Betty White!! Added the Pop Top

[dimension4]

I used Marine caulking only on the tent in the front and rear the nice thing about the Chevy is they are not as deep (roof ribs) and the fiberglass top also has a rubber seal which seals the ribs as well. As for the struts it is strong enough to support them But i am going to reinforce it when I trim it out. And so far I have never had a problem with it (on my last van) even with stuff on the rack.

What did you do for the roof ribs on the Ford van? That is what I'm about to undertake this weekend. Provided the junkyard I'm getting the top from can get it ready by then.... fingers X'd.

EDIT
Did you find any type of saw/blade works best for cutting the top to fit the curve? I've got a skill saw, a riciprocating sawzall, or a cut off wheel. Never cut fiberglass before though, I'd hate to see it crack. Wood or metal blades seem to work the best?

[bettyford]

I used a grinder at first then a belt sander just be careful not to get it to hot with the grinder. Im sure a sawzall would work fine aswell. As for the Ford roof simple just more caulking. Here are some pictures this van was a shorty not extended. also note the Jeep hood clamps I wasnt able to get the roof to sit perfect so i had to cinch it down with those worked great.

Ron

[bettyford]

Took Betty skiing today and aired her out I hadn't been able to raise the Roof since I installed it back in December. I need to head south soon and find some warm weather.

Ron

[jage]

50s here an sunny... it can be "on your way".

[RocKrawler]

First time I have seen this applied to the Ford, curious of few things I hope you can answer:

Did you have a bed constructed for sleeping up top, or was it simply for headroom (if bed then please add pics of the setup from inside)?

What does it look like from inside?

Whats the going price for a used roof & tent?

and finally, are you going to trim the inner sheetmetal out to the tent seal flange, or do you intentionally leave that much lip for a certain reason (like framing/finishing the interior?)

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[bettyford]

Originally Posted by RocKrawler

First time I have seen this applied to the Ford, curious of few things I hope you can answer:

Did you have a bed constructed for sleeping up top, or was it simply for headroom (if bed then please add pics of the setup from inside)?

What does it look like from inside?

Whats the going price for a used roof & tent?

and finally, are you going to trim the inner sheetmetal out to the tent seal flange, or do you intentionally leave that much lip for a certain reason (like framing/finishing the interior?)

Any help is greatly appreciated!

The white Van is a Chevy. The blue Ford was my 1st time doing this. I only use it for head room- It's just me the wife and the dog. You can simply build a bed for the top no problem it's the same way SMB does it. I leave the flange mainly because I change my mind so often and If it's cut out its gone. I also welded the roof cross rails to the flange and it adds a lot of support.
Yes I am going to trim it out on the ford i only did it with carpet I might use wood trim this time havent decided yet.
The Ford came out really nice with the carpet. I used car truck carpet super pliable and tuff.
As for the price of the top it's more finding one.
I paid $700 for the Ford Top and $500 for the one I have now. I also had to take road trip's to get them both but I consider that a bonus not an expense.
It took me 4hr by myself to do the one I have now, the hardest part by myself was they are heavy and big.
On the Ford I built a latching lock system on the inside PIMA and didnt really work my point is dont over think it keep it simple.
If you look back to page 3 in this thread you can see the Jeep Hood latches I used they worked great. I sold the blue Van so I dont want to post anymore pictures of it out of respect to the new owner,
I would be happy to help anyway I can just ask.
Have fun

Ron

[RocKrawler]

Originally Posted by bettyford

The white Van is a Chevy. The blue Ford was my 1st time doing this. I only use it for head room- It's just me the wife and the dog. You can simply build a bed for the top no problem it's the same way SMB does it. I leave the flange mainly because I change my mind so often and If it's cut out its gone. I also welded the roof cross rails to the flange and it adds a lot of support.
Yes I am going to trim it out on the ford i only did it with carpet I might use wood trim this time havent decided yet.
The Ford came out really nice with the carpet. I used car truck carpet super pliable and tuff.
As for the price of the top it's more finding one.
If you look back to page 3 in this thread you can see the Jeep Hood latches I used they worked great. I sold the blue Van so I dont want to post anymore pictures of it out of respect to the new owner,

Yeah I was referring to the Ford pics you posted, I was also noticing that from the top down pics the edges (I'm assuming the seals for the fiberglass top on on the inside edges, yes?) on the side are resting in the recesses of the Ford roof, not the upper sections, is that the case? Does that present a problem with the sealing of the top? Can the whole assembly be moved back to capture the flat section of the Ford roof behind the channels? This would leave a section up front for a small rack with lights (alternatively it could also be moved forward so the rack was behind the top I suppose as well) or is there a reason you positioned it the way you did so the front & back are both in the channels requiring the extra caulking in the channels? I hate to make you relive the past with the Ford you sold but it will likely help a lot of people considering the install since there are so many Ford guys on here. Any pics from the Ford, especially of the inside, would be greatly appreciated - if its easier just forward them to 4wdadventures@gmail.com

Thanks
Terry

[bettyford]

I put it there because the front the canvas is lined up with the roof rail and head liner inside any further back you lose head room as you enter from the side door.
On the sides the canvas is screwed down to the top of the channel luckily it will fit perfect on both sides. Neither of mine have leaked.

Ron

[dimension4]

hey ron, thanks for the advice... sometime soon I hope to get the pictures off my camera and start a thread... waiting right now for the weather to clear up so the marine tex can dry properly.

[bettyford]

Great.
So are you saying you cut the roof and installed the top??

Ron