High tops. Buy new or salvage one from a donor vehicle?

[ZOFCHAK]

<br>&nbsp;&nbsp; I am contemplating added a medium/high top to my standard length E-350 van.&nbsp;&nbsp; I see that they are available new for about $1500 from a couple different places, but I was also considering looking for a parts van and salvaging the top.&nbsp; Has anyone reused one of these before?&nbsp; If so, any issues with removal or installation that might not have been obvious before you started? <br><br>.

 

[wrcsixeight]

I've removed my fiberglass roof several times. &nbsp;There is double stick tape Compressed by the screws and trim ring. &nbsp;My conversion company used drywall screws. &nbsp;Not zinc plated, nor hot dipped galvanized, and of course not stainless steel, but the screw which rusts when you breathe on it.<br><br>This rusty screw started my roof gutter rust which I have been at war with, but anyway, the rust has also stained the fiberglass roof.<br><br>You need a number of putty knives to break the double sided tape after you remove the screws, and you need wedges to hold roof away from the sheet metal while you work your way around. &nbsp;With nothing adhered to the interior, mine weighs around 240 LBS, so even two people are being overworked to move it from van to other vehicle. &nbsp;2x4x8's help greatly, as do 3 friends as well as a vehicle big enough to carry the roof to the other van.<br><br>I've had to use a hydraulic jack to put lifting pressure on the roof and then work the putty knives around the perimeter, inserting wedges.<br><br>Getting all the old double sided foam tape off the interior is a task in an of itself. &nbsp;It can't be reused.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;I can get a used high top at the wreckers for around $100, if I remove it myself. Have done so and it wasn't too difficult. One just has to plan things out and have the appropriate tools. ..Willy.