Jack Bombay Pop Top Shock Kit (Pop Top Assist Struts), 1974-79 VW Bus (T2) is a TOP upgrade for your Pop Top Bay Window Bus! No more holding the top with your head to pull in the canvas when closing it, and load assistance to get it up even with a lot of weight up there! Some owners of this kit go out and pop their top up, because they really can't believe it has improved things that much! We have sourced this innovative kit from the originator, we feel it's superior in every way to the copycats, with stainless steel exterior hardware, and minimal drilling required! This kit is so well designed that you can't even tell the kit is there except for 2 visible cap nuts that indicate it's presence!
This kit fits the pop top hinged at the REAR of the bus (pops up at the front). This kit does NOT fit the 1968-73 VW Bus which hinges at the front (Pops up at the rear)!
This kit is very easy to install, needing only a drill, a 5/16" (8mm) drill bit, a couple wrenches, and a flat blade screw driver. We installed one of these kits in under an hour for a first timer! You only need to drill 2 holes, one on each side of the fiberglass pop top. Compare this to other kits which require up to 8 holes to be drilled in your baby (Half in the Metal roof, and half in the fiberglass), and also require that you buy a special tool for the installation!
What this kit does is to assist the weight of the pop top, and any other items you may have on top of it! This helps raise the top up when you get to your destination, and supports it when lowering it so you can gather in the canvas so it's not caught between the body and pop top seal (where it can mildew, or get chafed and ruined).
We offer the kit with shocks of 3 different strengths, depending upon the load you are going to have up there! Here are our recommendations for the pop top shock strengths. The kits are identical except for the strength's of the shocks included with the kit.
Light Duty is best for applications where you have nothing up there but the pop top itself.
Medium Duty is best for a light load on the pop top. 1-2 surfboards, or a solar panel mounted in the rear of the pop top. Medium Shocks are too stiff if you have nothing else on the pop top.
We are confident that you'll be as impressed as we were when you install these Assist Struts onto your VW Baywindow Bus Pop Top, and will consider them one of THE best upgrades you have every done to your ride!