Weird idea in case someone needs inspiration

[TheRainbowBoxer]

I have seen several buses with van bodies on top of them creating a second story. I had this inspiration, one I do not plan on following btw...

How about attaching a pop up camper as a second story. It would collapse down to be able to fit under overpasses etc, and when you get where you are going, you pop it up and have an instant, spacious, second floor.

[lornaschinske]

How about a Westfalia poptop? you can still buy them and the "fabric"


So you might be interested in this picture gallery of a conversion.

And another

http://www.ezsofttops.com/c-124-pop-...FS2htgodIgMbWA Westy popup fabric insert.

Sportsmobile Vans that are still being made

This is a ground up build on a van. I think you would need to join since when you click on the numbers for pics, you get a notice saying that you aren't authorized access that area.

Or you could just buy this (but would that be too easy?)

Or you could use a method similar to the one the Apache hard sided popups used.
This is a parts list of the bed end. Here is a pdf downloadfor a 74 (same kind we had)



BTW, we replaced our "living hinge" with dual wire pipe heat cable and replaced the metal sleeve with RV aluminum awning rail. I did have to use a pair of vise grips to close the awning rail slightly. The "solid state" sidewalls were ABS plastic... slightly thinner than the bumpy FRP you find at Lowes/Home Depot. Just not sure how you would raise the road cover (gas struts?).

4200994 & 3390015 living hinge = heat cable

4048024 rear wall lower hinge = RV awning rail (one on each side the heat cable connects then together)

5300078 = small screw that was just big enough around to cut threads into the soft aluminum awning rail track

More ideas

[bus-bro]

It's already been done. On another thread I posted about putting my Aerostar up there, but, then again, I also have an '87 Westy in my junkyard. What to do? Aerostar or Westy?

[bus-bro]

I think I'll cut the top off the Westy, and see how it goes. Thanks for the picture Lorna.

[TheRainbowBoxer]

I was thinking of a popup more like this, but interesting ideas all around.

[Diesel Dan]

Dan, that's frickin' genius! I love the idea! Maybe I'll think about that for my next bus...

[bus-bro]

You'd get your slide-outs if you put your tent trailer on the bus sideways.

[RavensOracle]

I've seen a skoolie with a pop-up mounted on top of it. It was a pretty ingenious build but the pop-up wasn't added in a way that someone could enter it from inside the bus. Instead it was a small older pop-up (basically a tent trailer) mounted to the heavy duty roof-top deck that had been built. It was mounted sideways so that the door was accessible from the deck. The bus also had a ladder/steep stairs that they carried on top and once someone crawled up using a normal ladder carried on the back could be set over the side to give easy access to the Party Deck as it was called.

I really wish I had pictures but it was back in the 90's that I saw the thing.

[Stuff]

that is just awesome! lol

[Stuff]

found this on my search for how to paint my bus...

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_v3qFbwt7Id8/T ... nagons.jpg

[dirtygoat]

We had a tent trailer before the bus and I had planned on mounting it sideways on the front of a goose neck car trailer... That way we could tow the 4x4 and use the deck as our porch...

[TheRainbowBoxer]

Nice!