Replace the roof on a 1974 Ford E300 Van

[Suzzzanne]

I friend wants to give me this great old camper van... runs well, no rust, ready to go - except that a few years ago the roof caved in due to heavy snow fall.
I'd like to get an idea as to whether this roof can be economically replaced with ? what? fiber glass? Can it be done? What will a basic fix cost me?
Thanks!!!

[Roger J.]

Is it a steel roof?. Or does it currently have a fiberglass topper or a pop-up roof on it?.. In either case, is there damage to the sides of the van as well?. If not, how bad is the damage to the roof?.. Do all of the doors still close correctly?.
If it's too far gone to repair, you might be able to locate a donor steel roof or maybe one of the other camper style roofs. Either one is going to be a big job and is going to be pretty expensive to ship if you can't find one locally.

You're more than welcome to stop by my forum and ask the rest of the members there if any of them have tackled a job like that. Or if any of them know where you might find a donor van. Keep in mind that the 69-74s don't fetch a whole lot of money. So you'll likely be putting more money into it than it's worth if you can't fix what you have.

http://econolines.ipbhost.com/

[Suzzzanne]

Hi and thanks for your reply. The doors all still open / close just fine. The roof that caved is metal and there is a rim still present... as though just the top caved inward...

[Len]

Hi and thanks for your reply. The doors all still open / close just fine. The roof that caved is metal and there is a rim still present... as though just the top caved inward...

It may be able to be popped back up and straightened then painted. Can you post a picture?

[Suzzzanne]

It may be able to be popped back up and straightened then painted. Can you post a picture?

Sorry, but I didn't make myself explicit enough... it looks as though the roof simply caved in... but the rim of the roof is still intact... but make no mistake... this is a "sky-mobile!" Wide open to the elements. The owner has a plastic tarp taped around the perimeter. He's the one who suggested that I could repair the roof with fiberglass.... I have no idea. I also got to wondering about putting a used hightop on it???? Sorry, no picture right now... will see what I can do over the next couple of days.

[Roger J.]

There are several different styles of "camper" van options that were available with the 69-74s. Not all of the camper setups had some sort of an extended or pop-up roof. That's why I was wondering if it was a steel or fiberglass roof. If its fiberglass, it might have reinforcing beams of some sort in the roof.

[another2centsworth]

I would like to see several pics.....

[justinbellaa03]

Whether you are restoring your vehicle or looking for the performance advantage, Econoline fiberglass hoods are a fantastic way to go. Weight savings in only one of the many advantages of fiberglass. Fiberglass can also be repaired if it is damaged or cracked in an accident, so you won't have to track down another hood if you get into a small fender bender. The light weight material has been used by many OEM manufacturers including Lotus and Chevrolet. In the right applications, this stuff is very hard to beat.
-----------------------------