DIY Raised Roof Chevy Astro - Advice?

canuker

New member
Hi guys,

I'm going to be picking up a 2003 Astro on the weekend and want to build it out for van life. I chose an Astro for the added fuel efficiency over a standard length cargo van.

I really want to build a raised roof so I can stand. I'm on a tight budget and have no welding experience, so I want to make it out of wood.

I know this has been done before, and I want to do it at lightweight as possible.

I'm very inspired by teardrop trailer construction and stitch-and-glue boat construction. Marine plywood and fiberglass basically. Then I would use rigid foam insulation to line the inside of the plywood.

The method this tear drop camper uses intrigues me a lot:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW-ikFvkPnQ

It basiscally the same kind of construction you would use for a kayak.

A surfer/artist by the name of Jay Nelson (@jay if anyone has Instagram) builds campers like with house framing methods regularly:

http://www.jaynelsonart.com/

http://www.korduroy.tv/2016/what-happens-when-jay-nelson-creates-a-dream-surf-mobile-dream-steeple/

Just looking for some thoughts of how easily doable this would be. And any light weight but strong building methods would be helpful.

Cheers!
 

wjeeper

Active member
I see high top Econolines, Express and even Astro's on each of my trips to local self serve junkyards, and they sell for $100±. I am probably spoiled living in the land of the mini van (Utah), I hear high tops are hard to find elsewhere.

My only concern would be the wood of the top to the steel of the roof interface. With the different expansion rates of the two materials how does one seal that? But then again wood is a foreign medium to me.
 

Slicky72

Adventurer
Good luck with your build , I love my Astro van . They are a great platform but I doubt you will see any fuel savings over a full sized half ton . Reliable they are fuel efficient they are not .
 

Corneilius

Adventurer
x2 on finding a used top. There is a recent thread where a guy was going to modify one to fit his needs, not even starting from scratch. After a lot of man hours he found a used top that fit his needs for like $100
 

canuker

New member
Good luck with your build , I love my Astro van . They are a great platform but I doubt you will see any fuel savings over a full sized half ton . Reliable they are fuel efficient they are not .

Might look in to a full sized. I'm trying to find a cheapish van on gas.
 
Might look in to a full sized. I'm trying to find a cheapish van on gas.

no such animal.

unless your version of "good on gas" is different than most.

any v10 ford is gunna be 10-12mpg
any 5.4 ford is gunna be 14-16 if you drive mellow
my former 4.6 ford would get 17 if you held your tongue just right
astro vans are about the same, 17 ish

diesel can be great, but i dont have any experience with a diesel van

my 2016 transit connect, while strictly for the road, and some easy dirt roads, I'm stoked with the 26 highway i can get at 80mph...... tradeoff, small, small, not much load capacity, but for 90% of my use, its fine.
 

Ozarker

Pontoon Admiral
I'm considering a top for my Astro, but I don't want a boat on my roof, it would be a pop-up. The roof can be plywood, but you need to glass it.

High tops will kill your MPG and they aren't fun in a cross wind at highway speeds.

A trim ring can be made from aluminum stock or steel, it isn't welded to the roof, nothing is, there is no welding. The trim ring is glued down and riveted you can get a rubber seal material at a trim shop.

Cutting the roof out is pretty simple, redesigning the structural integrity of the roof framing isn't so simple. That is accomplished by the trim ring and your roof isn't flat, it slopes in 4 directions.

Search for "T-Low van build" I think he put a pop top on, but he didn't build the top.

If you're getting an Astro you need to go to this site:

http://www.astrosafari.com/index.php

I recently got mine and didn't realize that my van with 114K on it, while low miles, was still 16 years old. The first thing you need to do is start replacing things that are worn out, a lot of DIY can be done. Reliability is the first check list.

Congrats on getting your van, the build never stops.....good luck with yours.
 

canuker

New member
no such animal.

unless your version of "good on gas" is different than most.

any v10 ford is gunna be 10-12mpg
any 5.4 ford is gunna be 14-16 if you drive mellow
my former 4.6 ford would get 17 if you held your tongue just right
astro vans are about the same, 17 ish

diesel can be great, but i dont have any experience with a diesel van

my 2016 transit connect, while strictly for the road, and some easy dirt roads, I'm stoked with the 26 highway i can get at 80mph...... tradeoff, small, small, not much load capacity, but for 90% of my use, its fine.

When I say "cheapish" I mean relative to vans. I know the difference between 15mpg and 18mpg doesnt seem like much to most, but I'll take all that I can get. Preferably I would get a Toyota Hiace, 4x4 diesel 4cyl. Hear they get around 24mpg. But that would mean importing from Japan and I don't have time for that!
 
When I say "cheapish" I mean relative to vans. I know the difference between 15mpg and 18mpg doesnt seem like much to most, but I'll take all that I can get. Preferably I would get a Toyota Hiace, 4x4 diesel 4cyl. Hear they get around 24mpg. But that would mean importing from Japan and I don't have time for that!

"plenty" of Hi-Ace vans for sale here in the states, already imported.
 

nonhog

Observer
Not trying to be a downer but how in the heck would someone in the states get parts or service on one of those? (Hiace) I work at a Toyota dealer (31 years) never seen one at work.
Even the US Toyota Van would be tough to find parts for.
 
Not trying to be a downer but how in the heck would someone in the states get parts or service on one of those? (Hiace) I work at a Toyota dealer (31 years) never seen one at work.
Even the US Toyota Van would be tough to find parts for.

Internet, mail order from overseas etc etc.
 

Herbie

Rendezvous Conspirator
I'm considering a top for my Astro, but I don't want a boat on my roof, it would be a pop-up. The roof can be plywood, but you need to glass it.

High tops will kill your MPG and they aren't fun in a cross wind at highway speeds.

A trim ring can be made from aluminum stock or steel, it isn't welded to the roof, nothing is, there is no welding. The trim ring is glued down and riveted you can get a rubber seal material at a trim shop.

Cutting the roof out is pretty simple, redesigning the structural integrity of the roof framing isn't so simple. That is accomplished by the trim ring and your roof isn't flat, it slopes in 4 directions.

Search for "T-Low van build" I think he put a pop top on, but he didn't build the top.

If you're getting an Astro you need to go to this site:

http://www.astrosafari.com/index.php

I recently got mine and didn't realize that my van with 114K on it, while low miles, was still 16 years old. The first thing you need to do is start replacing things that are worn out, a lot of DIY can be done. Reliability is the first check list.

Congrats on getting your van, the build never stops.....good luck with yours.

You can check my build thread for a fairly comprehensive overview on the mechanicals of an Astro pop-top. I transplanted a GTRV top from a 1995 van to my 2003. It was a LOT of work. Everything you say about high-tops is true, but for the mechanical complexity, etc., if I were to do another van, I'd probably just start with a high-roof van. (Either a pre-high-roofed van conversion, or a 1st-gen sprinter, though I'd miss the easy upgrade to 4x4)

Regarding mileage, sorry to say the Astro isn't going to do you much better than a full size. You might actually get better mileage on a fullsize with a small v8, especially if you're spending a lot of time at freeway speed. The V6 in the Astro/Safari is working hard to push that brick through the air.
 

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