Poptop Hinge Replacement--with Video!

Ludwig's poptop scissor hinges have been bent--way bent--for as long as we've had him. We got newer ones off of a 1976 Westy and have been waiting for a good time to install them. Today was as good a day as any.

Bent.

Bent.

Note the patch Melissa had to put on as the canvas got caught up once and the scissor hinge acted more like a scissors and less like a hinge.

How did they get so bent? In cases where a vehicle is known to have been attended to by 02McDonald at some point in its life, any evidence of over-exertion of parts can normally be attributed to him. I don't think he is to blame here, however. I can't say as I ever examined the hinges during McDonald's tenure as owner/operator, but I do know that the funny bow in the fiberglass top predates his ownership of the bus. When we were camping with Gypsie a couple weeks back, he reported that the bow flexed in and out as Melissa and I raised or lowered the top. We would've never noticed something like that, as it took both of us inside Ludwig to get the top clamped down. It stands to reason then that the bow in the top was caused by the bent hinges, and therefore McDonald is off the hook.The base of this hinge is all corroded because of the mice that homesteaded in Ludwig sometime during his comatose years. The bolt I'm abusing here had also seen its share of mouse urine, and had turned all soft-like because of it. Gross.

Please allow me to assure you that any sexism seemingly apparent in the execution of this project is purely coincidental.

More mouse crap. Gross, gross. Will Ludwig ever be free of mouse excreta?

We'd always noticed that other Westies' tops sat up differently than ours, but it still took us by surprise just how bad Ludwig's was. Above, only the passenger side hinge has been replaced.

Let's test the new vs. the old, shall we?

It's not just that the old ones were bent; it's not readily apparent in the video, but the newer ones are designed differently and are clearly altogether much stouter.

Look at all that space between the rear of the top and the roof. It used to just rest on the roof. The canvas is much more taut now also.

And look at how much more room there is inside. It used to be that you couldn't sleep with your head(s) at that end unless you liked the taste of fiberglass. Now we can sleep either way, which means we have to worry less about getting Ludwig all level at campsites--we can just sleep with our feet pointed to the low end, whichever end that may be. The funny material on the mattress back there is where Melissa and her Mom replaced the original plaid that had been dissolved away by mouse pee. Gross, gross, gross. As I've seen original Westy upper-bunk mattresses dressed in this plaid (allegedly the third rarest of the plaids) go for up to $125 each, I think this repair is juuuust fine.

Well? How well does it work?

(In case you couldn't hear her, Melissa conservatively estimated the top to run "100% better". I would say it's more like somewhere between a bazillion and a kajillion percent better.)

While it may violate the principles of those who absolutely demand correct-year parts in their bus across the board, I wholeheartedly recommend this upgrade to anyone with the early style hinges. Us, we couldn't care less if Ludwig is spot-on stock (he does have a window crank salvaged from a 1980 Vanagon, after all), we just want him to work right. What's best is that we recycled good OEM parts and didn't have to resort to buying aftermarket garbage.