used a razor to clean up any headliner leftovers that overlapped past the plastic canvas installation strip.

After all the effort of refurbishing the fiberglass pop-top, installing the headliner and new canvas, I just wasn’t satisfied with the interior fiberglass being sanded clean. I masked off my previous efforts and cleaned up imperfections like flocking overspray, etc. I then used a can of rustoleum white flat paint to provide two light coats. Followed by two light coats of rustoleum GLOW in the Dark….right? and finally two light coats of rustoleum clear. All about 10-20 minutes apart per the instructions. I did light coats for many reasons but the main was, WHOM would even see it? Me and mine. I have battery powered LED black lights that I plan on direct wiring into the bus at a later date. However, these black light LEDs will supercharge the paint and provide our own “moonlight” when the pop-top is up. I’m excited to see it in action, i.e. someplace other than a dark garage, as well as how long it lasts over time (both glowing and structurally as the glow and the dark says not to apply it to items whose temperatures go above 200 degrees F.

I like how the white cleaned up and sealed the fiberglass.

Again, due to time. weather and help constraints we worked on the paint when we could. We focused on the edges when the seals were going to be attached and wet sanded and polished them.

Here we go ready to install the pop-top to luggage rack seal.

Here's a picture of the passenger side of the pop-top where the two seals (flat "luggage" seal and pop-top seal) meet at the corner.

Here's a picture of the driver side of the pop-top where the seals meet at the corner. I was reluctant to cut the seals and reviewed many links trying to decide exactly how to join these seals. I chose to just but them up to each other as close as possible and will trim the flat seal once the top is installed on the bus proper like.

Heres a picture of the luggage rack with the new seal installed. I reviewed my pictures of what it looke like before and left a little extra to trim once its "finally" installed as well.

It's been a LONG time since my bus had its pop-top on top. It looks a million times better than it did in the beginning.

Even though the pop-top looks good and "appears" complete I was not quite finished painting and/or polishing the mounting hardware and/or securing stainless steel nuts and bolts replacements. So in the next chapter I will show how I wet sand the hinges, H-bar, et. al., including the outer surface of the pop-top and polish it to an incredible shine. Soo happy with the results and looking forward to mounting it back onto the bus permanent like.

Thanks again for following along as I refurbish(ed) the pop-top on my 1979 Campmobile. I am happy to answer any questions or elaborate and welcome your comments and advice.
_________________
1979 Westfalia DELUXE 2.0 FI manual
Mexican beigeutiful and mostly original.

See the most up to date status of Constance on YouTube
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCvO1ZedS22IepvvRYaTxiPQ

My 1979 Westfalia Campmobile's sundry Tales of Constance
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620965

1990 Vanagon, Red, Driven 70,000 miles till sold.

[DaleNW]

Looks like you are having fun! Keep at it.
When I replaced the seal on the underside of the front luggage rack on mine, it left a gap. The luggage rack sits up a bit off the roof. Check yours before mounting it back on. You may need to get the luggage rack seal "for special applications" from Bus Depot that has the extra bulb on the backside. Otherwise, you will get lots of wind noise. Yours may be different than mine, so just check before you go through the effort of installation.
_________________
'78 Deluxe Westy - Loose Lucy (where I rest peacefully)
'77 Transporter (may it rest in peace)