David,

Just bought a van the other day.  The PO put in a canvas from GoWesty
(the $499 one) within the last year or so.  Two questions.  First, it
seems really tight - I have to push one side then the next on the bar
hard when I put it up.  Seems to me that it's so tight that I'm
afraid the kids will puncture if it gets kicked or punched - not much
give when the top is up.  On the other hand, it's nice and tight.
Does that seem correct?  Is there any way to adjust the tension?
Second, somewhere I saw mention about the care of canvas - anything i
have to do to it except dry if it gets wet it so it won't mildew?

Thanks,

Dan
L.A., CA
'85 Westy Weekender

On Apr 24, 2011, at 2:24 PM, David Vickery wrote:

> A couple final thoughts and resources on the poptop install.  I
> found several good posts for doing this job as well as videos.
> Here is the best video I found.  http://www.vimeo.com/12165017.
>
> This video shows the canvas I installed.  It is the higher end one
> that busdepot sells and also on gowesty's site($499).  It is a
> german canvas (the brand is justKampers) and it is very different
> from the cheaper one from justkampers makes that many people have
> complained about poor quality and fit.  As you can see, this one
> fits as well as the original.
>
> In the above video, I noticed he made one mistake in his install,
> so look carefully at the way the old one is attached, maybe take
> photos to refer to.  His mistake was attaching the top tack strip
> upside down.  The top bead is supposed to fit into the channel
> instead of pushed behind it.  On the bottom it goes the other way,
> with the flat side down and the bead completely behind the bar.
> That will make more sense when you look at where the screw holes
> are on your old canvas (they go through the top piping, not through
> the material).  I guess if you get an acrylic one, they can be too
> big and you will have to figure out how to take up the slack.  But
> most people really seemed to like the extra durability of the acrylic.
>
> Reading the posts, there is another company in canada that makes
> one for a little bit more $, but is said to be even better
> quality.  http://www.atelierspk.com/west_english.html  The only
> nitpick I could have for this one is the side zippers are a little
> flimsy and the front window zipper is a little awkward.
>
> I also found a positve post about one sold at CIP that is only $229
> and the poster said it fits great.  I can't find the post, but here
> is the canvas: http://www2.cip1.com/ProductDetails.asp?
> ProductCode=VWC-253-070-704-G
>
> Other good posts.
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=310345
> http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?
> t=446984&highlight=poptop+canvas
>
> That's my 2 cents,
> Dave in Fort Collins
>
>
> --- On Sun, 4/24/11, James Felder <jim.felder@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Excellent writeup, which I saved.
>> Can't wait for the next installment.
>>
>
>> On Apr 23, 2011, at 9:56 PM, David Vickery <david_vickery@YAHOO.COM>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Another gratifying project.  I starting replacing
>> my poptop canvas at about 4:00 today and stopped when it got
>> dark out.  Probably another hour tomorrow unless
>> something goes wrong.  I decided on the most expensive
>> version BusDepot sells after getting feedback from different
>> people.  The picture on their website doesn't do
>> justice to the higher end version that they sell and I
>> waited until I saw one in person to buy it.  They had
>> it on sale for $399 and the discount brought it down a bit
>> more.  These are a little bit of a PITA to put on, so
>> there is a nice feelig of accomplishment to do it.
>>>
>>> My tips for anyone doing this:  Start with the
>> right tools.  A small battery powered screw gun.
>> A big drill is too bulky and will tire out yor arm and won't
>> reach into some of the places.  You also need a small
>> screwdriver for the corners.  A magnetic tip to help
>> hold the screws is essential.
>>>
>>> It works better to remove the bottom tack strip first
>> (tack strip is only on 86+ vans I think) and then you can
>> lay on the bunk and unscrew the top tack strip by lifting up
>> the canvas.
>>>
>>> When you take off the old one, it helps to leave it in
>> place laying on the upper bunk and laying out the new one in
>> its place.  If you don't you might install the canvas
>> upside down or even worse inside out.
>>>
>>> I almost made a mistake and started attaching the top
>> canvas tack strip from the inside.  That would have
>> ripped the front top corners which is what you probably the
>> biggest risk of the whole project. I am glad I remembered
>> how the orginal was on there.
>>>
>>> The expensive version fits great and I can see how
>> much harder this job would be with a lousy fitting one.
>>>
>>> The way I did it, I put the middle screw through the
>> top front, then the screws close to the corners.  I
>> kept referring to the old one to see where the corners were
>> in relation to the seams, but everything lined up perfectly.
>> You have to cut notches out of the bottom corner bead, just
>> the bead thing that sits under the tack strip in order to
>> make the turn.  That is how the original one was.
>> Then I did the top back and the hardest part of the whole
>> thing was the top rear corners.  Laying on your back,
>> your arms get tired trying to get everything lined up and
>> stretched fairly taught.  This is where you will be
>> wishing you had a magnetic tip screw gun if you don't.
>>>
>>> After getting the corners tacked down, I filled in the
>> rest of the upper screws all around.  Then I put the
>> lower front tack strip on.  The tip here is watch out
>> for the botton front corner screws.  The fabric gets in
>> the way and wants to get caught under those screws.  It
>> did it on both sides, and I saw it befoe it did damage to
>> one side, and it tore the other corner just a little
>> bit.  Bummer.
>>>
>>> I only put a few screws in the top front, in case I
>> needed to adjust it, which it looks like I need to do.
>> I stretched the fabric a little too much and have to back it
>> off a bit to get the corners to look perfect.  So the
>> tip is for this particular top, don't stretch it too much,
>> just get it nice and tight.  Look at how the seams
>> lined up with the corners on the original one.
>>>
>>> Wahoo, a new 3 window poptop!
>>