Jamie,

As you can see from the pictures, there are two basic approaches to the
project.  Both have been done by folks in PA so that doesn't clarify
much.  Chris Turner and Karl Bloss did the quicker simpler method which
doesn't transfer the upper bed to the van and only adds a poptop.  The
pictures in one link show Mark Drillock, who is in CA, not PA doing this
method.

The other method, done in a variety of ways, as shown by Stuart Black
and Dave Milo's pictures, involve transplanting some or all of the Westy
roof to the passenger van so that you do get the foundation for
installing the Westy bed.  A factory Westy has a fundamentally different
roof.

It is not necessary to do all the cutting and welding that Dave Milo did
to get the rear 2/3 of the Westy roof, the part that is different, onto
a passenger van.  A member of one of these lists named Doug, cut a
longer hole in his passenger van roof and laid the Westy roof on top of
it and installed the relevant portion of the Westy roof as a drop in.
The metal he removed from the Westy was wider than the hole so it rested
on the stock roof that remained.  He used both screws and some roofing
caulking to attach and seal the Westy roof structure to the stock roof.
I have some pictures he sent me but don't know if they are up on the net
anywhere.

Some who do the simpler method never make any attempt to install an
upper bed and always use the lower bed.  The key benefit there is to
have the ability to stand up in the van and have the upper area for
storage when the top is up.  (After two weeks of traveling this summer
in my passenger Syncro, I really know how much of an advantage this is.
But I wanted to take the Syncro to Moab, UT, not the old 1.9l powered 85
Weekender.  The right choice but traveling and camping was not as nice
as it would have been with a poptop.)

Some who have used this method report fashioning a bed for the stock
roof.  However, to my knowledge, no one has posted pictures and
explanations of how they have built a bed onto the curved roof after
doing this simpler install, although Mark and a few others have said
they did this.

The stock roof structure also leaves more head room inside the van -
particularly if the AC ducting has been removed.

Somewhere out there is information on how the bed was created for a
Country Homes camper which used a similar hole cut in the roof of a
passenger van IIRC.

So, the issue of whether you want one or two beds is important in
deciding which way to go.

Sam

--
Sam Walters

Baltimore, MD