DIY Pop-Top Camper Build – 2000 Jeep Cherokee
Before the full DIY Pop-Top redesign came to life, the camper build held its origins in a retrofitted 1970’s Westfalia top.
Although functional at its core, the Volkswagen sourced part held its share of stress cracks, misdrilled holes from years of different owners, patches new and old, and a subpar fiberglass composition from the factory.
Westfalia Jeep Camper
The “Jeepagon” first became a part of my jeep’s livable van-life styled build in the late months of 2017.
Originally a donor camper top from a 1970’s era split-window Volkswagen bus, the top was trimmed and adapted to the rough specifications of the 2000 Jeep Cherokee roof profile.
It has since been redesigned as a two-part fiberglass mold setup with a far more precise-to-vehicle fitment, as detailed in further Pop-Top builder series.
Long before I jumped head first into this camper XJ idea myself, a JeepForum member by the handle of @arbslikewhoa mustered up a similar concept.
The “original” Jeep Forum thread, “Jeep-A-Gon”, can be found here!
I exchanged a few email words with Mike, the mind behind this original conversion. Apparently not long after its completion the Jeep-a-gon Cherokee was sold, never to be seen by him again. He since moved on to other truck projects, van builds, and the likes.
September, 2017
Prowling craigslist, a daily addiction near all jeep-owners fall into — on a quest for second hand parts, dream rigs that’ll never surface, and clunkers that tempt with their what-ifs and I-totally-could’s.
As such, the golden ad appeared. A Split-Window VW owner with just the listing I awaited.
$500. Some Damage. Functions. Posted: Mere Hours Ago.
Text Delivered: Hi, I’m serious, I have cash and will be up within the hour.
Sold.
The original top came with countless flaws. No surprise — this fiberglass shell was nearing five-decades of service. Hairline cracks, wood-rotted supports, mis-drilled roof rack holes galore.
It served its function for the time.
Initial modifications merely adapted the original Westfalia top to fit the Jeep XJ Platform.
The pop-top height was trimmed near 3″ shorter. The top’s sides angle outwards near 10 degrees. This provides a narrower footprint to sit atop the Jeep rain-gutters.
The initial two-part Westfalia design consists of a luggage rack that seats with the major pop-up portion. Volkswagen Buses and Vanagons, with their rear engine placement, have no hood and therefore a much longer roof than the majority of factory vehicles.
To shorten this for a Jeep Cherokee both the luggage rack was removed, and the pop-up portion was shortened near two-feet. The rearward side is flipped to face forward on the Jeep. This allows for the highest pop-top section to sit in the rear of the XJ. The previously luggage-rack seated lip is open and was sealed with a wooden/fiberglass edge as pictured above.
The Westfalia original hinges and push-bar provide the structure of the lifting mechanism and were adapted to fit along the Jeep XJ’s factory roofrack rails.
Prior to receiving the 8-point roll-cage a minimal access hole was cut rearwards of the vehicles roof skin. Near all of the roof was chopped upon structural fabrication. The XJ is built around a unibody frame construction — similar to that which any Vanagon features.
Factory Canvas is upcycled into a trimmed reincarnation to fit the new top profile. This is a Sunbrella type material that can easily be replicated with moderate know-how.
Scroll Down for Resources and Builder Series Directories!
Expedition Tops Instagram (Concept Company)
DIY Pop-Top – Finished Redesign (Fiberglass Mold & Production)
