Thanks for your note. Yes I have also adopted the hypothesis
that the snow and ice was the culprit. However I think that
maybe just the weighing down of the roof may have caused at
least part of the problem.

I adjusted the pop top hinge, and as I reported in the post, there
was no immediate improvement. But looking now, a week later, it
looks like the gap has narrowed somewhat. Maybe I can get things
back to normal by figuring out how to "negate" the snow load,
and then just wait a while.

It's raining today, and I was pleased to note that despite the gap
I'm dry inside both when driving and parked.

Thanks,
Martin (and '82 westy)

   From: GMBulley@aol.com
   Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 20:49:35 -0400 (EDT)

   purely a guess:

   If your van sits outside during a couple of freeze/thaw/freeze cycles 

   1)  enough slush and water could work its way down into that area
   2)  refreeze, applying that wonderful 30,000 lbs/square inch of outward
   thrust that the water-to-ice cycle creates.
   3) THEN...start all over again during the next freeze/thaw at  #1, pressing
   the seam farther and farther back throughout the winter.

   This same process breaks down mountains, could be the downfall of your westy
   seam too?

   Best of luck on the repair, perhaps a fiberglass boat builder could offer
   some advise on straightening it?

   Happy motoring,

   Matthew

Martin Jagersand                 email: jag@cs.rochester.edu
Computer Science Department             jag@cs.chalmers.se
University of Rochester 

        Slow down and visit the VW diesel Westy page:
          WWW: http://www.cs.rochester.edu/u/jag/vw
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