Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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Hey all,
Here are some pictures of the top we had added on October (finally got to posting them).
starting the process
cutting off the old roof
installing the new top
interior view (looking forward)
exterior view
partially finished interior
* This post was
edited 12/29/07 12:39am by Long_for_the_road *
'99 Ford Extended van (converted)
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RIA
NEW YORK
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Awesome. Where did you get the top? How much height does it give on the exterior & interior? Could you show pictures of where you cut & what you did w/the interior beams?
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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Joined: 12/01/2005
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Turtle top in MD used to do this. don't think they are still around however.
bumpy
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Handbasket
Asheville, NC
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Joined: 01/17/2003
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This should be a useful tool for anyone else considering this. I'll put in a request for a few more shots of the cutting and bonding / sealing process, if you have them. Excellent post & pix!
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison (aka 'Loafer's Glory') www.tigermotorhomes.com
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JoeRT04
Cape Cod, MA
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That B is shaping up nicely!
Great pics and it looks like the van is a four wheel drive vehicle? I say this because it looks like the van is quite high off the ground. Excellent ground clearance.
One more question I have is that are you (or did you) put windows in the sides of the top? It looks like so in one of the interior pics. Nice work and thank you.
Joe :-)
2004/05 Roadtrek 190 Versatile
FMCA F380826
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vulcanman1500
Port Charlotte , Fl.
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I did the same thing with a Dodge 350 . Now you wish you had painted the top insides first . I know I did .
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Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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RIA wrote:...Where did you get the top? How much height does it give on the exterior & interior? Could you show pictures of where you cut & what you did w/the interior beams?
discount van & truck van top link
It's about 75 inches on the inside. I've measured the completed height - but forget the number. I'll get it later. I have a few more pictures, that I will post. Discount Van did the installation. They removed (unbolted) the crossmembers that were in the way. We kept the roof over the front seats (driver & front passenger), and also a short section of rook in the back. They make good shelves.
handbasket wrote:I'll put in a request for a few more shots of the cutting and bonding / sealing process, if you have them. Excellent post & pix!
Thanks. I'll post some more pictures and try to describe what we saw.
4wd?: No - it's a 2wd - but it's a E350 chassis, so it sits higher due to the heavier springs than the E150s I have seen. Even fully loaded for a trip, it's usually ~1000-1500 lbs under max weight.
Windows in top?: No, we decided not to so that we could add cabinets if we wanted.
painting inside surface?: No, we intended to add wiring, lights and the vent fan, and then put luaun over it.
Thanks everyone. It's nice to know others are interested. I'll post more pictures and description soon.
Shane
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RIA
NEW YORK
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I want to do it but I want to also keep the back roof so it could serve as a shelf also. However, there has been much difficulty in getting the top delivered. There is a place in California that I wanted to order from but they would only send to a shop. I couldn't find a shop that would receive w/o them doing they work. I was not willing to pay another $1000 for the work on top of the $2500 for the top when I could do it (w/friends' help) on my own. So it never got done. Wished I lived in Arizona. Are you planning on put a window or two on top?
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Bumpyroad
Virginia
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""They removed (unbolted) the crossmembers that were in the way. We kept the roof over the front seats (driver & front passenger), and also a short section of rook in the back. They make good shelves""
when I bought my conversion van about 1996, the roof at the front was left back to about the front seat backs, or A Piller???. they said that that was required by law to remain for roll over or crash protection or some such. they had compartments for VCP, etc. in that area.
bumpy
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Long_for_the_road
Chandler, AZ
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This is a little long. I repeated some pictures from the earlier post to make a complete "timeline".
Regarding height- The peak interior height is 75", at the edges (in the part of the van we might stand) it is about 74". Total van height (not counting the vent fan) is 104.5 inches. With the vent fan it's about 108.5 inches.
Tracing the cutline
cutting
more cutting
Saggy roof
Monster sunroof
Installing top
Above, they forklifted the new top into place, and then lowered it onto two 4x4s (which kept a 4" gap between the van body and the new top), and backed the forklift out. Then a double bead of silicone was run. After that, we lifted the rear part of the top off the 4x4, someone else covered that area with silicone, and the rear part of the top was lowered onto the van. Then the process was repeated for the front area. Once that was done, the top position was tweeked a little to get it centered on the van. Finally, screws were driven in to secure it to the top (below)
Attaching the top with many, many screws
Interior view (forward)
Interior view (aft)
exterior view
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