Penthouse seal leaks at corners

[Railvan]

"I spent my working years backstage. I found that if the show looked like crap from the back it often looked like crap from the front."

I think SMB made the show look good from out front... Just don't look behind the curtain... or inside the cabinets... or inside the poptop ceiling... :^)

I feel for ya. After owning a Ford diesel RB50 4x4 for 13 years, I have seen much about the details that I would do differently, and frankly better, but I still have the van as starting over takes too long and costs too much. I am 60 years old and don't even have a garage to work in so dreaming of building something better is just a dream.

I have had water come in under the poptop at the front but it was at the top of the wall fabric. It seeped into the plywood ceiling and over the years the front driver's side ceiling corner was getting dark and soft.

Then came the big problem: I had the front solar panel stolen off the roof and didn't notice it for a couple weeks during the very wet and rainy season in the PNW. The holes left in the poptop after the panel was removed allowed water to soak into the 1x4's that are laminated into the fiberglass top. I spent much of last summer rebuilding the top but the driver's side 1x4 will never be solid wood again. It was saturated with water and I drilled holes through the fiberglass below it and into the wood to drain the water. I got a lot of water out, but it will never have any strength to the wood again. The ceiling panels also were destroyed and I still haven't replaced those. The fabric is stained and it won't come out now.

All of this is to say, do what you can to keep the wood inside the poptop dry! And the ceiling panels too.

Best of luck.

[boywonder]

When I transplanted my PH top, there were large blobs of clear silicone in the corners.


..I didn't see the need to silicone any corners when installing on new van...5 years and no leaks.....not sure what the clear silicone was there to accomplish.

[86Scotty]

Greg, did you get an entire replacement canvas? There are a few posts here over the years where people have taken their old canvas and had a local marine upholstery place redo it. It might be cheaper. I have bought 2 SMB canvases and they aren't cheap, as you probably just found out. Not sure if a boat guy would be cheaper but it seems like some people have saved money that way.

That pic of your canvas torn in the corner, no bueno. Not easy to repair that.

[gahamby]

Is the photo rotation a feature on this forum now?
I know how to rotate images, but it's a pain on my ancient PC.
I didn't have time or the patience when I threw this out there yesterday.
I'm just doing a patch job with 3M 80 vinyl top adhesive and SMB tent fabric.
It'll do but it aint great.

[Railvan]

Originally Posted by gahamby

Is the photo rotation a feature on this forum now?
I know how to rotate images, but it's a pain on my ancient PC.
I didn't have time or the patience when I threw this out there yesterday

If you are referring the photo I rotated and posted, I did it in Photoshop and just posted it as a courtesy, as sideways photos makes me neck hurt. :^).

[gahamby]

3M 80 spray adhesive does not pass the test. A test patch with Seal-All contact adhesive and sealant holds really well. I can't pull it apart. The MEK and acetone in the glue bite real well on the vinyl side. The viscosity helps it stay on top of the fabric side.
It's some high smellin stuff though.

[Orv]

3M Spray Trim Adhesive is also a solid choice. I used it while replacing a vinyl convertible top and had no problems. You do need to follow the instructions to get a good bond (spray both surfaces, wait until tacky, then assemble.) It has a wide temperature range.


3M 77 and 80 do not work well in this application, which is a shame because they're easy to get.

[Orv]

Oh, BTW, while you have the trim out you might want to check for cracks at all four corners. My van had fatigue cracks there, which I ended up stop-drilling.

[Don’t buy a poptop]

I have a brand new ram pro master that sportsmobile just installed a penthouse poptop on and it also leaks from the two front corners along with several other poorly assembled cosmetic issues. Avoid this company like the plague that they are

[BrianW]

Originally Posted by Don’t buy a poptop

I have a brand new ram pro master that sportsmobile just installed a penthouse poptop on and it also leaks from the two front corners along with several other poorly assembled cosmetic issues. Avoid this company like the plague that they are

More details, please. Which location installed your top? Have you contacted them for warranty repairs and if so what was their response?