Raised roof van

dancorn

Veteran Expediter
Could not afford a newer Sprinter and you'll scared me away from older ones so I bought a 2003 Ford E350 with a 7.3 diesel. Still like the idea of the extra head room and am considering a raised roof. With so many ambulance and other high roof users going to Sprinters it seems logical that there should be an increased number of used high roofs (just the roofs only) available. Anyone have experience with a high roof? Any maintenance issues such as leaks, cracks, wind noise, etc? What kind of mileage cost with a raised roof?
Looked on line for a used roof lot but found nothing. I bet there is someone in the midwest that sells and installs them but have not found them yet.

P.S. I did go back to Canada but took a lot less smokes. I crossed at Ambassador Bridge both ways and the question never came up. Figures!

P.P.S. Joe, I am still waiting for my stuff and $100. At least send me my mp3's.
 

guido4475

Not a Member
I used to install raised roofs on new vans for the handicapped to accomodate the wheelchair lifts, etc.Had to do several body lifts as well.One company that comes to mind that I know of is MC Mobility on Tyler Blvd in Mentor,Ohio 44060. It is not really hard to do, and any mechanically-inclined person can do it himself with a little help from a freind.
 

chefdennis

Veteran Expediter
the issue with a used roof will be the care that was taken to remove it...make sure you look it over REAL good..it you find a good one, and it is installed properly, you shouldn't have any leaks and that is the major issue....
 

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Try to get one more aerodynamic...some of them raised roofs look weird/silly and pretty blunt...MPG's in the van world is pretty important factor....
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Not to slam anyone, but if you are afraid of buying an older sprinter and it is assumed that you lack mechanical knowledge, then do you want to tackle putting on a new roof on a van without experience?

Go look for a new one at one of these van custom shops, have it put on by a professionals and let them worry about the problems. Once you cut the wrong thing or cut too much, it is a pain in the a** to fix your mistake.
 

dancorn

Veteran Expediter
Greg, No offence taken by your assumption on my mechanical knowledge. I was just seeking informtion. As I am sure you know we are all born knowing how to do just three things (wet, suckle and cry), everything else either comes from others or we figure it out for ourselves. Actually at this time in my life I would prefer to turn a wheel rather than a wrench but if need be I can still scrape the hide off my knuckels. I just did not want to buy something that had a reputed predeliction for eating skin on a regulr basis. Peace Brother!
 

greg334

Veteran Expediter
Well I am speaking from experience, putting a roof on the van is a pain and I hate to see others spend a couple days working at something and then still have problems.

It is far easier to take an extra couple hundred and hand it to someone.

Have you thought of getting on the road and then saving to have it done?
 

dancorn

Veteran Expediter
Actually I do plan to start driving as an o/o next week w/o the raised roof. I was just gathering info for the future. I probably will have someone do the install, if and when I buy a roof. Appreciate the concern.
 

Jack_Berry

Moderator Emeritus
there is this in the eo classifieds.

http://www.expeditersonline.com/classifieds/index/listings/page6292.htm


had a quote once for $5k to do a roof and the doors.
 

jeffman164

Seasoned Expediter
I have a raised roof in my 2005 G.M.C. There are pics of my van in the old classifieds section . I love it . Have extra storage space above the drivers seat and the back 3 feet above the doors . Can take my mountain bike along for the ride . Not sure exactly , but figure that I lose about 1 to 1 1/2 miles per gallon with it but well worth it . I had it installed March of 08 for $2,800.00 out the door . The place that installed it is called Connelly Enterprises . It is located at 43334 West Seven Mile Rd. , Suite 600 , Northville , Mi , 48167 . The phone number is (248) 348 - 1770 .
 

guido4475

Not a Member
It is actually not that difficult to do.I did 2 a week in my younger days.This was also raising the rear door opening to where you could almost walk in, because some wheelchair lifts were tall when folded up inside.There are several diferent shapes pf raised roofs available.Have it drop-shipped at the house.
 
Top