Hi Bruce, I have to reply to that one - I've got the best of both I reckon.
Mine is an ex-telstra tintop van and a donor 83 westfalia. I used the roof, roof top bed, front swivel seats and bottom bed from the westfalia. However I ditched the westfalia cupboards and built my own (only took about 8 years) to have a bigger sink, removable cookers, and a trakka under-body water tank. The westfalia takes up a lot of room with internal water tank. Also a more efficient national luna chest fridge and freezer as opposed to the problematic westy fridge. The westfalia in comparison to the trakka design IIRC allows keeping the top C pillar (or B pillar?) enabling a stiffer body. Also what's called the 'buese shelf' I think a custom little shelf added to the westy pop top bar just makes life a lot easier when juggling plates etc cooking inside the van. Tent availability for the westy roof - not sure how trakka roof tents are holding up these days, and how much a custom replacement costs. However the low profile of the trakka roof I do envy, I require at least 2.2 metre high car parks and am looking to raise the van - problematic in Sydney. I think the trakka roof overall makes the van look better too. But would I give up my buese shelf for the better looking roof? Probably, then regret it! Pros and cons to each. Does the trakka roof have the front luggage rack? Admittedly the only time I have properly used the luggage rack was to carry a bodyboard, then I forgot the bungee cords and donated the bodyboard to the highway. Luggage rack will be useful when I finally get to do the big lap.
Talking about Jens beautiful van, unless you had a bunch of little ones traveling with you, I'm not sure the sliding door fitting to the other side would be a real issue? A small part of ditching the westy cabinets for me was there would have been a fair bit of custom cabinetry to move the westy cupboards to the other side of the van. Overall I wasn't a fan of the westy cabinets design and aesthetic, the 83 ones I had had the wood grain laminate starting to peel, the later grey laminate I think looks a lot nicer. Some of the UK vans are westfalia RHD syncro aren't they? The campervanculture vans?
Anyway I love my van just too much clearly, another 8 or so years and I might even get her to my dreamed design. But it's looking good that she will get a paint job and 12v aircon system this year, can't wait.
Cheers, Sam
Hey Bruce,
To answer your question, the roof on mine no it was a hack and slash job making use of aluminum angle and then a custom steel c pillar welded in - which I had to go back and make sure he did. The story goes, it was when I first got the van, didn't know the different approaches to doing the roof and just found a guy who said he's an expert and can do the job for me. He even cut the window holes and so now I have 4 sliding windows, however didn't bother to paint where he cut and I've had to take each window out and back in for rust repairs. All said it works, after figuring out to use bigger rubber seals around the roof, but one day I need to figure out some interior trimming to make it look nice.
Lots of nice things about trakka. Question is, I've heard a few people reminisce about losing b and c pillars, however, has anyone had a trakka van 'bend' on them due to this?
Hey Ken, it would be nice to say hello again. Yes you would not have seen that cupboards finally in - she's actually a campervan now, as opposed to a van with a poptop roof and bed. I've put the date in my diary, who knows I might be painted by then and not quite as shabby as you have previously seen her. Yes I've had two engineers reports now, one initially for the roof and then the sliding windows, and rear seatbelts - got lucky there again and engineer passed the wooden westfalia seat installed on the opposite side of it's usual location. Wondering if I will need a third engineers when I finally get some nice bumpers with all the new bull bar laws that have come out. Will they even let a custom bull-bar or american made bar these days?
Ahh Jen's van I believe also fits largely the 'ozfalia' club, and I have seen the westy roof once or twice on occasion around Australia, but never got to interrogate the owner.
Thanks Ken, actually have had close kangaroo calls in my other car in Werrington near Penrith of all places! Would be great to confirm that we have free range on bull bars on the syncro.
On another note fingers crossed speedy recovery for Les