24' Morgan box - roof repair in New England?

[msquared]

I've got a straight truck with a 24' Morgan box, and the translucent fiberglass roof needs some attention. I could really use some advice from those who have had this problem before.

The damage is from excessive weight on the roof. A large number of the C-channel roof boughs have bowed in the center, and the last 12"-18" of the fiberglass sheeting tore away from the sides and rear of the box.

I'm pretty handy mechanically, so replacing the roof boughs would only be expensive in terms of materials (buying the boughs), not labor. But it looks like in order to drill out the rivets and replace the boughs, I'd have to remove a lot more of the fiberglass sheeting than what is damaged.

And then I get to the fiberglass repair. I think it needs at least the last 18" of fiberglass cut off and a patch section added in. That's assuming I don't damage it more replacing the boughs.

Has anyone "been there, done that, got advice"?

I'm open to taking it to a couple of shops for quotes, if you can suggest anyone reputable in New England. I have a list of names and phone numbers from the Morgan website for their authorized repair centers, but this is a 10+ year old box, and I suspect a trailer shop might be able to repair it just as well and for less money... if only I knew of a trailer shop I could trust.

 

[jjoerger]

I don't know about repairing it but a 10 year old box that has a lot of roof problems can get costly really quick. Maybe you should think about replacing it.
Here's a link to a used 24 foot that looks to be in really good condition. Ellenbaum Truck Sale -- trucksforsale.com
And they do have others. I bought my truck from them and found them to be an honest dealer.

 

[Camper]

Depending on the nature of the damage, you might be able to patch it up. Another option would be finding a building supply store that sells translucent fiberglass sheets.

If, however, the damage is extensive and the overall condition of the box is less than par, you're better off replacing the whole box.

 

[purgoose10]

A 24' box should be easy to replace. Most truck dealers if they don't have any I'm sure the parts people can tell you where to get one. I have a junk yard a couple of miles from the house that usually has 2-3 of them all the time.




My sister site is
www.trucking4green.com/

 

[Dakota]

Noone else asked and I am curious...
Why did you have freight on your roof?

other than the roof how is the overall shape of the box?
If it is rusty and seen it's better day a replacement is not difficult. Since you said you were handy I would just patch it up the best you can and save up for a replacement box in the next couple years.

 

[msquared]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone.

The damage wasn't caused by freight... it was a couple of feet of solid white precipitation.

As for replacing the box, it's in decent shape otherwise, and has had a lot of custom work done to it that would be expensive to duplicate. So I'm going to pursue the repair route. Maybe I can find a damaged box and buy used roof beams.