How big a hole?
Posted: 13 Mar 2025, 17:34
Geeetings! I finally got my westy-style poptop fitted and am now grappling with the "what next" question.
Roght now I've only cut a 1m hole in the tin roof, between the two roof supports. And I haven't yet secured the tent to the roof.
But there's only a couple of inches clearance between the metal and the fibreglass, not a lot of space for a bed. So I'm wondering if I can cut away more roof and put in a bed that lifts up out of the way with the poptop when not in use.
That means removing the cross beam in the middle of the van. I would be left with whatever is above the windscreen (behind the headliner), one at the door pillars, and one at the back with the tailgate hanging off it.
Has anyone else done this? Is this beam doing anything more than supporting the roof, like providing overall rigidity? If I cut it out, do I need to add anything anywhere else to compensate?
More generally, I'm thinking of putting in front swivel seats and not having a rock n roll bed. Van is mostly used in warm climates, so an outdoor kitchen under the tailgate looks good. I will probably want to do online work in the van, and also need quite a lot of storage space for clothes, wetsuits, camping gear, etc. Any layout suggestions or bed ideas are much appreciated.
Thanks
Roght now I've only cut a 1m hole in the tin roof, between the two roof supports. And I haven't yet secured the tent to the roof.
But there's only a couple of inches clearance between the metal and the fibreglass, not a lot of space for a bed. So I'm wondering if I can cut away more roof and put in a bed that lifts up out of the way with the poptop when not in use.
That means removing the cross beam in the middle of the van. I would be left with whatever is above the windscreen (behind the headliner), one at the door pillars, and one at the back with the tailgate hanging off it.
Has anyone else done this? Is this beam doing anything more than supporting the roof, like providing overall rigidity? If I cut it out, do I need to add anything anywhere else to compensate?
More generally, I'm thinking of putting in front swivel seats and not having a rock n roll bed. Van is mostly used in warm climates, so an outdoor kitchen under the tailgate looks good. I will probably want to do online work in the van, and also need quite a lot of storage space for clothes, wetsuits, camping gear, etc. Any layout suggestions or bed ideas are much appreciated.
Thanks
Oh boy, am I learning to hate AI-generated answers to search queries!?