Testing the waters… fixed High tops - Page 14

**BroncoHauler** · 11-18-2017, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsweezy

Got the top on, still need to do some little stuff but its already amazing having the space.

Some serious garage and lift envy.

Any plans for windows in the top? You already have plenty of windows in the van, but any plans for (slider) windows in the top itself?

Herb

Jsweezy · 11-18-2017, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BroncoHauler

Some serious garage and lift envy.

Any plans for windows in the top? You already have plenty of windows in the van, but any plans for (slider) windows in the top itself?

Herb

Thanks, its definitely nice to have both of those.

Not at this time, or probably ever because like you said I already have enough windows in this van and my sleeping area will be over the front half of the van. My thought process is to keep that top as insulated and as private as possible so windows dont really make sense to me.

86Scotty · 11-19-2017, 07:29 AM

Lookin' good Sweezy.

Jsweezy · 11-19-2017, 03:49 PM

Thanks everyone! So here are the other pictures as promised. Funny thing is I have a fan and solar panel on top that is hard to see unless your paying attention.

GBreezy · 11-20-2017, 07:18 AM

Looks great!

Jsweezy · 12-02-2017, 03:30 PM

Just got a good photo of the inside of my van before I fully frame it in and thought id share how much space this top adds. Its easily 6' tall from floor to ceiling at the lowest point in the back.

ColoRockiesFan · 12-02-2017, 03:36 PM

Looks great!

What are you using for insulation in the ceiling and side walls?

Jsweezy · 12-02-2017, 03:40 PM

Thanks, sorry its sideways... Ill fix it.

For the ceiling and side walls I put in thinsulate. The yellow foam crap was in there from the previous van converter.

Jsweezy · 12-02-2017, 04:22 PM

I said I would put up a review of this high top so here it is. This will be more of matter of facts than how I feel.

First off I would like to say that Mark is awesome at responding to questions and has made purchasing this top an enjoyable experience. He has also gone above and beyond to provide me with the things I needed to be able to accomplish this task.

1 - Expect this top to arrive in less than ideal condition. Unless Mark is hand delivering it himself it will arrive with scratches and stuff potentially needing a buff and polish. If I were to order another top, I wouldn't even bother trying to make it shine like a fiberglass boat (like I did), I would just have gone to my local paint store and bought the raptor liner kit, sprayed it and called it a day.

2 - This top is super lightweight compared to others but it comes at the cost of not having a lot of structural support. Just know that you will need to somehow support the top if you plan to put a fan or solar panel on top. If your able to mount the solar panel on feet closest to the sides like I did then its not so bad, but my fan thats mounted smack dab in the middle likes to shake pretty good when hitting large bumps. I will end up supporting the top near the fan with a piece of metal from one side of the van to the other at the top of my cabinets so its not a big deal for now.

3 - Mounting it is fairly easy but it isnt as cut and dry as mounting a reverse flange top would be. I ended up having to fill in some gaps at the front corners of the roof where its supposed to meet with the van. Mark had sent me some filler for the top so I was able to use that and make it look like it was supposed to be there.

We also had to take the top on and off about 3 times to trim some spots that were lower than others forcing the top to sit higher off the van that it needed to in some areas so be prepared for that.

Here is a big one - once you cut the van roof off, immediately bolt down the top roof metal to the interior roof metal so that when the adhesive is applied to glue the top to the exterior roof metal, it only sticks to the part that it needs to and will sit square with the van once its done. I made the mistake of not doing this before I adhered the top to the van and noticed it pulling away making the top flex a lot as I drove. So once I did bolt the two roof metal parts together it pulled the sides of the top in ever so slightly because it had adhered further up on the metal when the sides were pushed in for gluing it into place. If this doesn't make sense just know that you need to bolt the two pieces together after you cut the roof off.

4 - Lastly, just wait to do any placing of "ribs" onto the top for interior panels until you actually have the top on the van. I did it before hand which worked out ok, but it would have been better for me to just wait as the top is easier now to press into being attached on all sides.

If any of you have any other questions feel free to ask, otherwise just listen to Mark on how to attach the top and everything goes smooth!

Just to add - I love the top and think its the best looking one out there.

Jsweezy · 01-17-2018, 10:22 AM

Figured id throw a picture up as I'm plugging away on my van trying to get the interior done so you all could see how much space is really in this top. If your six foot tall you can stand straight up and thats with 2" taken up betwen the ceiling and the roof for insulation and support.