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Posted By: Jseabolt Will a Dodge van roof support 150 lbs? - November 09th 2019 2:41 am
Reason I ask is, I need to do some serious polishing/waxing on the roof of my 2001 Dodge shorty (flat roof, no fiberglass extension) I just bought and I was wondering if the roof is capable of supporting my weight (150 lbs). I'm not planning on standing on the roof, just laying across it while I hit it with some polishing compound then some wax.

Cleaning then waxing the roof on my Chevy Express conversion van is a real challenge. It's got one of those fiberglass extension caps. In the spring, I stand on a ladder then scrub the dirt off with one of those bug pads then apply a coat of paste wax then I just leave then wax on there and not even buff it off except for what's visible on the sides.

I've just about fallen off this ladder a few times. There has to be a safer way of cleaning and waxing the roof.
Posted By: Ram4ever Re: Will a Dodge van roof support 150 lbs? - December 09th 2019 1:27 am
I wouldn't trust to putting all your weight on the roof in a concentrated area. Please consider using something like a partial sheet of plywood to distribute your weight. Something like the heavy shipping blankets sold at Harbor Freight would make great anti scratch pads for this sort of work.

I added 6 more ceiling bows inside my roof, and still view its load bearing capabilities with skepticism...

Here's why: when I got the van it had two (yes, count 'em, two!) sets of luggage racks, which it appears the previous owners relished using, as the entire rooftop was crushed down into a 1+ inch deep water-holding lake...! This portable lagoon gradually ate most of the paint off, leaving me facing an epic clean up.

I had to jack the ceiling and its support bows back up with floor jacks and 2x4s, which is why it's not perfectly flat across the top.

As far as I'm concerned, the sales brochures from back in the day of some young fellow strumming a guitar atop his van at the beach were little more than a glamorous romantic fantasy. Something to spread any loads is going to get the thumbs up from here!
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