That C pillar cross brace IS welded in, both hardtop and Westy. As for the sunroof vans, those have MORE roof structure than standard roofs, a lot more. I'd say the sunroof is the strongest roof, followed by the the hardtop, Westy last. Mark
Tom Buese wrote: > > Unless that cross brace is welded in, it doesn't add any torsional stiffness to the body- a "moment resisting connection" would be required to transfer that stiffness to the body& if the brace is only siting on a lip in the opening, it is only supporting axial or gravity loads on it. > > Mr. BZ-licensed architect who can legally design some structural members, but uses much smarter structural engineers to do that instead > > >> (and as mentioned, to support forward end of westy bunk plywood). In the tin top, the beam is curved to match roof curvature, in the westy its not. >> >> Both van types have box section cross beam at forward end of roof opening area. > > yep, that box section is what provides the torsional stiffness around the opening >> |
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