Truck camper shell for van hightop

[highdesertranger]

all this customizing is fine and good but if you really want a high top why not just get a used one. I see them in wrecking yards all the time. also a few from Craigslist have been posted here, if you just look for a bit you can find the correct high top for cheap. highdesertranger

 

[Gideon33w]

What about a cheap, used, jon-boat turned upside down?

Hey we're in uncharted waters, no pun intended, right?

Anyone willing to try that with photoshop?

Saw that on a Volvo wagon once.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

Photoshop boat on roof and campershell with turbo wing for air break.

John boat would likely exceede the cost of just finding a junkyard hightop. Both are poor photoshop jobs but common. It's conceptual

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

all this customizing is fine and good but if you really want a high top why not just get a used one.  I see them in wrecking yards all the time.  also a few from Craigslist have been posted here,  if you just look for a bit you can find the correct high top for cheap.  highdesertranger

I agree. However I have been regularly searching junkyards and yet to find one that isn't damaged. 

However my goal is to do the project with less than $200. The idea being I can always put a hightop on later when I find one. I'm also curious of what unexpected issues would arise. More of if you can than if you should.

 

[wasanah2]

An Astro owner used a fiberglass pickup topper as the basis for a Westfalia style pop-up. He only used the upper part of the topper, above the windows, and then he still had extensive fiberglass work to finish the project. Very professional results.

That sounds like something that would work.  As an astro owner, the top would be very difficult to work.  It has a slight bow and then you have the front to back water trenches that waffle over the top of it.  If you ever have a pic of that,  I'd like to see it!

 

[wasanah2]

I agree. However I have been regularly searching junkyards and yet to find one that isn't damaged. 

However my goal is to do the project with less than $200. The idea being I can always put a hightop on later when I find one. I'm also curious of what unexpected issues would arise. More of if you can than if you should.

I looked in junkyards too.  They are really in poor shape.  A topper though, being new or gently used could be great.

The jon-boat photoshop looks great though.  I bet it would be a monster to fit.  They're so dang curvy.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

Cost is definitely a plus for the campershell. They can be had really cheap. Also you might get more height than with a common hightop.

The campershell Photoshop jobs show the shell in relative size to the van. The boat was just sized to fit. I think finding a suitable length width boat and matching the angle of the roof would be way more work than it's worth.

Now do the boat like the trailer posted earlier could be cool. But as I actually intend to do this, I need to keep it realistic.

 

[Minivanmotoman]

Creative and imaginative use of common alternatives. Throwing this out there. Why does it have to be fiberglass? Yes I know why and if you can pick one up cheap that fits, great. The way to go. But if you can't find one, and removal and reinstall....
Here's a thought. Make one out of plywood and coat with poor man's fiberglass or just roof elastomeric coating. Did this on my minivan three years ago for storage and still going strong. The curves on a roof make it tricky but scribe to match. Alternative to waiting to find a good one.
Also, for a pickup topper with blunt nose, make a front deflector or storage section with an a aerodynamic angled front. Plywood, sheet metal, etc... Saw a big dually pickup with a big rig deflector on the roof for towing his covered trailer.

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

I have located a shell. Working on the logistics of getting it to my house. It measures 6.5 feet long by 5.5 feet wide and 2 feet tall.  Will hopefully update with some more information soon.

I set my price limit for the project @ $200. I think you would have a hard time weight and cost wise building something like that.

 

[wasanah2]

Creative and imaginative use of common alternatives. Throwing this out there. Why does it have to be fiberglass? Yes I know why and if you can pick one up cheap that fits, great. The way to go. But if you can't find one, and removal and reinstall....
Here's a thought. Make one out of plywood and coat with poor man's fiberglass or just roof elastomeric coating. Did this on my minivan three years ago for storage and still going strong. The curves on a roof make it tricky but scribe to match. Alternative to waiting to find a good one.
Also, for a pickup topper with blunt nose, make a front deflector or storage section with an a aerodynamic angled front. Plywood, sheet metal, etc... Saw a big dually pickup with a big rig deflector on the roof for towing his covered trailer.

The possibilities are endless on a design like that and adding windows and such.  You can get exactly the height you want too.  These are very good ideas.  That's one thing about this community.  The creativity astounds me!

 

[wasanah2]

I have located a shell. Working on the logistics of getting it to my house. It measures 6.5 feet long by 5.5 feet wide and 2 feet tall.  Will hopefully update with some more information soon.

I set my price limit for the project @ $200. I think you would have a hard time weight and cost wise building something like that.

Good luck.  Make sure to take a lot of pix.  Really want to see how it goes!!

 

[sometimesido]

any update?

also adding random google pic

 

[mr_elijah_gardner]

First shell I found was a no go.

I'm trying to get this one now. It needs a cleanup. I plan to paint my roof white anyway. It should match nicely and I think look ok.

It's from a full size silverado. They want $150 for it. It is about 60 miles from my town. I hope it's still available this weekend when I can go get it.

 

[MikC]

I know this thread is 3 years old but I was wondering the same thing if anybody has done this. I found this on youtube:



Mod edit - video is of an 87 Ford van with a truck cap from a Ford Ranger mounted on top
Please include a description when posting links.

 

[bagabum]

I think I'm about to be bumped from 1st place to 2nd place in the "Ugliest Camper" contest.

 

[Uncle Todo]

Here's another approach as well:


Mod edit, video of building a high top out of wood. Please include a description of what you are linking to.

 

[AeroNautiCal]

In effect, a high top is simply an inverted boat bolted to a van roof, so using a secondhand topper as shown in the photoshop mockup, there's no reason why one couldn't be installed successfully.

The weatherproofing and aesthetics will be as good as the installer makes it.

I have seen a rooftop cargo box fitted onto a cargo trailer camper to give additional head height and that worked well.

The top the OP showed has many benefits, including opening windows and being of sturdy construction.

 

[nature lover]

If you got the know how almost anything is possible I’ve been going through the Internet looking at Riggs since the Internet first became available. I once saw this old Buffalo which is a type of GMC motor Coach with an old vw van body attached to the top as a loft. And I couldn’t believe it years later traveling through Maryland on interstate 70 it passed me going the other direction. I wanted to talk to that family. It wasn’t pretty but it sure was neat.

 

[highdesertranger]

yes almost anything is possible but you have to ask yourself what is practical. highdesertranger

 

[Artsyguy]

I don't hate this...