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Old 11-22-2010, 09:04 AM   #1
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Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

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Old 11-22-2010, 09:58 AM   #2
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

Trying to answer my own question I created this in Photoshop.

The Excursion has a 137" Wheelbase while a standard Ford van has a 138" Wheelbase.

The photo is not perfect but I believe it tells the story. The penthouse top looks like it would be a tight fit on an Excursion.

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Old 11-22-2010, 11:03 AM   #3
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

I have both a suburban and an SMB and the SMB cap for the PH sits at about 10' 9"+ length roughly and the roof on the suburban isn't even 10'. The width on the SMB is about 64" and the suburban is about 53". No way to make it fit without serious customizing it.


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Old 11-22-2010, 11:12 AM   #4
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

How about a VW Westfalia penthouse? Should be about the right size.

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Old 11-22-2010, 11:55 AM   #5
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

Good Idea - VW. I'll look into it.

Unfortunately my recent trip across America in my 4.2 Ford E250 is making me consider a new vacation vehicle. I love the space my van had. My wife hates the look of the cargo van. I hate the lack of power in the 4.2 but the gas mileage was fair at 17mpg. I also found with high clearance and only 2WD the van had more offroad capability than my nerves. The van never got stuck in 2 weeks at Moab, but I had four different trails that I decided not to complete do to the size of the van. Turning around on a cliff was spooky to say the least.

My next plan was to start looking for a 7.3 E350 to convert to 4x4 but after doing a little reading the 7.3 in the Vans were de-tuned due to a lack of space in the van engine bay and there is no room for an intercooler. I do however have both a front and rear axle for it as well as a transfer case and other random van 4x4 parts currently sitting in my garage. All I have left to purchase is a 4x4 transmission, shortened driveshaft and a modified gas tank to make room for the 4x4 conversion.

I've seen so many bad things said about the Ford 6.0 Diesel that I would not touch it with a 6 foot pole.

Plan three? Pick up a used ford Excursion 2000 - 2003 with the 7.3 diesel and turn it into some type of camping/towing vehicle and use all my 1 ton 4x4 parts on a Jeep to haul behind the Excursion.

Excursion Pros: Already 4x4, Lots of room to work on the engine, has an intercooler.
Excursion Cons: Nowhere near as much interior space, a pop top could solve some of this con.
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Old 11-22-2010, 12:46 PM   #6
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

You just need to start with the right vehicle...




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Old 11-22-2010, 01:32 PM   #7
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

LOL, Love it! Somehow I don't think my limited budget would cover the cost.

I've been looking at 7.3 E350's in the $6000 - $10,000 range and Excursions in the $9000 - $14,000 range. Whatever I get will be a fourth vehicle only used for family vacations. My daily driver is a BMX X5 which I have a love/hate relationship with. I love the car, I hate the cost of parts and maintenance. Parts break just as soon as American car parts if not sooner and are 10X more expensive.
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Old 11-30-2010, 12:40 AM   #8
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Re: Will a penthouse top fit a Suburban or Ford Expedition?

A 7.3L van can easily be tuned to put down more power than the stock pickups. Even stock, it will perform much better than your little 6-cyl.

And what about the Triton Motors?
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