Econoline Rebuild Stuck on plastic paneling

[ap23van]

Just bought a 2006 Extended Ford Econoline that used to be a handicap vehicle. Working on stripping the inside right now to bare bones so I can insulate and frame how I'd like. Running into some trouble with the plastic side paneling though. Looks as if the hard plastic shell interior is connected to the window mounts for one of the back windows to pop open for airflow, as well as the driver seatbelt. Is it possible to still remove this plastic without ruining both these things?
Also the high roof has the outer roof and then a lower roof on the inside (the in-between space is just insulation it looks like) I want to take this off to get more head room and because I don't like the type of insulation thats in there. Is it possible to remove the inner part of the roof without ruining the vehicle?
Any and all tips are much appreciated!!!

[doublevan2]

Not an expert here - but perhaps you can "carefully" use a guide to cut this inner roof out (Dremel, etc.) along the circumference of roof - dress it up with moulding (j-channel, etc.) to expose insulation and gain head room. Watch out for electrical wires, etc., as you ae cutting. Save roof panel "just in case."

[N147JK]

Each window lock is held down by 2 screws. Open the window outward - you should be able to see the 2 screws in the base of each lock. You may need to unscrew the part that pushes the window out. All these parts are make to be disassembled.

As for the shoulder harness, the plastic trim piece comes off (I think it lifts off vertically). That will expose a torx type fastener that you can take off to free up the belt completely and get it out of the way.

But given all the work ahead of you, I'd suggest acquiring a copy of the shop manual for your van.

[BCam]

Before you do something irreversible, pry your headliner down at the front and back to see how much headroom you'll really gain. My wheelchair van (and most, if not all) have a steel roll cage. Some are up against the fiberglass roof but others, including mine, are a few inches lower than the roof.

If your headliner is almost up against the roll cage as is mine, removing the headliner may not gain much headroom unless you're prepared to remove the roll cage. I don't know how the advisability of that may depend on the nature of your fiberglass top.

Here's a link to a thread (not mine) with interior photos showing such a roll cage:

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...top-28214.html

The plastic wall panels can be removed without damage and I've read several posts on the topic but haven't done it myself. Here's one thread that discusses it:

https://www.sportsmobileforum.com/fo...oval-4893.html

You might want to buy a set of these before starting:

https://www.harborfreight.com/trim-a...-pc-64126.html

[BCam]

You might want to PM JWA, a Sportsmobile member who used to own a body shop. He may have suggestions regarding the interior panels.

[JWA]

Originally Posted by BCam

You might want to PM JWA, a Sportsmobile member who used to own a body shop. He may have suggestions regarding the interior panels.

A bit late here but to start here's a link to my Imgur pages showing a few details of the raised roof as OP has---my 2003 E-350 EB is very typical of these types converted E-Series. https://imgur.com/a/iRmpb3n//?grid

The plastic interior trim IMHO is not only a space hog in general and hard to insulate if they're to be retained into whatever build out is going on.

Long story short the wall panels can be "easily" removed but anything like seat belt attachments and window latches need to be removed first. Attaching something to the raised roof's outer surface in a structural fashion would be extremely tricky I think because at this point I have no idea who close the steel "roll cage" and the top are to one another.

In my van I have a good 3-4" between the steel and the top inside, enough I can easily place standard R-19 faceless insulation bats with little trouble at the sides. On top of the "roll cage" the heights vary but it would range from an inch up to 4" or so--its sloped IOW.

So any questions OP feel free to PM me anytime--always glad to help if I can, at minimum share what I've done to my own E-350 EB.

[BCam]

Originally Posted by JWA

A bit late here but to start here's a link to my Imgur pages showing a few details of the raised roof as OP has---my 2003 E-350 EB is very typical of these types converted E-Series. https://imgur.com/a/iRmpb3n//?grid

Your photo link isn't working.

[joefromsf]

Fixed link to JWA's pics: https://imgur.com/a/iRmpb3n/?grid

[BCam]

Originally Posted by joefromsf

Fixed link to JWA's pics: https://imgur.com/a/iRmpb3n/?grid

Thanks. There are some interesting photos and videos on the rest of the above page.

[SmokeyN8]

Originally Posted by JWA

A bit late here but to start here's a link to my Imgur pages showing a few details of the raised roof as OP has---my 2003 E-350 EB is very typical of these types converted E-Series. https://imgur.com/a/iRmpb3n//?grid

The plastic interior trim IMHO is not only a space hog in general and hard to insulate if they're to be retained into whatever build out is going on.

Any suggestions for alternatives to the plastic trim?