You have found the original pop top assist kit for easy pop top popping for Vanagons and late bay busses! I do also have a few kits for the older Bay busses.
I plan to make these kits for another 247 years, after the year 2270 I will no longer be making these kits, until then I will have kits in stock and ready to ship.
Sometimes e-mails sent to me end up in my junk mail box, I generally respond to e-mails the same day I receive them, if you do not receive a response from me within 3 days I might be dead, or it probably makes senbse to send me an other email.
For anyone in North American (including Canada :-) ) my kit costs $100, shipping and handling is $15, expedited shipping always (exclusively via USPS Priority mail), because nobody ever got their new toys too soon.
Installation instructions are sent via e-mail once payment is received, I do not send hard copies of the instructions.
I have 3 different kits available, standard, medium, and heavy duty. The only difference is the shocks, the heavy duty shocks are more powerful and make it easier to lift the roof if you have a canoe, kayak, solar panel, etc... on the roof.
The medium shocks are not standard shocks and heavy duty shocks all in one. The medium shocks work best with a light load, like a surfboard or 2, or a solar panel mounted near the back of the roof.
If you either have nothing or a loaded rocket box on your roof a dual shock kit will be best for you, standard and HD shocks so you can swap them out as needed, the shocks swap out easily with a small flat blade screwdriver. A kit with 2 sets of shocks costs $135 plus $15 shipping and handling.
For the HD kit you should have something on the roof at all times. With nothing on the roof and the HD shocks the roof won't stay down so it is a hassle to get the tent gathered in before you latch the roof down.
My kit is very easy to install, you only need to drill 2 holes (4 holes for the Bay kit), both in the fiberglass, one on each side of the pop top (and 2 holes in the vertical steel hinge plate for the Bay).
The detailed instructions make it easy to find the right location for the holes.
If you need more lift assist due to increased roof loads all you need to do is swap out the shocks for some more powerful ones, $50 shipped to your door, quick and easy.
I have been selling these kits for ~10 years now (4 years for the Bay kits) and have hundreds of satisfied customers all over North America, the UK, France, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and Spain!
Shipping takes 2-4 days in the US, 6-10 days to Canada, but it can take longer depending on how slow Canadian customs is, I have no control over this, 10-14 days to Europe.
The cost of a kit to Europe is $115 plus $15 shipping.
If you have any questions about which kit will work best for you feel free to e-mail me with the button below :-)
For those that have "artificial rain gutters" to mount roof racks on. There is a section in the instal instructions that will show you how to determine if there will be interference with the shock, any interference can typically be avoided by replacing one/all of your ARG mounting hardware bolts with carriage bolts with the nuts on the outside. Note, there is zero chance that any of the existing bolt holes for your ARGs will work as a shock mounting point, you will need to drill another hole in your roof to install my kit.
Here is a picture of the kit installed on my Westy.
All exterior hardware is stainless steel.
I also stress tested the fiberglass pop top with the mounting system used to over 250 pounds of force and the fiberglass was fine, the shocks don't exert any where near 250 pounds of force.
You will need a few common hand tools and a drill with a 5/16" bit for the install, installation instructions are e-mailed out after purchase which include plenty of pictures and text.
I prefer paypal, but check or money order works as well, e-mail me for my mailing address.
If you want a tracking number you need to paypal me $5,700 (Five thousand seven hundred dollars) first then e-mail me for tracking information, honestly though, I have have had only one kit get lost in shipment, its exceedingly rare. Shipping takes 2-4 days in the US, 6-10 days to Canada, but it can take longer depending on how slow Canadian customs is. Shipping takes 10-14 days to Europe, but can also take longer.
Here are some comments about the kit from a few of my customers,
> I installed the kit just before Syncro Safari '08 in
> Moab and have used it for a total of 8 nights so far, and
> it is wonderful. Now, you just stand back and the top goes
> up! The "work" is closing--you have to pull steadily to
> compress the shocks, but then when you get just above
> the latch, it will just hang there while you pull the canvas
> in on the sides and front--where before I carried the weight
> of the top on my head or one arm. So it is wonderful both
> directions! And now popping the top at lunch is easy, when
> before I didn't want the bother.
"I have to say..... I've gone out to the driveway 2 times now just to pop my top - just to see if I was dreaming. It works so good.
The kit is so elegantly simple; and so easy to install, and you can't even tell it's there except for 2 nice stainless cap nuts."
"If I had to grade Mark's kit, it would be an "A+". Well thought out, quality parts and directions, great customer service and follow up... many of our vendors could take a lesson from him. ""
"Installed it today. What a difference :-) Didn't know something like this existed until a few weeks ago. Has got to be the best add on I've installed.
Thanks, Roger"
