Custom Pop Top Hinges
Here’s another item that’s pretty tough to find – replacement pop top hinges for a 71 Westy. Besides, I would probably just bend and break them like I did the originals anyway.
Any time I’ve tried bending them back into shape, they would be just bend out of shape again within a few days. And, now they are cracking too.
So, I made my own. Stronger. Left-handed.
One of the tricks here is to add about 1/2″ of bend at the end of each bar – it’s required to make sure the top sits properly when down. An easy way to do this is hold the bar in a vise long-ways just pull real hard.
Your homebuilt units look nice and solid so this is probably water near a bridge, but the ’76 and later hinges are much better than the early ones. I don’t know whether they’d fit front-fulcrumed buses, but it’s a fact possibly worth knowing.
http://www.ludwigandgertie.com/2008/07/poptop-hinge-replacement-with-video.html
Alright,
Mitch.
I heard ’73 was an improvement and matches the ’71. Still, it doesn’t help if you can’t buy ’em.
They are much better. Just saying. (Again)