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Offline Cole

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Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« on: May 19, 2015, 08:44:38 am »
This question comes up fairly often.

The Westfalia top is fiberglass with two layers of wood inside. This makes it a MUCH more durable top than the Winnebago plastic top. For this reason it supports roof tracks really well.

I prefer the tracks over "artificial gutter mounts" because the tracks allow for a wide range of adjustability, look like a factory install, spread the load over a greater distance with more attachment points,  and provide options for things like solar panels.

I've always used the 60" tracks to get the most coverage.

Mount them about a foot from the rear of the top. This puts the load near the rear of the top to make it easier to open. But also give plenty of reach towards the front of the top. No reason to be clear at the rear of the top.

The tops get really heavy, really fast. So you may want to add extra gas struts to the top to make it easier to lift with a load.


I mount them 36" apart. This puts them in the ideal support range for the cross bars. It also puts the trans near but not directly over the edges of the top. It also clears the hinge mounts. 

The stock Yakima bolts that come with the tracks are not long enough. You will need to replace them with at least 1.4" bolts. I use stainless steel to prevent corrosion. Make sure the heads are no thicker than the stock Yakima bolts. These are easy to find at any ACE Hardware or similar.

Use a good outdoor silicone. Make sure to spread it on the holes before putting the bolts in. This will ensure a watertight seal.


« Last Edit: May 19, 2015, 08:50:00 am by Cole »
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Offline Cole

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #1 on: May 19, 2015, 08:45:49 am »
Here you can see the Yakima nuts on the inside of the top.

Cole

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Offline Cole

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2015, 08:47:55 am »
Tracks on top of a truck bed lined top.


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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #3 on: May 19, 2015, 08:51:00 am »
Rocket box.




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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #4 on: May 19, 2015, 08:53:34 am »
........


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Offline Cole

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #5 on: May 19, 2015, 09:01:46 am »
 :P..........


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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #6 on: May 19, 2015, 09:02:44 am »


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Offline rcowan

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #7 on: May 19, 2015, 12:46:49 pm »
I've kicked around this idea off and on. One thing that I don't like is seeing the nuts on the "headliner". I've never seen it in person so maybe it's not that big of a deal. However, could the headlinder be dropped and t-nuts or somethings used so that it wouldn't be seen from the inside?

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #8 on: May 19, 2015, 12:53:20 pm »
There is no real "headliner" in a Weekender. Its just vinyl covering wood. (think shelf paper).

The early (1993) Eurovans had captured nuts inside the top. If you look at an early van you will see the top is perfectly smooth. The later vans have hole plugs for every bolt(hinges, handles, etc). So clearly Westfalia found it necessary to thru-bolt the tops.
Cole

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Offline rcowan

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #9 on: May 19, 2015, 01:23:15 pm »
Ah! I had assumed that "headliner" came off once the aluminum trim around the outside was removed. Thanks for helping me understand it better. At least your spacing looks consistent and it doesn't look that bad. I've seen pictures where they are like 18", then 24", and then finishing with a 20" spacing.......... or something like that. It made my OCD go crazy, even in just a picture! :-)

Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #10 on: May 19, 2015, 02:07:38 pm »
Thanks for posting Cole, this really helps.
joe
93 Weekender, 287k and still trucking.

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Offline 42pvan

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #11 on: May 19, 2015, 10:11:20 pm »
Any good ideas for us with the lousy Winnebago tops? I really like the sleek look of these but am stuck with a Winnebago top until I find enough time and gumption to make my own top


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Offline Cole

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #12 on: May 20, 2015, 05:48:28 am »
Unfortunately, I just haven't spent enough time with the Winnebago top to give any sort of educated input on it.

Looks like the Yakima tracks might actually reinforce those tops where the tend to flex and crack. But this is just speculation
Cole

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Offline albertr

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #13 on: May 20, 2015, 08:02:12 am »
Which area(s) it's known to start cracking? I was looking at my 2001 EVC roof thoroughly a couple of days back and didn't see any cracks. On the other hand, the top luggage rack compartment already had a few cracks when I bought this van last summer. These cracks were located at the mounting holes for bolts which hold it to the metal roof, and I had to repair them using some epoxy, fiberglass and aluminum reinforcement plates.

-albertr

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Offline Cole

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Re: Yakima roof tracks on a Westfalia top.
« Reply #14 on: May 20, 2015, 07:01:41 pm »
  They seem to crack about 2/3 the way the top from the back.


Another rack on a Westy for reference

Cole