Has anyone built out a van then later added a high top

[bigsallysmom]

Due to a lack of high tops in the area, I'm thinking about buying a used van and designing the interior in such a way that I wouldn't have to remove anything when later adding a high top. Not sure how feasible that is.  I'd have to rewire around the expected hole.  Somehow integrate lumber along the expected perimeter.  Any thoughts?  I read ToSimplify's blog.

 

[highdesertranger]

running wires for the future use is easy. running them afterwards not so much. highdesertranger

 

[66788]

Due to a lack of high tops in the area, I'm thinking about buying a used van and designing the interior in such a way that I wouldn't have to remove anything when later adding a high top. Not sure how feasible that is.  I'd have to rewire around the expected hole.  Somehow integrate lumber along the expected perimeter.  Any thoughts?  I read ToSimplify's blog.

I had a 1971 VW standard bus that I converted and later added a fiberglass high top.  Found it at the junk yard for $100.00 and it took my friend and me 2 hours to cut the top out of the bus and install the high top.   Used that bus for 4 years more, no leaks or problems at all.

Wiring is not difficult to add later.

 

[Almost There]

Well technically, my high top is finished separately from the lower part.

Since there's always about 6" of the original roof left when the cut out is made for the high top install, there's a definitive separation there.

There's only the pantry cupboard in mine that actually spans the two areas and that's because I wanted it original van height at the leading edge so it has a cut out at the back where it meets the outside wall of the van. Hard to explain so I went back and found one of the pics while I was building it.



Other than planning on where you will want extra wires run for in the high top once it's added, I'd say yes, you can do it.