want2snowbird
Washington State
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I have a friend who does auto body work and builds hot rods. I'm considering buying a fiberglass high top and hiring him to help me install it after we buy a van next spring.
Does anyone on the forum have experience or info about high top installation? Possible pitfalls? (Like opening the thing up like a sardine can and goofing up the cut 
Maybe it would be better to have an experienced installer do the work. Thoughts?
Thanks
W2S
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landyacht318
Near a large body of water
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Joined: 07/11/2007
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Well, I have removed and replaced the one which came on My Dodge numerous times, to attempt to fix the rust along the rain gutters, and replace some areas which could not be fixed.
It weighs about 240 LBS. The original conversion company used drywall screws, and about half were disintegrated, and started the roofline rusting as well.
Trying to get it align to the original screw holes turned into a curse fest. My last removal/replacement, I bondod over the original screw holes and bought 125 self drilling zinc plated 410 Stainless screws with a captive washer with rubber gasket, and used all but 4.
Originally, the conversion company left a section of the original roof in the rear. I used it as a shelf for a while, but it wound up getting so fatigued, that I removed it and replaced it with 15/16 inch plywood, and making a similar shelf up front. It really made the side doors close nicer, as the sides don't flex nearly as much.
Removing the metal roof really compromises the structural integrity, and in a rollover, the roof pops off like a watermelon seed, the sides cave in, and everything inside becomes shrapnel.
If you don't have some metalworking and carpentry skills, leave it for the pros.
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Gene in NE
Omaha
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want2snowbird wrote:I have a friend who does auto body work and builds hot rods. I'm considering buying a fiberglass high top and hiring him to help me install it after we buy a van next spring.
Does anyone on the forum have experience or info about high top installation?...Thanks...W2S I did a quick search and found this posting. New Top Installed. Hope it helps. 
2002 Trail-Lite Model 211-S w/5.7 Chevy
Gene
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seraphim
Ohio
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Interesting thread(s). I love the high top and wouldn't go any other way, but there's a gasket on the front driver's side corner of the Falcon that's being pulled in - between the Fiberglass top and the roof of the van. Dealer quoted about $800 to repair, though he said it wasn't a problem unles it began leaking. I shot some caulk in the space as temporary measure - just in case - while I think about the repair.
I'm rather handy and my best friend has owned his own repair shop for almost 30 years, so I've considered tackling the problem myself.
Tell me, landyacht, how you raise the top all by your loneseome? Please.
Growing old is no excuse for growing up.
1995 Intervec Falcon 190
The GyrFalcon
(pronounced jer-falcon}
Jerry and Gail Hartwig (with Ben in the middle)
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Handbasket
Asheville, NC
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I haven't done one myself, but I spectated at a couple of such events years ago when an acquaintance owned a custom van shop. If that stoner-retard can do it....
Landyacht touched on this... I'd want to leave an adequate 'shelf' of OEM metal across the front and rear when making the roof cuts. It'll help the body resist deformation, and provide some protection in a roll-over. Roadtrek seems to do this, tho they hide it pretty well. I think the coach A/C in the 190 & 170 sits on the rear one, and the small storage locker over the driver is on top of the front one.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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when I bought mine about 14 years ago, I remember them saying that they had to leave the front of the roof intact back to the A pillar or something like that. one of the reasons that they left it and put a TV up there.
bumpy
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Hit The Road Jack
Treasure Coast of Florida
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want2snowbird wrote:I have a friend who does auto body work and builds hot rods. I'm considering buying a fiberglass high top and hiring him to help me install it after we buy a van next spring.
Does anyone on the forum have experience or info about high top installation? Possible pitfalls? (Like opening the thing up like a sardine can and goofing up the cut
Maybe it would be better to have an experienced installer do the work. Thoughts?
Thanks
W2S
want2snowbird,
Seems counter-productive to me that after all the years of Ford, Chevy, & Dodge cargo van production, they wouldn't go the extra mile for a standing height roof-line...
IMO, the structural integrity which will surely be compromised by such a manufactured roof removal should be handled by a certified mechanic (with lots of real people referrals).
The installation of the fiberglass roof unit should be an eyes-on procedure, with the installer revealing type of screws, adhesive caulking, and any other materials 'supposedly' resistant to future wear or product failure...
2006 DIY Dodge Badged Sprinter Conversion
'Roadhouse' Interior
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landyacht318
Near a large body of water
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Joined: 07/11/2007
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seraphim wrote:
Tell me, landyacht, how you raise the top all by your loneseome? Please.
Well the one time I removed it completely off the Van, I had another person Help. We slid it off the passenger side while it was on 2x4s, with me stepping on stool after going through the side doors. Getting it back up was not too much more difficult. I drove it around without a roof for a few days, while I painted the fiberglass and fixed the rust, That was pretty neat, and boy did it improve cornering.
The other times I just separated the fiberglass from the roof gutters. I did not remove the roof completely and just worked on the rust or fiberglass where it was, sliding it on the 2x4s, or 4x4s if I had them. I put a pad on my head, lifted with my legs, and slit an 8 foot 2x4 inbetween the 2, front and rear.
Sometimes the little foam adhesive strip from the converters would be stuck on, so I had to insert a small bottle jack in a rear corner on the metal shelf, apply some pressure, then manually separate the foam from the metal. Then move the jack and repeat.
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seraphim
Ohio
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Thanks for the tips. They're appreciated.
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want2snowbird
Washington State
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Gene in NE wrote:want2snowbird wrote:I have a friend who does auto body work and builds hot rods. I'm considering buying a fiberglass high top and hiring him to help me install it after we buy a van next spring.
Does anyone on the forum have experience or info about high top installation?...Thanks...W2S I did a quick search and found this posting. New Top Installed. Hope it helps.
Thanks for the link. Great thread. I'm hoping that I luck out and find a van that already has the high top when I'm ready to buy.
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