Converting back to tintop

[boatbuilder]

Hi,

I'm seriously considering converting my 84 leisuredrive poptop back to a tintop. Here is why.

The leisuredrive units are in my opinion badly built, not to mention very old, smelly and dirty at this stage. The window openings look like they were cut out with someone's teeth at the Leisuredrive factory and overall I'm just not impressed. The rock and roll bed mechanism is agricultural at best and nearly had my fingers off several times. Maybe it was ok for 1984, but I'm just not happy to live with it. So, having decided to remove the interior, I'm left with an empty van with a poptop.

The fibreglass poptop is extremely heavy and is hinged on only two flimsy looking hinges. It also needs a total refurb including new canvas, seal, upholstery and rams.

So , after getting all that off my chest , I'm thinking of removing the poptop, welding up the hole and fitting a full width rock n roll bed and making it into more of a multivan style interior. I know, it would have made sense to buy a multivan in the first place, but I bought this for a grand and I can do all the work myself, so why not make it my own?

Would I be better to joggle in the roof patch, or butt weld? I'd get a section of roof from a donor vehicle.

[dazzzer1]

i converted a camper back to a panel van, i joggled it and then made extra long arms for a spot welder and spot welded the lot...i think if you go down the butt welding route you will be pushed to keep the shape....
if i was you though id save my self a huge job and get a webasto roof made, these look great and give you the option ofstanding room if you need it.

to fit it youll need to drill a few holes, screw on the outer frame cut the aluminium struts to length and pop rivet the press studs on... you can spend the rest of the day watching columbo and deal or no deal



i know its a mini but you get the idea..

[jamesc76]

Would I be better to joggle in the roof patch, or butt weld? I'd get a section of roof from a donor vehicle.

I would say joddle it, as you would get a lot of warping seam welding and make one hell of a job of straightening it out

[dazzzer1]

just thinking, it'd mean all the non opening windows out to clamp it and probably a cement mixer for all the filler

ill try to find a pic of one of those rooves i put on a bay, it looked great and wasnt that expensive

[boatbuilder]

Thanks for the ideas. I can't seem to find a photo of a T25 with one of those Webasto roofs.
Surely if I joggled the roof panel in, it wouldn't require much filler....just a bit at the joint itself.

[Team28crew]

Have alook here they're developing a T25 roof of this year
http://www.parisbeetles.co.uk/bus%20sunroofs.htm

[dazzzer1]

this is a van i put the windows back in and the roof is the one i was telling you about...thinking about it im sure it was a paris beetles one.....

[boatbuilder]

Thanks for that. I see that Paris Beetles are in the process of designing one of those roofs to fit a T25 but won't be available until Autumn 2010. I think I'll go with a tintop though.

[kevtherev]

Thanks for the ideas. I can't seem to find a photo of a T25 with one of those Webasto roofs.
Surely if I joggled the roof panel in, it wouldn't require much filler....just a bit at the joint itself.

OK well remember this..
if you weld for to long it will warp

5mm tack and lots of cold water

[boatbuilder]

Just went to pick up a roof section tonight. It seems surprisingly thick so should weld pretty easily. I'm going to attempt a butt weld! I might try out those little intergrip things that Frosts sell. And as you say, do the welding in short sections allowing it to cool down completely before doing any more.

[boatbuilder]

Wow, a year later and I still haven't welded this in! For the record, I bought some intergrips and wasn't really that impressed with them.....more hassle than they're worth.

Just went to pick up a roof section tonight. It seems surprisingly thick so should weld pretty easily. I'm going to attempt a butt weld! I might try out those little intergrip things that Frosts sell. And as you say, do the welding in short sections allowing it to cool down completely before doing any more.