So I love kustom vans. I like the ugly conversion ones with the high-tops. Has anyone extended the roof on an HHR? I imagine it would be atrocious to most, but I think I might enjoy having it done...

 

Nope never seen a Higher Herotage High Roof, but maybe it has been done.
Like a Mark III conversion van, with the higher fibreglass lid, that would be a matter of taste.

 

Matter of taste or a matter of a lack of taste?

Need to figure out the logistics. I have more ideas than practical skills when it comes to cars (and most everything else).

 

I've never seen an HHR with a "High Top" conversion, and the engineering of such a conversion could prove daunting.

Being Unibody vehicles, the HHR has no seperate frame, meaning the roof is an integral structural element. So the body would need careful reinforcements and bracing to keep it from folding in the middle, plus structural integrity in an accident must be considered.

You might want to look up a "Mobility Outfitter" in your area to see if they have any input on raising the top of an HHR, or if they'd even attempt it.

 

Could you do something pseudo like the Halloween movies, and have the roof, either section, or whole thing, hinged, and locked in place by posts, with a hydraulic piston to lift the lid. Each of the vertical pieces that go top to bottom would be either reinforced and hinged, or reinforced and lockable with a a metal stud to align it in the hole once re-closed. Use the back seat as a fulcrum/lifting point. And make sure to use rubber sealant strips to maintain integrity of paint/corrosion resistance.