High Top vs Low Top

[Almost There]

Good info, unfortunately, from watching tons and tons of ads on Craigslist, eBay, etc...for years...... there aren't many of these "REAL" hightops that you're talking about, available for sale, at a good price and in decent shape.  It's mostly the "TV TOPS".

The hundreds, sitting at wrecking yards.....well, I doubt that would do most vandewellers any good. They're full of rust, decay, mold, mildew, bugs, rodents, etc. All the mechanical parts and motor are probably seized up or stripped out by the wrecking yard. Maybe only the top itself is worth the trouble, but that's taking it off, cleaning & prepping, then cutting a giant hole in your own van to put it on. Then there's the sealing, painting, finishing, etc.  That's a lot of skill, time and $$$$.

And of course you can buy a brand new, hightop, but that's a given if money's not the issue. But money is usually, the, issue. I bet less than 5% of the people on here, have a brand new top that they bought to put on a passenger van.

I wasn't suggesting that anyone drive any of the stuff that's in the wrecking yards. BUT they are a great source of a cheap high top.

And there is not the amount of work involved that you seem to think.

Heck, my dad, well past retirement age and three of his equally senior friends moved their 24" high top from one Ford van to another in an afternoon, including breaks for beer....

It's not THAT difficult to do!!

 

[Marie]

Yes, HDR, it IS that hard. Impossible is more like it. I'd LOVE to have a 24 inch high top, but I haven't been able to think of an Way to do it affordably.

 

[Mattkcc]

Yes, HDR, it IS that hard. Impossible is more like it. I'd LOVE to have a 24 inch high top, but I haven't been able to think of an Way to do it affordably.

I think they told you how to do it affordably, get a used one from a junk yard. Think of the top as a boat, people used to put good sized skiffs on top of their vans. I've seen photo's of people transporting their new high top by strapping it down on top of the van why couldn't it be done with a second hand top? You need to find a friend who can think how it can be done. The problem is this isn't a job your going to be able to handle by yourself.

 

[BigT]

Sure wish Chevrolet would start coming out with stock high top Expresses.  The Ford Transit high top seems nice, but I'm not a fan of Ford vehicles.  The Sprinter is nice too, but way too expensive and I don't want a diesel engine (higher fuel and maintenance costs). 

Every time I see a newer Chevy Express van, the ones with the tail lights up high next to the back windows, I wish they'd make a model with at least a slightly higher top.  Not sure why they don't, given how popular high-tops are right now. 
 
I like the looks of the last year Ford van before the new Transit model came out too, but I don't see those in factory high-top or TV top models either.  

It's a shame.  I'd really like to have a seamless high or TV-top like my TC, only in a full-size van.

 

[steamjam1]

Removing a hightop from a junk van and adding it to another van isn't too difficult. All you really need is a couple of friends to help out. It would be alot easier if you had the junk van and the good van next to each other in say your back yard. I have an old 24" hightop I pulled off a junk van a long time ago, and it took me less then an hour to remove the screws, break the silicon sealant that was holding it together, and broken loose from the junker on 2x4's.


Ive also seen people simply to go the wreckers with saws-all's, and cut the entire roof off vans just for the hightops, take them home and then carefully do a swap.

 

[MK7]

Heck, my dad, well past retirement age and three of his equally senior friends moved their 24" high top from one Ford van to another in an afternoon, including breaks for beer....

It's not THAT difficult to do!!

Man, 4 old dudes would beat   2 young, to middle age ones (and especially beat 1, young, extremely strong person), when it comes to transporting, unpacking and installing something like this, I would think.  It looks like a ton of work and I doubt I'd want to tackle this with my limited skills.

 

[Almost There]

Man, 4 old dudes would beat   2 young, to middle age ones (and especially beat 1, young, extremely strong person), when it comes to transporting, unpacking and installing something like this, I would think.  It looks like a ton of work and I doubt I'd want to tackle this with my limited skills.

No transporting, unpacking to it at all - you line up the two vehicles side by side, detach the roof from the donor, lift it up on to 2 x 4s, clean it up to get all the old butyl off and move it horizontally across on to the new van. Attach it to the new roof and done!!

The only thing 4 old dudes have going for them is the ability to figure out how to do it the easy way..

 

[Devine Gypsy]

If you need to spend a ton for the high top, you could go for low top with the secret weapon...a rolling spinning office chair.  I get in, sit down, move round, transfer to bed etc.  Pants are put on while on bed.  viola

Sent from my ME173X using Tapatalk

Great idea!

 

[Gadget728]

After reading MANY posts about Hi-Tops, the people who have them, love them, I agree. The GadgetVan is the extended version and has a 24" Hi-Top and I've caught myself staying bent over when I step up & in, lol! Being 5' 11 1/2", My hair rubs the ceiling. The sides and ceiling are finished in a blue/gray felt, and there's insulation all around. Tonight I showed my carpenter buddy how I wanted storage up high, like I had seen it in other Hi-Top vans.
accrete's is very clean!! I hope mine comes out as nice. Like they said, standing up is great, but ALL that Extra storage, lot's of places to put your most often grabbed items.
I've seen a few with those long sliding windows. Seems like at least one of those and a fantastic fan would keep the place ventilated. As I get older, I'd rather be a bit cool that too hot.

 

[introverting]

As I get older, I'd rather be a bit cool that too hot.

Old or not, it's much easier to deal with cold than it is to deal with heat.