Hightop Structural Integrity

[AntiGroundhogDay]

Being able to stand in a van is desireable.  I was wondering what structural integrity and safety I might lose by cutting out the roof and some (but not all) cross members?  Am I being too cautious?  Haven't seen it talked about much so perhaps I am but I envision this big, tall van getting caught in a crosswind and flopping over to pancake everyone/everything inside. 

 

[steamjam1]

Being able to stand in a van is desireable.  I was wondering what structural integrity and safety I might lose by cutting out the roof and some (but not all) cross members?  Am I being too cautious?  Haven't seen it talked about much so perhaps I am but I envision this big, tall van getting caught in a crosswind and flopping over to pancake everyone/everything inside. 

I don't notice any difference in structural integrity, but in my high top RV van during a good X wind.. It can get interesting.

 

[Almost There]

The first high top I had was on a Ford mid 80's van. The first rib is just behind the drivers' compartment. It was left intact and the roof cut out about 6" in from the side walls. The fiberglass high top was a double layer style.

This van (2002 GMC Savana) had both the first roof rib and the rear rib left intact. Only the center 6' of the roof was cut out back to the edge of the lengthwise roof/wall structure. I love it because both the rear and the front original roof areas became storage...some serious storage area there!!

The fiberglass roof on this one also has a 1/4" x2" steel roll cage that sits in the area of the van that was cut out.

I'm much more confident in the structural integrity of this one!

A head wind with a high top will slow you down and/or cut in to your gas mileage with a vengeance. A cross wind just means that you hang on tight. You learn when you're going to get hit with the wind more - coming out from alongside a hillside, a patch of forest/trees, an underpass and when a big rig passes. The center of gravity is still low enough that it's a sway/dance motion rather than an 'OMG I'm going to tip over'. But then different vans handle differently anyways. My Chevy Astro had a definite 'dance' to her in a high cross wind and that's not a big van!