High-Roof Rehab!?

crazycaseys53

crazycaseys53

Member
Hey there. I’ve recently purchased an E350 with a 24” Fiberine bubble top (non reverse flange model). The top has been on the van for about 20 years and it’s got a few issues...and I’m getting ready to paint the van, so I want to address them.

I pulled the rotten vinyl cap molding off the screw rail that secured the top and found it to be packed full of mud in a couple of spots. I’m not sure how, exactly, the mud got in there, but I’ve got about 6 screws that are rusted to the point that they’re not really holding their weight anymore (see photo). I’m surprised they wouldn’t have used stainless in an application like this.

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Luckily, the top isn’t leaking at all, and I’m of the mentality that I want to repair what I can without disturbing the rest. I’ve ordered a new roll of vinyl cap molding, but what should I do about these rusty screws? Would I be better off to try and extract them (between the rust and dissimilar metals I’m not sure I’d be successful), or just add new screws in between the ones that are rusted? Do folks just coat these flange screws in silicone before they install them, or is there another method to keep them from leaking? Should I try to remove the screws that aren’t rusted to replace them with stainless so the next person to tear into this thing isn’t faced with the same situation, or am I better off leaving them alone?

The other issue I’m having is just from a handful of spider cracks in the fiberglass (I’m attaching a picture of the worst one. Any tips for repairing those? I’ve seen a video online where they recommended end drilling the cracks and working epoxy putty into the crack. Whatever I do is going to get sanded and then painted.

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Thanks for the advice.
 
L

Len.Barron

Observer
I've got a section of my cap molding that is bulged out, I need to pull it as well...where did you find replacement moulding? On the old screws I'd use a small sanding/conditioning pad to take them down to flush and clean them up as much as possible then coat those areas with a rust encapsulator then some sealant over than when cured. Adding new stainless screws in between those is a good fix and I'd probably just replace them all with stainless while I was at it..
 
crazycaseys53

crazycaseys53

Member
Len.Barron said:
I've got a section of my cap molding that is bulged out, I need to pull it as well...where did you find replacement moulding? On the old screws I'd use a small sanding/conditioning pad to take them down to flush and clean them up as much as possible then coat those areas with a rust encapsulator then some sealant over than when cured. Adding new stainless screws in between those is a good fix and I'd probably just replace them all with stainless while I was at it..
Click to expand...

Fiberine sells the molding for about $135 shipped. There is an eBay seller that has something similar...and it’s much less, but I’m not 100% convinced that it’s the right size. I ordered a sample, and I’ll post the link to it up here if it ends up being the right stuff. I should know one way or the other by the end of the week.

Good call on rust treating the bad screws. I have some POR-15 for my axle housings, and will just use some of that. If I install new screws do you think it would be sufficient to apply silicone to them before I screw them in, or...? The molding seals water from leaking under the head of the screw, but water can totally get behind the aluminum bracket and probably find it’s way down the threads. You can’t really silicone the channel, because that’s where the molding goes, though I did think about running a bead of silicone over the molding after it’s installed. It would make doing this job a second time a total nightmare, but hopefully the new molding will last as long as the one I just pulled off.
 
L

Len.Barron

Observer
the stress cracks in the gel coat are hard to fix, you have to get all the way behind the gel coat to get rid of them, I'd probably clean them out a bit with a small dremel bit and epoxy them then feather it back in....it's a lot of work..
 
Bbasso

Bbasso

Expedition goofball
I would coat the new hardware that goes into or through the fiberglass topper with permatex grey, I have done this on my own top and still good years later.
I let it ooze out to make sure it fills any voids then clean promptly.
I didnt have success with marine goop, failed much sooner.
 
crazycaseys53

crazycaseys53

Member
Len.Barron said:
Did that other molding match? link to it?
Thanks
Click to expand...

No Len, it didn’t. Even though the aftermarket 1” molding is listed as fitting a 3/4” screw cap (which is what Fiberine uses), whatever I purchased was just too loose, and popped off on the corners. The aftermarket 3/4” molding fits, but I can only find it with a little extra leg on the top (see image), and that doesn’t really work that well either. One could slice the extra material off...x500” of molding...I’m going to try it, but man, I’m a glutton for punishment.
 

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L

Len.Barron

Observer
crazycaseys53 said:
No Len, it didn’t. Even though the aftermarket 1” molding is listed as fitting a 3/4” screw cap (which is what Fiberine uses), whatever I purchased was just too loose, and popped off on the corners. The aftermarket 3/4” molding fits, but I can only find it with a little extra leg on the top (see image), and that doesn’t really work that well either. One could slice the extra material off...x500” of molding...I’m going to try it, but man, I’m a glutton for punishment.
Click to expand...
you mentioned that fiberine sells the correct molding, do you have a part number for that or is it just call and order thing ?(I know they are a bit old school).
 
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