[jdecarion]

Hi All. Thanks everyone for posting such great stuff. It's been quite an education to read all of the threads.

I'm wondering how "safe" putting a pop-top on a ford transit 150 RB wagon is. I'm planning to do a "weekender" style conversion with a fold down sofa bed in back and a pop-top (we may add stove/fridge/storage later). My wife and I have a two and three year old so the van needs to be able to sleep four people and accommodate two car seats. Of course safety is our primary concern.

Has anyone else done a "weekender" (just a pop-top and sofa-bed) conversion? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks. --Jim

 

[yelnam]

At this point there have been many pop tops installed on Transits by Sportsmobile, CCV, and other companies. And there have been tons of them done on Sprinters ... .

 

[jdecarion]

Do you know if they meet federal safety standards or is it just that they have been done?? Thanks.

 

[WAMTB]

Do you know if they meet federal safety standards or is it just that they have been done?? Thanks.

I can't recall where, but I had read that the GTRV poptops are the same as the Pleasure Way Traverse vans, which were sold new as RVs. Hard to imagine they didn't meet fed specs if sold as new vehicles.

 

[jonsobi]

I'm sure you have good reasons for wanting a pop top. From my personal experience, the advantages of a pop top are always outweighed by the flexibility of a stand up, permanently accessible van.

I would recommend renting a med roof 148". Spend some time visualizing the ease of entry and exit, and the zero set up time.

To me, the roof structure of modern uni body vans is part and parcel of their structural rigidity and resistance to flex over time and miles. Something else to consider.

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

 

[BigSkyVan]

They don't cut the roof off on a medium roof. Access is made by cutting the sunroof space.


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[jonsobi]

That sounds like a whole different approach. None of my comments really apply in that case!

 

[yelnam]

This used to worry me as Sportsmobile and others cut out much more than a sunroof space. But they insert a steel frame all around, have done many, and have gone through some sort of engineering certification for it with the manufacturer.

 

[yelnam]

PS: a poptop can be very helpful for families and when traveling with 3 or 4 people.

 

[DOC1]

I have been reading and observing posts on various threads for quite some time now and feel that now is the time to chime in. I'm new at the "opinions" side of things here so I'll start with questions first...which I have plenty. We have a low roof, extended, 2017 cargo Transit that I am so looking forward to putting a pop top in. In adding to this thread, I have yet to see a pop top conversion that actually utilizes the entire roof of the extended van, much like the regular body pop top does...whether it be from Sportsmobile or CCV. Anyone have experience with this concern as well and are there suitable pop tops that take this design and space utilization feature to fruition? Looking forward to your thoughts! Cheers!

 

[klp]

I have a low roof too and looked hard at all the options out there. No one that I know makes a 148 sized pop up.

Explorer conversions does make a full length extension but it only adds about 8" or so.

PJptezza has a low roof conversion from CCV I think, maybe he will chime in with some input.

As someone else noted, the availability of multiple roof heights takes some of the shine off the pop up roof market.

 

[86scotty]

I've had several pop tops, CCV and Sportsmobile, however none in a Transit. They make a medium or high roof Transit so I'm not sure why anyone would want a low roof. If it's a garage thing I'd get a bigger garage because I'd never be going back. If you want more space in a low roof I'd sell it for a higher roof. I'm not even sure why they make a low roof van anymore. Makes absolutely no sense to me. YMMV.

 

[pjtezza]

ModVans builds and installs popup tops on the low roof, 148" wheelbase Transit. (At this time, we do not install our popup top separately - only as a a part of a complete camper van conversion.)

The choice of a popup top vs. other form factors is just one of many trade-offs - some people prefer pickup trucks. The popup top van drives better in winds (nature generated or from other vehicles), off-road and just in general. With a large bed at the roof level, it provide more layout flexibility. In our case, our vehicle is design to transport and sleep 4-5 people in two separate beds. The way our popup cutout is designed, you can stand up inside the van, however, you do have to raise and lower the popup top to do so.

Regarding safety, if you look at the construction of a typical RV, you can see that they obviously don't have to pass the FMVSS roof crush test. There is no way a simple box frame is going to survive a roll-over of an 8,000+lb vehicle. Basically, the RV industry gets a pass because of their low volume, low incident rate and self regulation. Van conversions fit into an even more grey area as many/most are not even RVIA certified.

In our case, we decided to engineer a frame for our roof cut out that will, at least in computer models, easily pass an FMVSS roof crush test. It is made by sandwiching the roof between a pair of aluminum beams. It is considerably stronger than the roof structure it replaces and it is tied into the van's B, C and D frame pillars. Our honeycomb composite top adds additional crush resistance and space on top of what is provided by the cut out frame. We do similar work on our 2nd and 3rd row seating engineering and our RVs are RVIA certified. The RVIA does not have specific standards for popup tops or slide-outs.

 

[phil]

For what it's worth,

http://www.fiberine.com/GVMR/Home.html

 

[DOC1]

I've had several pop tops, CCV and Sportsmobile, however none in a Transit. They make a medium or high roof Transit so I'm not sure why anyone would want a low roof. If it's a garage thing I'd get a bigger garage because I'd never be going back. If you want more space in a low roof I'd sell it for a higher roof. I'm not even sure why they make a low roof van anymore. Makes absolutely no sense to me. YMMV.

Thank you for your prompt responses! I definitely thought of getting the high roof initially as I'm 6'4" (my 15 year old son is taller than me ), and we could definitely stand up with room to spare. However, I wanted the availability to duck into smaller places and reduce wind resistance, etc. When we purchased the low roof, I had no intentions of keeping it stock...we were always going to put a pop top in. My only concern with what I've seen so far, is that I don't like the look of the extended body, low roof with the CCV or Sportsmobile pop top that doesn't go completely to the vehicles edge, finishing the look of the van to appear more uniform. (perhaps this was an investigative fail on my part).
That said, I absolutely love my van. It has the Quigley 4x4 and I'll be putting larger tires on it soon. So, until CCV or Sportsmobile or Modvan (though I think they use the SM top) or someone else comes out with a longer version pop top, my van will only sleep two for now and won't afford for standing up
:-(
That said, if anyone is working on another design to enlarge the pop top, I'd love to hear from you.

 

[BigSkyVan]

Celling left in place. Access between B and C roof rib.


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[DOC1]

Celling left in place. Access between B and C roof rib.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This looks awesome. Med roof with a CCV top? I didn't think they were still doing this pop top on the medium roof. Also, is it the 148" wb? What size tires do you have on it?
Anyway, nice looking van!

 

[DOC1]

ModVans builds and installs popup tops on the low roof, 148" wheelbase Transit. (At this time, we do not install our popup top separately - only as a a part of a complete camper van conversion.)

The choice of a popup top vs. other form factors is just one of many trade-offs - some people prefer pickup trucks. The popup top van drives better in winds (nature generated or from other vehicles), off-road and just in general. With a large bed at the roof level, it provide more layout flexibility. In our case, our vehicle is design to transport and sleep 4-5 people in two separate beds. The way our popup cutout is designed, you can stand up inside the van, however, you do have to raise and lower the popup top to do so.

Regarding safety, if you look at the construction of a typical RV, you can see that they obviously don't have to pass the FMVSS roof crush test. There is no way a simple box frame is going to survive a roll-over of an 8,000+lb vehicle. Basically, the RV industry gets a pass because of their low volume, low incident rate and self regulation. Van conversions fit into an even more grey area as many/most are not even RVIA certified.

In our case, we decided to engineer a frame for our roof cut out that will, at least in computer models, easily pass an FMVSS roof crush test. It is made by sandwiching the roof between a pair of aluminum beams. It is considerably stronger than the roof structure it replaces and it is tied into the van's B, C and D frame pillars. Our honeycomb composite top adds additional crush resistance and space on top of what is provided by the cut out frame. We do similar work on our 2nd and 3rd row seating engineering and our RVs are RVIA certified. The RVIA does not have specific standards for popup tops or slide-outs.

Really nice van modification! I love this! However, since I already own my van, I'm in the market to modify as I go. Right now, I'm focused on finding the best pop top for it and I'll continue with the rest as I can afford. That said, if/when you start doing a la carte builds (ie.only pop tops, etc), please reach out to me as I'd be very interested in talking with you more.
Thanks for replying!!

 

[klp]

http://www.fiberine.com/GVMR/Home.html

Wow, they figured out how to make an NV even uglier!

 

[richards]

when i was researching what to buy, i considered the sportsmobile pop top camper version before i discovered the transit. to me if you are adding the same amount of roof wind resistance of a medium tall van or a medium to high roof why would you do it. yes you get the bed up there but you can creatively get it within the parameters of the van. you are also adding more mechanical things to go wrong over time to say nothing of having to spend the time making it go up and down. a safety question is with the pop up are the air bags kept?