Slowly, I’m getting ready to cut a hole in the top of my syncro and put on a westy pop top roof. I’ve linked to the basic idea in a previous post. I’m fussing over where the rear hinge is attached. This Samba thread has some good info. I copied the hinge bolt locations from the roof of my ’82 Westy and used a plexiglass template to transfer the hole locations.
This where the holes transfer on the right hand side.
And some rough measurements.
The measurements are within a millimetre or two of what was posted on the Samba. I’m still unresolved whether to flatten out the hinge area, but I am leaning that way.
shooftie 
#1 by David Rodriguez on July 17, 2011 - 9:52 pm
I welded a metal rod handle onto my backing plate (actually half of one of the wire rods from the head liner). With the handle I was able to maneuver the backing plate to the correct position in alignment with the holes in the outer skin. The wire rod was thin enough that I could bend it but stiff enough to move it into position. I’ve also seen someone do away with the backing plate and use a rivnut with a thin rubber washer under a larger washer. Seemed to work just fine even though the body skin seems a bit thin to support the hinges.
#2 by albell on July 17, 2011 - 11:00 pm
Hi,
good idea. I’ve seen pics of plates with a large welded tab, looked awful but worked.
I’ll use your idea, thanks.
alistair