A bit of an introduction from a new(ish) SMB owner here along with a question about people's long term experiences with different solutions for the penthouse rub on the roof issue.
I picked up my 2003 E250 EB 2WD from a gentleman in Portland, Or. in May of this year. Fortunately there is very little rust on the van, likely due to the favorable climate there. I believe the van was converted by SMB California a ways into its life and the roof tape was never applied. I found the tape on the SMB website and planned to apply it after my paint repairs dried. I'm starting to rethink that, as some folks have reported rust issues under the tape from water being trapped there. I did the full POR15 repair process, applying it to the whole gutter and areas where the paint had been rubbed off by the top. Then I followed it up with Rust Bullet's Whiteshell (my van is white, it matches ok for roof use). I think this will keep any future rust at bay, but I want to prevent continued wear through.
So, now for the discussion topic. What experiences have people had over the long term with different solutions to this problem? What did you do, and how long has it been? How well is it holding up? I'm specifically considering bed liner or the Avery tape over the POR/Whiteshell, but I'm intrigued by the Dico CoolCoat product. Has anybody used this? Seems like a win for keeping the interior cooler in the summer, but I don't know about its durability.
This
post has some information about the rust repairs, but no long-term updates.
Lastly, thanks for all the posts and great people in this forum.