Home fitting a hi-top

Post by **wee bugger** » 05 Nov 2008, 09:50

Morning, got a hi-top van that has been sitting in drive for a year with various challenges (its knackered engine being the biggest and i am not mechanically minded, plus welding, new susp needed plus more) and have two options - do all work to it or cut losses and buy a cheap MOT'd tin top and move interior and hi-top.

Question is how easy is it to remove and refit hi-top at home?? anyone done it?? What should i beware of??

Post by **ermie571** » 05 Nov 2008, 12:57

removing hi-tops can be energy intensive....not done it myself, but understand that breaking the sealant is the difficult bit. Saw the van that my hightop cam off.....

but the van was being scrapped so it didn't mattter that the metal roof was bent....

Putting it on other vehicle was easy. Admittedly, we already had the hole, as had a poptop before. Think it tool about a day to remove the hightop from the donor....we did the poptop removal and hightop replacement in about 5 hours!!

If it were me I would be getting an MOT'd vehicle that I can drive an enjoy, and swapping over. Take verything that you can possibly think of from the donor, and send the rotten stuff to scrap. Clean plasticy bits and pieces, and store in loft! Shove mechanical in a shed.

Em
x

Post by **meggles** » 05 Nov 2008, 21:54

Done this. It's been covered in a posting and a reply of mine. Used a Black and Decker scorpion saw to cut seal. Used Tigerseal to refit. Search my postings for hitop and you might find details of replies I got. I can't do it 'cos I'm not that clever.
It can be done and it ain't that difficult. Well worth the effort in my opinion.
If you want a lot more info about how I got on please pm me.

Post by **meggles** » 05 Nov 2008, 22:08

Don't know if I've done this right but here, hopefully, is a link.
Good Luck.

http://forum.club8090.co.uk/viewtopic.p ... ht=#206200

Post by **mrsscoobydrew** » 06 Nov 2008, 08:54

We to have done this its not to bad, drew used a kitchen knife and hammer to break the seal then parked the vans behined each other and slid the roof across cleaning the old seal of as we went then resealed with tigarseal all done in short time. The cutting of the roof hole is the hard bit.

Post by **Ian Hulley** » 06 Nov 2008, 09:18

It all depends how the original hightop was fitted ... our's was fitted with fibreglass matting and resin, I believe it won't be going anywhere. Most are screwed on and sealed with tigerseal or just the tigerseal though.

Ian.