clemensfield Posted June 16, 2014 Share Posted June 16, 2014 Due to the ongoing back trouble I have endured since travelling full time in a pop-top, the time has come to either upgrade to a full size Toyhome or modify the one I have. This truck has been good to me and I don't want to part with it. Because I live in Canada, the weather does not permit me to have the top popped on a daily basis and rain tends to make life miserable when trapped in a small camper with 5' clearance. We are going to build a 14 inch wall around the upper edge where the "top" sits. This space is 1 1/4inch which provides a good base to sit 3/4 inch plywood onto. The idea is to have the roof sit flat on the new wall addition and no longer need to be "popped". This will give me a 6 foot clearance and might potentially save me from a lifetime of neck and lower back problems. This project will start next week, if anyone has any comments, advice, or help from previous experience, please let us know. THANKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I think it's a lot of work and a project that will be exposed to extreme stress. Making it solid enough to handle the vibration and wind on the road might be an issue. The Pop tops like this are pretty rare too and I personally love to see them preserved. It's worth a decent dime. Sell it and buy one more suited to your needs. Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemensfield Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thank you Linda. All good points. Any other feedback greatly welcomed as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 Well how crafty are you? Take your 14" wall split it in half and have 2 walls run a piano hinge the length and have a foldable wall. Do this to all 4 walls and you could have a hard sided pop top and have the best of both worlds. Top down for going with good MPG and top up and warm when parked. Make the sides out of a foam luan composite and have insulation, keeping warmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemensfield Posted June 18, 2014 Author Share Posted June 18, 2014 Thanks for the reply. We did discuss this option but it has two major drawbacks: When I am pulled over on the side of the road and need to get into the coach to make coffee etc, I have to pop up the roof each time. Again I should stress that I live in Canada half the year so the weather is miserable aside from the 6 weeks we call summer. The second drawback is that I will lose the considerable amount of extra storage space, cabinetry, etc I gain by building a permanent wall. The full plan now is to build the wall and then place the pop top back on top and still have it fully functional as a pop-top. Why would we do this if I can now stand up straight you are probably asking yourself? When the top is popped in the summer without the canvas, it creates a really cool super-sunroof effect that is beautiful on nice days. Or a moonlight gaze at the stars while falling asleep, again in times when it is weather permitting and insect permitting. I spend the winters in Florda so it's a nice energy free way of getting a little A/C. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I don't think it would be a major project to install a power lift system that you could activate from the drivers seat. We live in a world where people have big screen TV's that pop out of the furniture. All the parts to make such a system are probably readily available for any weight Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 I was thinking of when you get there, not so much about the transit. Do you pop the roof each time you stop now when you want coffee? With out a pop top your going to be adding about 9 sq ft to your drag profile and that will eat into your mpg. You are right there is not much you can do about the cabinet space thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted June 18, 2014 Share Posted June 18, 2014 If you're handy with fiberglass and wood, this isn't a really technical job. Just measure twice and do accurate cuts. Use epoxy instead of polyester resin and give the front piece a bit of a slope back to help reduce the wind resistance. Put a little bit of camber in the roof , too, if you can. A good drawing before starting work will make the job clearer and help to avoid waste. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clemensfield Posted July 4, 2014 Author Share Posted July 4, 2014 A bit of delay in getting pictures up but we finished the reno's last week and I've never enjoyed the 84' Gran Sport as much. I'm now fully able to walk around the RV without having to bend my neck or arch my back. I am also still able to pop the top for free sunlight and air conditioning. I really hated the gross canvas that was on it before and I like the openness of using it without. We did indeed slope the front a little bit and so far I have not noticed a major difference in driving. Although, I haven't done a serious highway trip yet. I do expect to lose a couple MPGs with increased wind drag from the 14" extension build. For me, this trade is worth it, as I was previously getting as much as 22MPG at 55miles/hour. I would like to attempt to replace the exterior cargo doors and latches with a similar wood finish to make it more of an actual "woody". I've attached just a couple before & after photos to the post but you can see the entire job in a photo gallery in this link: http://iryancook.imgur.com/all/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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