Need advice on resealing high top Ford “Explorer” Conversion

[Adventurevanner]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Posted this on reddit as well but didn’t get any help, saw some posts on here about high top repairs and figured maybe someone on here could point me in the right direction.  I have no problem doing this all the correct way, but don’t forget I am a one person show![/font]

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Hey everyone! Recently bought this high top econoline explorer conversion van and after gutting it I found out the high top leaks! I don’t see any rust on the vehicle at all. I’m wondering what you guys think about my plan to reseal the high top. [/font]


[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I’m planning on cleaning the gutters out really nice and putting a small bead of 3M 5200 fast cure around the entire high top where it meets the gutter. After that dries I’m planning to put eternabond over the entire gutter essentially creating a new gutter. Should I sand down the gutter where it appears cracked and fix it or is that an original caulk job, can’t really tell myself so I’m hoping one of you could tell me. I have no idea how heavy the high top is and I don’t really have any friends (srs) I do have to replace the wood that the high top is screwed into through the original van roof because it’s nasty from water, so I’m not against picking it up in small spots at a time by myself to clean and inspect for rust, although the entire body and from what I can see of from the inside of the original roof is rust free. [/font]


[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Please provide any input this is my second conversion and I could not Stop the leaks from my previous build but that was a 1978 econoline that sat for 7 years before I bought it and the gutter/roof had significant rust that I tried to fix and was terrible at. Just really trying to get on the road all ready![/font]

 

[Master Mechanic]

is the gutter after market item or original. its holding water right at seam of van and the top. id remove it or drill holes in it to let water get away fast.
the crack in top drill hole at end of crack. sand a v in it and epoxy or fiberglass.
sand the seam area. a small bead of EternaBond and EternaBond tape the hole thing.

best i can say from a picture.

 

[Almost There]

The problem with doing it the way you outlined is that it is just makeshift repairs. I'm not sure about the sealing properties of the 3M 5200 so I can't comment on it.

The absolutely best way to reseal the seam where the fiberglass top meets the original van roof is to remove the trim strip that covers the screws holding the top to the van. Then remove all the screws and start working your way around prying up the top gently. Get some shims under it wherever you get it lifted until the whole thing is loose. Then get it up on at least 2x4's and scrape all the old butyl tape away from both the top and the van roof.

Reverse the procedure after laying in a new strip of butyl tape all the way around. If you find any signs of rust fix them first. Use new screws and a new piece of trim.

IIWM I'd get the butyl tape from a marine supply rather than from an RV dealer. Gray butyl has a life expectancy of 10 years, beige is 20 years AFAIK.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

It is hard to tell by your picture but if it was mine from what I am seeing, I would get some very good sealant like silkaflex possibly from a marine store, clean out the gap as good as you can, wipe it down with something like methalethalketone or some other solvent that does not leave an oily film. If you are skilled with a caulking gun I would just run a nice new bead around the top, if you are not so good at running a bead then I would tape it first then run a bead, smooth it down with a knife then remove the tape. The gutter looks rusted out, so I would take out as much of the old putty as I could see if there is a hole through the roof if there is or isn’t,  I would sand down the rust, brush on some rust kill, prime it, then bondo it over. Sand, prime and paint. You could try and repair the fibreglass as suggested above. I doubt it will grow very fast but easy enough to repair. I don’t know what that tape is you are suggesting but it sounds like it will look messy afterwards and you won’t have slowed or stopped the rust.

 

[Adventurevanner]

The problem with doing it the way you outlined is that it is just makeshift repairs. I'm not sure about the sealing properties of the 3M 5200 so I can't comment on it.

The absolutely best way to reseal the seam where the fiberglass top meets the original van roof is to remove the trim strip that covers the screws holding the top to the van. Then remove all the screws and start working your way around prying up the top gently. Get some shims under it wherever you get it lifted until the whole thing is loose. Then get it up on at least 2x4's and scrape all the old butyl tape away from both the top and the van roof.

Reverse the procedure after laying in a new strip of butyl tape all the way around. If you find any signs of rust fix them first. Use new screws and a new piece of trim.

IIWM I'd get the butyl tape from a marine supply rather than from an RV dealer. Gray butyl has a life expectancy of 10 years, beige is 20 years AFAIK.

thank you for this! Didn’t think about that at all, I grinned away the caulk/sealant on the gutter to bare metal, fixed rust spots, sprayed primer, and laid down dicor in the entire gutter and smoothed it out.  Will do this next for sure!

 

[Adventurevanner]

It is hard to tell by your picture but if it was mine from what I am seeing, I would get some very good sealant like silkaflex possibly from a marine store, clean out the gap as good as you can, wipe it down with something like methalethalketone or some other solvent that does not leave an oily film. If you are skilled with a caulking gun I would just run a nice new bead around the top, if you are not so good at running a bead then I would tape it first then run a bead, smooth it down with a knife then remove the tape. The gutter looks rusted out, so I would take out as much of the old putty as I could see if there is a hole through the roof if there is or isn’t,  I would sand down the rust, brush on some rust kill, prime it, then bondo it over. Sand, prime and paint. You could try and repair the fibreglass as suggested above. I doubt it will grow very fast but easy enough to repair. I don’t know what that tape is you are suggesting but it sounds like it will look messy afterwards and you won’t have slowed or stopped the rust.

Grinded down the entire gutter to bare metal.  There wasn’t much rust at all but I took care of it.  Not skilled with caulking at all so I taped it and still made a disaster haha.  Used dicor and smoothed it out, did this to the entire gutter.
[/quote]

 

[Adventurevanner]

is the gutter after market item or original. its holding water right at seam of van and the top. id remove it or drill holes in it to let water get away fast.
the crack in top drill hole at end of crack. sand a v in it and epoxy or fiberglass.
sand the seam area. a small bead of EternaBond and EternaBond tape the hole thing.

best i can say from a picture.

you are not the first person to tell me to drill a hole in the gutter; is this a common practice?  [/quote]

 

[B and C]

I never did.

 

[bigskybob]

Get some Dynaflex 230 silicone caulk.I've used it it on a lot of leaks over the years and it's never failed.How old is your van?If it's an older van,you may not want to put too much money into it.

 

[Adventurevanner]

Get some Dynaflex 230 silicone caulk.I've used it it on a lot of leaks over the years and it's never failed.How old is your van?If it's an older van,you may not want to put too much money into it.

It’s a 1996 Ford Econoline E150 5.8, 189k miles.  Going to do my best to get it to at least 250k.  Buddy of mine is a good mechanic and works at a junk yard for years so has connection for great prices on used parts so i can fix most things pretty cheap.