Neil my point was that the 'buckboard' platform you are invisioning is
designed to distribute the weight of someone sleeping and is not structural.
If you remove the cross members from the roof (which it sounds to me like
you'd be doing either way), you stand a chance at reducing the entire
structural integrity of the car. It would make for some interesting lawsuits
if you get in an accident....
The simple answer to you question in my mind is "No, you cannot just cut a
4ft hole in the roof and put plywood over it".

The whole concept of building a bedding platform is moot untill you figure
out the way your going to access it (and reinforce the hole) in my mind. By
the way, it is my expereicne that a flat bed cannot be built atop the curved
section of vanagon roof, and the westfalia roof still close. You have to cut
out a much much bigger hole, or "carry" the pieces of plywood in the cabin
area.

-Craig
'85GL turned WESTY

On Tue, Apr 21, 2009 at 4:26 PM, mark drillock <mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:

> The ASI was just a passenger van later modified to a Camper. The top
> will go on another passenger van just fine. The hole in the roof is just
> something cut out between the arches.
>
> The quality of the ASI leaves a bit to be desired. The tops crack and
> sag with time. They attach to the roof in a fairly Disney rodent way.
>
> Mark
>
>
> Zeitgeist wrote:
>
>> Has anyone investigated installing one of the old ASI poptop kits on a non
>> camper van?  I had an '83(?) diesel ASI years ago, and it looked like it
>> could easily be retrofitted onto another van.  I also like the straight-up
>> design vs. the rear-pivot of the Westphalia versions.
>> --
>> Casey
>> '87 300TD
>> '94 100CSQ Avant
>> '89 Bluestar
>>
>>