SO42/SO44 poptop canvas replacement how-to

[srfndoc]

He sells them thru Wolfsburg West now in the US.

https://www.wolfsburgwest.com/cart/DetailsList.cfm?ID=231067983Y

Great guy and excellent product.
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches

[BulliBill]

Does anyone know if Helmut in CZ is still making reproduction pop-top tents with the three white mosquito screen windows??? I can't seem to find ads for him.

Bill
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[srfndoc]

[BulliBill]

[BulliBill]

[catz_67_Westy]

Thank you for this thread ...I had a quick question ... did you use the upper white tack strip on your pop top? Doesn’t look like Go Westy has it anymore and the detailed description says it was used for 68+ ... I have a 67... thanks again for the detailed install info . Yes

[BulliBill]

The four rubber pop-top tie-downs that I bought from Wolfsburg West a year or two ago have a gray-ish color, not the black ones. I'll have to open a bag and trial stretch them to see if they are an improvement over the previous "stiffer" version.

Bill Bowman
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I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[crofty]

[srfndoc]

My original seam was at the rear. Also, the WW rubber hold downs are not great. They seem to be made of a much stiffer material and will be really difficult to stretch. I mentioned this to Rich from WW and they are going to take a look but nothing new at this point. You might be better off using your old ones.
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches

[BulliBill]

Hi Nancy (and Dick),

Great to see you at the BNNTA camping weekend. I only wish I had more time to visit with you and of course check out your handiwork on the pop-top install. I'm about to install the pop-top section onto my tin-top SO42, and this great write-up of yours will be the install guide for installing my roof assembly onto my '67 Campmobile. Friends in PHX will be cutting the hole in my roof, bending up the metal lip around the roof edge and then dis-assembling the roof section that I have provided and transplanting everything from the roof section onto my Camper. I have one of Helmut's new canvas tent tops (bought last year), a new WW grey molding, new WW rubber tie-downs. I have three wooden ceiling bows. I haven't ordered a new fiberglass top to roof rubber seal yet and I'll need to determine who makes the best seal available (any hints?). While apart, a talented PHX wood-worker and friend will be installing all new birch wall and ceiling panels, and once the roof install is finished, my Westy camper interior will be re-installed, and then I'll hop in and drive it back home to St. Louis.

The roof section we are using that I've had squirreled away in my basement for the past 25 years:

Just as a side note, I noticed that you installed the seam of your grey molding in the center of your rear edge. I had planned to do exactly the same. But this morning as the roof assembly was placed into a PHX bound enclosed trailer I noticed that the original grey molding in the roof section had it's seam placed in the center of the passenger (right) side. If you look closely at the middle photo you can see the right side seam in the grey molding. I'm wondering why the boys and girls at Westfalia did that, and if other original Campmobiles had their grey molding seam on the right, or arbitrarily placed elsewhere. Just curious, where is your "original" seam location everyone?

Thanks again for an excellent guide to replacing the tent material Nancy!

Bill Bowman
_________________
I'm looking for these license plate frames for my fleet:
Coeur D'Alene - Lake Shore Volkswagen
Mission VW - San Fernando
Thornton VW - Stockton

Thanks for any help!

[crofty]

Those look great! I LOVE that they are a near perfect match and have white screens.
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Your Vanagon sucks, Stop waving at me.

[srfndoc]

[nlorntson]

Looks like it turned out great! Good job.

I don't recall any extra stretching was needed on my canvas, but maybe there is enough deviation in size from Helmut.

As for the spring, I've chatted with the guy who originally ordered and purchased the bus, and the second owner that bought it from him, and there was never anything done by either of them related to the poptop so I believe the spring to be original.

Ours is a 1966 German delivered SO44 so maybe that has some bearing?

[srfndoc]

Another Helmut canvas installed:

A couple things I noted when installing this canvas:

1. It needs to be stretched quite a bit to get it stapled in the top
2. Be sure when you staple the tack strip it is touching the top of the poptop (I used the Go Westy strip which is a bit wider than the OG strip)
3. Definitely use heat to soften the grey trim strip before trying to get it on the corners (as Jamiekp mentions)
4. Mine does not have an adjustment spring, not sure if mine was replaced or if yours was a dealer replacement
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches

[jamiekp]

Great write-up indeed.

Just wanted to add one small tip for anyone having trouble fitting the grey trim at the end: a heat-gun is a really good way of making it easier to work with when needed - you can just point it at the bits you're working with and heat them up as needed to make the trim more flexible / pliable for the hard parts (like the corners).

[nlorntson]

[BJ1]

Great thread thanks! It's the only thread I can find that also shows the position and construction of the lifting struts - mine came in pieces so this was very helpful. I hadn't seen adjustable springs before - mine are simply fixed at each end with no adjusting threaded bar.

I have one of the earliest SO42 Westies (early 65) and the canvas is stapled at the top with hundreds of staples, then the plastic strip is nailed on with small nails about every 4". My top was pretty rough so I had to replace all the wooden frame, including the corner braces that have some interesting angles on them.
Thanks again for an excellent how to

[BulliBill]

[srfndoc]

Color is definitely off a bit but still the best repro out there. You should send that piece of un-faded canvas to Helmut, maybe he can find a closer match.
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RPM=(MPH*336* (R&P*4th*1.26))/Tire Diameter in inches

[nlorntson]

Here's a comparison of a scrap of the fabric on my new pop top to that of the faded old one, and the original color I found inside some of the folded up areas of the original one.