Someone on the samba has come up with a design and started producing kits.
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=267447

-Craig
'85GL

On Tue, Mar 4, 2008 at 6:57 AM, Joy Hecht <hecht.joy@gmail.com> wrote:

> Yup, I know I'm replying to an email from more than a year ago!  But I'm
> back to carrying a kayak, and thus back to being unable to lift my poptop.
> Very inconvenient.  So I'm looking at struts.
>
> Kim, why did you install them inside instead of outside?  Is that cosmetic
> or functional?  And I can't tell from your photos where exactly they are
> mounted at the lower end.  Are they attached to a metal plate that is part
> of the poptop hinge?
>
> If anyone else has tried this, I'd be interested in your experience as
> well.
>
>
>
> Joy
>
> ****************************************************************
> Joy Hecht
> and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon
>
> For musings about life and the vanadventures:
> http://www.joyhecht.net
>
>
> ****************************************************************:::-----Orig
> inal Message-----
> :::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> :::Of Kim Brennan
> :::Sent: Saturday, February 03, 2007 9:58 PM
> :::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> :::Subject: Re: Poptop Raise Assists
> :::
> :::Though no one asked I feel a few other comments are in order (I've
> :::mentioned them before without the pictures. )
> :::
> :::It's a good idea to attach any struts to a strong point on the
> :::poptop. In this case I already had a rack mount, which has a
> :::reinforcing plate on the inside (invisible in the photos.) That helps
> :::spread the load of the lift.
> :::
> :::On the lower mounting point, the place chosen was just about as far
> :::forward as I could make it (it doesn't look very far forward, and
> :::there is a reason for that.) The gating factor here was the existing
> :::mechanism, which folds up and would occupy spaces further forward. I
> :::also needed to ensure that there was clearence between the gas spring
> :::(strut) and the existing mechanism. It was a tight fit using the
> :::parts and mounting cups that I had.
> :::
> :::When I initially set it up, I used 125 pound struts. These were
> :::woefully inadequate and in fact I couldn't even tell if they were
> :::installed. I believe I also had on hand 150 pound struts, but again,
> :::those simply weren't enough. The 250's were the highest rated I could
> :::get in this model. I wouldn't have minded something a little bigger,
> :::but them's the breaks. Just encourages me to pack light....
> :::
> :::Other folk have stated that they thought I would have mounted them
> :::the other way (with the lower mount point further forward). I
> :::considered that. But I tried it this way, on the theory that if it
> :::didn't work, I could still switch to the other method with only the
> :::cost of a hole in the poptop hinge to show my work. As it turns out
> :::this was quite adequate, and I didn't pursue the other method.
> :::
> :::On Feb 3, 2007, at 3:18 PM, Kim Brennan wrote:
> :::
> :::>
> :::> <http://homepage.mac.com/kimbrennan/PoptopAssist/index.html>
>