SAY!!  This is your lucky day. I, have just come up with the solution
to the problem of raising the pop-top on a Westy.
        Bolt a 24 foot  2 x 6 on the top of the van, in such a manner
that an equal amount of plank sticks out the back... so let's say
about 12 - 15 feet.
        On the back end, attach an eye-hook with a lead going to one
of them there swing chairs.
Then, when you wish to stop and raise the roof, one merely sends his
S.O. out back to sit in the chair and PRESTO up pops the top.
        An added benefit of the following 'swing chair' would be to
establish a 'smoking section' for those traveling companions that
insist on having a smoke or for someone annoying... like me.
        Bright idea Eh?  They don't call me SUNNY for nuttin.   ;-)

                                        David

P.S.: to quote BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM> "Are we completely nutz?!?!?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>  wrote:
>So ...
>
>We're thinking of possible ways that B, having *absolutely* *no* arm
>strength, might be able to raise the Westy pop-top.

- - snip- - snip - -

>Are we completely nutz?!?!?
>
>(Anyone got any ideas, however crazy, for connecting the cable to the
>front of the poptop?  As smug engineer types, everything else seems to
>us like a slam-dunk ... )
>
>
>B&S
>Both Of Us Engineer-Type Nerds And Proud Of It!!!
>'87 Westy 'Esmerelda Blanc'
>SoCal