Methuselah Remodel

[bullfrog]

Very old VW buses had fiberglass tops that pop up or hinged up on one end with canvas or cloth screen sides that worked well but not very well insulated. I believe there is still a company that makes them for newer vehicles but they are expensive. Maybe you could use an aftermarket large sunroof with a boxed in roof rack?

 

[highdesertranger]

keep in mind on small uni-body vehicles the roof is part of the structural integrity of the vehicle. if you remove the roof serious reengineering would need to be done or the vehicle would simply fold in half. highdesertranger

 

[max+sophia]

Hi Stranger   Glad you mentioned the "fold in half" problem.  I was hoping to find a handyman with enough savvy , to build the wheelhouse, and now I see he'd have to be somewhat of an engineer to figure out how to stabilize the opening.  It wouldn't have to involve much of the length of the SUV, just a small area for standup work like cooking.  Max

 

[highdesertranger]

this is the reason convertibles weigh much more then their hard top counter parts. that is kinda the opposite of what most people think. highdesertranger

 

[txmnjim]

Very old VW buses had fiberglass tops that pop up or hinged up on one end with canvas or cloth screen sides that worked well but not very well insulated.  I believe there is still a company that makes them for newer vehicles but they are expensive.  Maybe you could use an aftermarket large sunroof with a boxed in roof rack?

speaking of VW's and aftermarket sunroofs, i had a 1984 Scirocco that was one of the best cars i ever
had (it had over 250,000 miles on it when we finally parted) but someone had put an aftermarket sunroof
in it and we never could get that thing to stop leaking! i took it to two different bodyshops and they tried
their best...and Houston, Tx isn't a good place to be with that condition. anyhoo, anytime i read about people
cutting holes in their vans to put a fan in or some such thing i think of that car

 

[max+sophia]

Hi Stranger   Glad you mentioned the "fold in half" problem.  I was hoping to find a handyman with enough savvy , to build the wheelhouse, and now I see he'd have to be somewhat of an engineer to figure out how to stabilize the opening.  It wouldn't have to involve much of the length of the SUV, just a small area for standup work like cooking.  Max

I just sent a note to our local Ford dealer and asked if the Escape could withstand having a fairly small cutout on the roof.  Looking for wheelhouse photos, I found most have vertical front windows.  The front would have to be very sloped for an auto application.

 

[66788]

speaking of VW's and aftermarket sunroofs, i had a 1984 Scirocco that was one of the best cars i ever
had (it had over 250,000 miles on it when we finally parted) but someone had put an aftermarket sunroof
in it and we never could get that thing to stop leaking! i took it to two different bodyshops and they tried
their best...and Houston, Tx isn't a good place to be with that condition. anyhoo, anytime i read about people
cutting holes in their vans to put a fan in or some such thing i think of that car

I have a MaxxAir vent and 21 holes in my Dodge van.   5 years and no leaks.  If done right, it's not an issue.

 

[Cammalu]

The class Bs are very high but you could pick up a B plus or C that isn’t terribly much bigger than a big van for much less

Mine is a 23 footer and small but seems to have a much roomier area than a B.

 

[B and C]

I would call adding a wheelhouse a large hole. Give the dealer the dimensions of the hole and where you want to put it.

Class C's are a lot wider than a B and have a lot more space because of it.

 

[highdesertranger]

I just saw a Ford Escape yesterday. those things are small are you absolutely positive you want to live in one of those? highdesertranger