Roof vent installation?

[3RIVERSGIRL]

Okay, I'm admitting that I'm new to this so please don't scratch your head when I ask this.  Let's say I do my research and buy a roof vent.  Where type of business do I go to to get it installed?  No way am I drilling a hole in my vehicle.  Thanks in advance for any ideas!

 

[vtwinkicker]

Certainly an RV dealer/repair shop would do it but they probably charge north of $100/hr labor. Hopefully you have a handy vandweller close by that would help you out. That's what this community is all about.

 

[3RIVERSGIRL]

Certainly an RV dealer/repair shop would do it but they probably charge north of $100/hr labor. Hopefully you have a handy vandweller close by that would help you out. That's what this community is all about.

Thanks!  How do you find said local vandweller?  I do not have the correct tools, and I live in the Pittsburgh/north hills area.

 

[Almost There]

Have you got any friends who like to do their own body work on their vehicles?

If so, then ask them to study up on the installation on YouTube or here and put them to work.

Hold on to the beer for AFTER the work is done....

The hardest part is the first hole to be drilled - it's simply painful mentally to cut a hole in a perfectly good roof.

The second hardest part is figuring out where you want to put it. Do this first....

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

A place that installs sunroofs would probably do it for you. However, if you have any friends or family with even the slightest knowledge of using powertools, they are really simple to do. If you want to practice measuring and cutting a hole first, you can use a small piece of plywood or a thick piece of cardboard as practice.

 

[WalkaboutTed]

My husband felt the same thing and said the exact words: "no way am I going to cut into the roof of a brand new (financed) vehicle!"  We, too wanted someone else to do it.

But after having watched many YouTube videos, he took his fear in hand, and bought an angle grinder. Then he went to a junk yard, bought an old hood and practiced away.

He did a beautiful job. If in doubt, YouTube, YouTube, YouTube! "Fear is the mind killer"

I never would have dreamed that we could have accomplished whst we've done on our van. If you look at one of my first posts, we were petrified about drilling holes in our roof. Now, including  the roof vent, we have eight (antennas, solar cables, grounds).

It sounds like a joke: "a teacher and a nurse walked into a van-and became fearless!"
Ted

 

[Vagabound]

I think I must be a bit lost. Are you saying that this amazing transformation you had, going from being petrified, to being experienced and having cut many holes in your van, all happened in the last 7 hours, between your first post and your last one?

Tom

 

[WalkaboutTed]

No, I just looked it up under my profile. My first post about putting holes in my roof for wiring was on December 30th, 2016. My husband had put in the roof vent in October, I think. We bought the van in mid August. It's been a long, slow project as we are doing it as exactly to our needs as possible. And we've done the entire project with simple hand tools, a drill and jig saw. We used the angle iron only for cutting the roof vent and the rear windows. Those were a lot more anxiety producing than the vent, to be sure!

I'm just saying that you may want to consider studying on how the fan/vent is installed before you dismiss your ability to do it yourself. You may be pleasantly surprised at your hidden talents. In any case, over the long run, you'll be making a lot if improvements on your vehicle. If you farm many of them out it will cost a pretty penny.

And as intimidating as it was to start, once my husband practiced on that old hood from the junk yard, he felt much more confident. I'm disabled do i can't do the heavy physical stuff, but I did the electrical system from scratch. And I give plenty of moron support.

And the CRVL board has been invaluable. I wouldn't say that we couldn't have done it ask without the board, but it certainly wouldn't have been as nice as it is.
Ted

 

[Vagabound]

No, I just looked it up under my profile.  My first post about putting holes in my roof for wiring was on December 30th, 2016.  My husband had put in the roof vent in October, I think. ...

Ted

Okay, I'm partly cleared up and still partly confused. As for the clear part, I realized that I had mixed you up with the original poster. As to the confused part, are you Ted, or the husband, or one of two husbands? Not that it matters, I'm just curious. So I can keep straight in my mind who is who when we're talking about them in the post.

Tom

 

[Almost There]

Tom, WalkaboutTed is female!

I know, it took me a while to get it straight too...

If I'm right, it's probably short for Theodora. Nickname stuck as a child and she likes it!

People went through a little bit of the same confusion with me. I kept giving 'male'...   answers to questions, to the point where the line beneath my screen name says 'Is a her, not a him'.

Maybe Ted can do the same....

 

[CautionToTheWind]

fan install..

 

[Vagabound]

Tom, WalkaboutTed is female!

I know, it took me a while to get it straight too...

If I'm right, it's probably short for Theodora. Nickname stuck as a child and she likes it!

...

Thanks for clearing that up. 

A girl named Ted ... that's cool!

Tom

 

[abnorm]

Back to 3riversgir and your transit van.............I'm getting a Transit also............Hein (Impact Products $58) makes an adapter for the transit fan install.......The ribs on the transit roof are awkwardly spaced for the standard 14" roof vent..........the frame for the fan is flat on the roof while the mounting flange is suspended about 1/4" and potential water leaks......he makes a custom filler piece that levels the ribs where the fan mounts.........It's DIY friendly.......the adapter locates the hole..........

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Transit-RV-Roof-Vent-Adapter-/131748730820

Here's an installation without the adapter on a transit..............excellent photos so you can see the build-up necessary to mount the flange

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jethaden/sets/72157650537232552/

.............doug

 

[Matlock]

^^^ What Doug said..

 

[Trebor English]

It must be a Ford thing.  My Windstar roof ribs are also horribly placed for mounting a 14 inch fan.  It would make sense if Ford sold 12 inch fans.  Since that explanation doesn't work I'm sticking with Ford are mean and evil.

 

[vtwinkicker]

I kept giving 'male'...   answers to questions, to the point where the line beneath my screen name says 'Is a her, not a him'.

HAHA!!! I thought that meant the van was a her!! LOL!

 

[Joseph_Grey]

I know what you went through. It is a crazy thing the first time to hover a drill bit over the financed vehicle you just bought and say "Am I really going to drill a hole in my new van?"

--joe