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h00drat
Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2016
Posts: 881
Location: Hood River
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 Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 2:40 pm Post subject: CHC Top - Refurb and Install |
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I've been waiting to post about this until I was done...so here it goes.
My van is a 1987.5 Tin Top Wolfsburg / Weekender. My wife and I and our 3 year old have LOVED camping in it for the last year and a half, but the time came that we needed more space. Rather than sell the van and start over with a pop top, we decided the CHC top was the best option. I would have gone hightop, but the wife was adamantly apposed, so we compromised on the CHC top.
After a long search, keeping my eyes open online, one came about in Colorado from a fellow VOG member. I purchased it and had it shipped the 1200 miles to my house.
When the top arrived, I was a little overwhelmed and honestly almost took a hard pass. But instead I dove in head first. Being a plastic top, the external top was in very good shape...however the base was cracked and the wood sub-frame was demolished. I started by rebuilding the subframe, then "fixed" the plastic around it. A little paint and it turned out pretty good.
Canvas is brand new.
It took about a month and 60+ hours to restore the top in my garage, and about 3 - 4 nights for the installation including cutting the hole, assembly and installing the top, and then finishing up the trim inside.
I will be at Descend on Bend this weekender if anybody wants to check it out.
The day it arrived in my garage.
The base was in the worst condition. Cracked in a ton of places.
Repaired and painted
The ceiling plastic was very yellowed, and also cracked
Painted the top black
New canvas installed on the top
Cut headliner hole
Cut hole in roof
Test fit base on roof
Final assembly in the garage before it went ont
First night on the van
Trim and headliner cleaned up
Yesterday
So far it has lived up to a 70MPH drive for 4 hours, two paddle boards on the rack, and about an hour of down poor while driving with no leaking. That's a good start.
_________________
<<Tyler>>
1987.5 Wolfsburg Weekender / CHC / 2.0 ABA
CHC Top Thread
Engine Conversion Thread (2.0 ABA Swap)
ABA Swap - Image Gallery
Auto Trans Rebuild - Image Gallery |
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Slimvest
Samba Member
Joined: March 20, 2014
Posts: 400
Location: Portland, OR
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| Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: CHC Top - Refurb and Install |
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Heck yeah! Nice work.
_________________
'87 GL w/ Reimo top |
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h00drat
Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2016
Posts: 881
Location: Hood River
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rmcd
Samba Member
Joined: October 29, 2010
Posts: 1174
Location: PNW - its a dry rain.
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