How to turn your Astro into a PopTop (The non-DIY way)

[tribri1]

History
The last 4 years I have been driving an '86 VW Westfalia Weekender. I truly love everything about this vehicle except for it's gutlessness on hills and inability to tow. Two years ago I bought a whitewater raft and found that the weight of the raft on the trailer or in the van was just too much weight for it to handle. I did as many Westaflia owners did. Started searching for an engine upgrade. I was looking at paying $10k to $16k depending on the type of engine I wanted to put in the vehicle. That was too much to spend on such an old vehicle. I started looking for other options... I was looking for poptop shells for trucks when I found T Low's rig which put me on a year and a half of plotting and saving to get my own poptop Astro.

Cost
$5500 2003 AWD Astro with 130k miles
$6500 Top Installation
$650 Upstairs Bed Installation
$700 Roof color matching
$400 Install Factory Roof Rack on new roof
$150 relocate factory courtesy and dome lights
$13,900 Total cost (Still well less than the VW engine upgrade, plus I sold the VW for $7000)

The Schedule and the Build
GTRV (http://www.gtrv.com) did my conversion. They are located near Napa Valley, CA. When I contacted them their lead time was three months. Due to delays on other projects this could easily turn into four months. I contacted them the day I purchased the vehicle to get added to their production line. I had a 3500 road trip book for three months to the day of me calling. To get on the production schedule I sent off a check for 50% of the conversion cost. To hit my timeline GTRV told me that if I get my van down there as soon as possible they will work on it between other projects and they may be able to get it done in time for my trip.

Two weeks later I was on the road and dropped my van off at their shop, crossed my fingers and headed home. Delays happened: The roof was a week late, color matching the top took a day longer than expected, the struts were lost in the mail... Alas with all the delays on my van there were also delay on the other vans on the production line and it all worked out. As I knocked on the door, they were just vacuuming out the van.

Hit the Road
I was elated as I got on the road to make the 13 hour drive home. When I hit the freeway and sped up to 65 MPH the top started lifting. Evidently GTRV used my van as a little experiment on the latches. I flipped a b!tch and headed back to the shop. Two hours later I was back on the road with the proper latches. This time the trip went smooth and the new top looked and drove like the stock top.

Putting it Through the Paces
Of course I could not wait to give my new top a try. I drove until midnight and pulled over at a Rest Stop near Lake Shasta, CA popped the top, spread out my sleeping bag and quickly and comfortable fell asleep. In the morning I woke up, put the top down and continued my drive home. SUCCESS!

The next day I packed up the van and hit the road for my roadtrip. I was gone for 13 days, slept in the van 9 out of 12 nights. (I slept in a real bed in Denver and under the stars in Moab.)

Pros
The top has a stock look and feel. The overall height of the roof increased less than an inch, so the van still fits in my garage. The top goes up and down easily and give a fair amount of standing space when you need it. Looks really sweet and is a topic of conversation. And of course it is almost as comfortable as sleeping in my bed.

Cons
The bed is wider than a twin bed, but narrower than a full bed. You have about the same space to sleep as a two person backpack tent. Also the roof near your feet is pretty low. I can lay on my back and flex my feet so they touch the roof. Again, think backpacking size tent... Other Astro drivers do not wave to me when they see me driving down the road. Lastly, although it cost less then buying a VW and upgrading the engine it is still a lot more expensive than tent camping.

Conclusion
It is not perfect or just like my VW, but it is good. Would I do it again? Yes! Would I recommend a friend to do it? Yes!

Next Steps
I am designing a downstairs bed. I have a few ideas that I am throwing around and am hoping to start experimenting in July.
Install a second battery: I only killed my battery once on my trip, but I did not like stressing out about having the fridge running or using the courtesy lights. When I am reading at night.

[Great A'Tuin]

I am so jealous! I want a GTRV so bad but just can't swing the $7K.

[doyoulikeithere]

ConsOther Astro drivers do not wave to me when they see me driving down the road.

Man oh man, If all the other Astro owners felt the need to Wave at each other, I'd probly have to change brands...

That was one thing about riding a bike that annoyed me: People on bikes who think I'm an arse for not waving at them.
They would even give me heck for not waving if I hadnt, and later came across them at a road stop or whatever.

Personally, I thought they looked pretty darn fruity waving like a little girl at just about anybody, just cuz they ride a bike...
So Rice!

[ihatemybike]

I will eventually have a GTRV!

[MountainManJoe]

Cost
$5500 2003 AWD Astro with 130k miles

That's a pretty good deal. Private, dealership? ...

[photo_van]

Other Astro drivers do not wave to me when they see me driving down the road.

LOL We ALWAYS wave at other Astros, never a wave back, then we look at each other "they just don't get it"...

It's nice having a bed down stairs. You can leave it made up, works well on those really windy nights in the desert. Also good for "stealth" camping when the pop up is a giveaway.

We built our bed widthwise which leaves lots of room between the bed and the front seats. At 5'10" I have to lay in a bit of a diagonal if I want to stretch all the way out.

[Smiliesafari]

Great looking van, tribri1. When I was in Washington I visited with Tom. He gave me a tour of his poptop. If I were a camper type I'd copy his too. It looks like the perfect solution. By the way, Tom and Jen are a terrific couple. They treated me like I was a life long friend.
Photo_van......That's an awesome picture.

[T.Low]

Excellent post , t1. Agree 100%. More pics please. (Have you posted a trip report and i just haven't gotten to it yet?)

Sounds like the new GTRV website coincided with the move to California of the production facility. Did you still deal with Mike Reed in Sebastopol on the sales end? And is Roy still the production facility owner or did he stay behind in BC? (They put two pics of my van on the new website )

We bought 2 1/2" memory foam and cut to fit, trifold it on a shelf behind the back seat and store with one Hefty garbage bag covering each end to keep the dust off during off pavement trips. It is way too comfortable on the rainy mountain mornings when you peel back the window covering of the pop top and look out at the mountain views.
I would like to modify it so it goes straight up as an H top or Penthouse top instead of the angled V top, but not a major thing.

Safari Condo never returned my email regarding the bed. I'll try again. Would be interested in what ideas you have.

Your van looks great.

Skip, thanks for the kind words. It was great meeting you and the timing was perfect.

Photo Van, how about a link to your build. I think I may remember your bed situation but not sure. I'm going to be in San Diego mid August and will visit with Herbie one day. Are you anywhere near there?

Aaron, since you're closer to Quebec, also keep an eye out for Safari Condos. I think they have more innovative interior details. And with your skills and coloradocampervans internet infomation, don't discount the idea of a high top conversion van to be modified into a pop top.

[tribri1]

@Timeless - I picked it up private party. Most dealers wanted $7500 to $9000 for vans in the same condition. I was very happy with my find.

@T Low - the trip report is coming soon, I have been moving nonstop from the time I got back. Once I get back from a backpack trip to the Wallowas I will get caught up and post some more photos too. I didn't haggle the price too much, Mike got a rush order down for me and he through in remounting the factory courtesy lights for free. It id really nice having the lights pop up with the roof. When you drive down to SD let me know. I'm always up for a Southern Oregon adventure, we could meet up on the way.

@photo_van - Nice photo, it makes me miss my days in Joshua Tree and the Eastern Sierras. What part of CA are you in, I make it down there a few times a year and if i see you wave, I will wave back.

@doyoulikeithere - Cyclist waving at each other is crazy. If I did that in Portland i would never have two hands on the handlebars.

Here's another photo to hold you guys over...

[photo_van]

@photo_van - Nice photo, it makes me miss my days in Joshua Tree and the Eastern Sierras. What part of CA are you in, I make it down there a few times a year and if i see you wave, I will wave back.

Thanks! We're on the Eastside, near Tom's Place

[tribri1]

I know Tom's Place very well. I spent many summers fishing Bishop creek in the morning climbing at Owen's River Gorge during the day and soaking in the hot springs outside of Big Pine in the evenings... You live in a beautiful slice of heaven down there.

[Herbie]

Woohoo!

Congrats on bringing another GTRV to the fold!

The color combo looks fantastic, nice choice.

Thanks for posting your pricing, it looks like Mike is charging a bit more than the last quote I got back in 2010. Seeing as my transplant STILL isn't done (headliner not installed, a few other details), I'd say that it definitely pays off to just write the check if you want to get on the road in a hurry!

Oh, yeah, and one more thing: MOAR PICS!!!

[Great A'Tuin]

That looks great!
That's my favorite color scheme too!

[tribri1]

@Herbie - In regards to the headliners, they went with trunk carpet, like the stuff they put on speaker boxes. It looks great and is easier to use. You could probably finish up the headliner in a day or less with that stuff. When I talked to Mike in 2010 the price was about 10% less. Considering they are still building the tops in BC and he drives up to pick them up, I understand why the extra expense. On the bright side, he is not charging CA sales tax so, that saves you at least 8%...

@Great A'Tuin - I almost ended up with a red van, it had the nicer alloy rims, but i liked this color scheme much better.

Here are some inside shots.