To Pop... or not Pop Top?!?

Early Bay Forum

Help Support Early Bay Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

thru_a_lupe

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 7, 2008
Messages
1,215
Reaction score
3
Location
'the shire'
Time has come to make a decision...
With a new addition to the family who’s gonna need somewhere to sleep in a year or so’s time... do I...
Keep my ‘70 factory sunroof exactly as it was intended... a sunroof.
Convert to a Westy pop top... front hinged only.
Or sell up and go down the T5 dark side route?!?
Decisions decisions!!!!

 
Leave it as it is or buy a westy. It’s a lot of holes to drill
 
At this point in its life I'd leave it as is. It's a hell of a lot of stuff to cut out of the poor thing.
 
My thinking is that as all early Westys were based on Sunroof bodyshells... I can push my sunroof into the roof space and then fit a Westy pop top, yet the bus will always remain a sunroof model... yes I will have to drill some holes but that’s all... easily fixable if I want to go back to a sunroof in the future.
 
I've always liked the idea of a factory sunroof within a poptop. All properly sealed up and tidy when closed, and then just wind it back and pop the roof for camping. It should have been a 'deluxe' Westy option in my opinion. :)

If you really genuinely think you'll keep the bus for along time then it'll be worth doing. If you are already considering the modern van option, then you may just want to get on with the inevitable ... :(
 
I don’t want a modern van... that’s my sensible head speaking... I don’t think I could part with this EB for a T5...
Looking for suitable long term option to keep my bus!

Sadly Clem... my sunroof doesn’t slide open with ease!!!!
Snapped cables!
 
Fix the sunroof and slap the poptop on - simples :)
You have had the bus for some time and know its history and all of its issues so better to stick with the devil you know.

If you sell yours and get something else you may inherit some nasty bodges.
Like you say, adding the poptop is reversible so for me is a no-brainer!
 
agreed! Love my bus and love our home brew interior so buying a Westy instead isn’t really an option...
have found a Westy top with all the bits minus canvas etc... so just gotta talk Lara round to a rather large expense!
 
Are you asking for opinions or just hoping that people will agree with your idea of banging a Westy roof on?!

It’s a lovely van, and would look really nice with a Westy roof, but I’m just not sure if I’d have the balls to start drilling into OG metal like that. Although a camper will always be worth more when it comes to re-sale...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Any pop top ruins the lines of an EB in my eyes... but out of all of them a Westy is the best looking... and most practical I think.
 
Dormobile acordian pop top with windows, looks nice when open and unlike every other poptop doesn't look like an upside down boat when shut :D
 
Kick the can down the road, and use a cab bunk for five or six years, nice and low so you won’t worry about them falling down... and low cost as well....
 
Nantwich Bus said:
Kick the can down the road, and use a cab bunk for five or six years, nice and low so you won’t worry about them falling down... and low cost as well....

Fair! Hadn’t really considered cab bunk...
Does anyone make a decent new one?!?
 
The penny has only just dropped on this thread.
Congratulations man, fantastic news!
As for drilling your bus, hmmmmm, I'd prefer not to if it was me, and the cab bunk does sound a good route to go down for a good few years.

Didn't Bluebird do cab bunks?
 
thru_a_lupe said:
Nantwich Bus said:
Kick the can down the road, and use a cab bunk for five or six years, nice and low so you won’t worry about them falling down... and low cost as well....

Fair! Hadn’t really considered cab bunk...
Does anyone make a decent new one?!?

If you can find the pole and bracket set on ebay just get the bunk itself made. Anyone who can stitch in a straight line with a sewing machine could make one.

Ive just done an awning with ikea fabric, and it would hold me never mind a small child :)
 

Latest posts

Top