looking at a 77 vanagon. Wondering about a westy conversion?

[kojackJKU]

A friend of mine has a 77 vw vanagon for sale. It needs work but its solid. can I get the pop up roof, and mount on the standard van? I am going to do the camper conversion on the interior. Just want to know if I can get the extra sleeping space and standing room installed on it.

thanks.

 

[transporterjr]

The 77 is not a Vanagon, but is commonly referred to as a "Bay Window" van. (The original Microbus is called a Split Window, or Splittie if you want to make some purist's cringe).

 

[kojackJKU]

what about the actual westy roof? its the same machine under the roof.

 

[Haf-E]

The 70s VW bus (often called a breadloaf or baywidow due to the curved front) and the 80s Vanagon (boxy/angular and significantly larger) are not cross compatible - especially for the pop-up tops. So if it is a 77 then you need to look for camper parts from that series of VW bus production. The 70s bus was actually in production from 68 to 78 although production in south america continued until recently.

Cutting the roof and reinforcing it in the critical locations is possible but is a lot of work I hear. Starting with a sunroof bus is suppose to be easier.

I would look at the 80's Vanagon myself - more engine options and perhaps better vehicle / parts availability.

 

[transporterjr]

Reading Haf-E's reply has me realizing that I (mis)read your note in regards to putting a Westy roof on a standard VW van ( misread as the 77 was already a Westy and you want to mount it a on a US van.

So you have a standard tin-top Bay window (aka Loaf) van and want to install a Westy Top - correct. For a Vanagon, I could give you advice and point you to some websites, for the 77, I am sure it can be done, but I am not sure of the best way.

For the Vanagon, the roof under the Westy top is NOT the same, so the best way is the hard way, removing welds and the entire top skin and then fitting the Westy donor roof metal and then mounting the fiberglass top and luggage carrier. But plenty simply buy there top, cut a hole in the roof and skip the top bead, or fabricate something a bit homemade. The place to ask is on TheSamba.com

Personally, unless you have a family, I'd skip the pop-top for now. Get the van going (1st thing is to change the rule lines, as these vans burn every year), then add the camper interior (personally, I like the Weekender set-up, no stove or fridge, perhaps a sink/icebox) and see how much you like the van before committing to the pop-top. Then if you are still on board, research and do the pop-top correctly.

Fuel line info - http://www.benplace.com/fuel_line.htm - remember 1st item and use SAE30R9 hose only!!! 7mm is the desired size, but you will have to use 5/16" - it's will still work.

 

[nemoaz]

Check the forums on thesamba.com for this info. There are many variables.

The VW roof (Loaf bus or vanagon) is pretty rounded. On the late loaf and vanagon roofs the entire back half of the roof is removed and reinforced. The bed is then placed on the roof. The mounting areas for the poptop hinges are also reinforced.

There are other models of the poptop (ASI, Sportsmobile etc.) I'm not sure how those mounted. I have also seen people cut just a small hole in the middle of the roof (basically the sunroof hole for the huge stock sunroofer model) and mount the poptop. If you put a bed on that, the mattress must be thin or absent and you must deal with the curve of the roof when putting the base to the bed up there.

Have fun. The poptop does have some downsides such as weight and its difficult to seal completely and air leaks are quite noticeable when you are relying on an anemic heater from an aircooled vw engine.

 

[kojackJKU]

ok. I will check out those sites. Yes, It is a 77 tin top breadloaf. ha ha. I will see what happens when I offer him. I think its only worth about 5-800 bucks. It needs work. lots of it. but its solid around all the bus