pop top campers and other bits n bobs

[obsession]

I know we have a camper section and I know we have a rust section  but as this involves 3 things im gonna have to just stick it here , as some of you know Iv been working on Daves van Iv done plenty of bedfords before but never a pop top.(HAD TO BE A VIRGIN OFF SOMETHING) anyway a couple off things have got my attention 1st as its a pop top I was still a bit miffed to find no roof brasses in it at all , is this common? I would have thought some other type of braces would have been located at the front of the roof top and the rear but there is non and it alarms me a bit as Im sure over time the roof must flex with every day driving so the seam sealer must crack and give way letting even more moisture in?
Secondly I keep seeing above the windscreen a lead patch and Iv seen others in other bedfords in the same place has any one else noticed this? and any idea why? 
Iv been posting a few gutter profile shots and as our cold weather in perth has just started I thought id share this photo of the roof condensation in My Blue van after just one night!
that moisture then rolles down into the inside gutters and pools and that's why they rust so badly from the inside out , fish oil cavity wax what ever  you can get in there will help!!
cheers for reading my dribble.

all wet :-(

[Banksx2]

Dribble - good pun!! 

I wonder if sound deadener and head lining would improve things? Sound deadener for insulation and head lining as a barrier to absorb moisture before it condensed on bare steel? Dunno - just guessing

[obsession]

no, unfortunately not it helps retain the moisture you really do have to treat the metal itself.
 

[Banksx2]

As  to pop-tops, we've got one out the back as a spares donor. No roof bracing. I'll get a couple of pics on the weekend to show you what's up there

[restoreid]

Hey obsession check out my gallery & camper update posts [might take a while] but I had the same problem but the front brace was there  The roof cracks in the corners because the poptop bounces that much without braces Its not hard to put in extra ones the photos of mine are all there Cheers Reid

[mbasinski]

so i guess this tubing not factory standard

[cords]

yep you need bracing down the sides and the condensation is the great bedford killer that's why the wife's is getting weld through seem sealer and a 2pack Finnish every where that wont be welled and weld through primer every where else and the rest of the water runs down the cant rail and then down the in side of the front pillar through theses holes hence the pillar rust probs


oh and this freshly repaired gutter and cant rail ready to go back in and its raw no paint

[Dave]

Ive had two campers, one an english conversion the other the one Craig (and Johno?) are playing with, I know this one doesnt have bracing and was fairly sure the pommy one never either.
The only issue ive had is sometimes the latches holding the poptop down pop open if Im on rough roads, maybe bracing would help, I never thought about it before.

Dave

[Bas / NZ]

I used to make and fit these pop tops to Bedfords many years ago, all were fitted with braces. If not it's not been done right.............

[Dave]

I reckon adding one more thing to the long list of things wrong with my van wont make any significant difference, I still like it