Roof Raise Steel question

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Just get hat channel made..........

Nat

Or buy/hire a welder.

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Or buy/hire a welder.

Even doing that, hat channel is the way to go.

I don't recommend the op weld anything.

Nat

[Intalleyvision]

How much did a your Hat Channels cost you? I already bought all the tubes is all haha

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Intalleyvision

How much did a your Hat Channels cost you? I already bought all the tubes is all haha

Just have someone weld em up and be done...

[nat_ster]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Just have someone weld em up and be done...

Or just smear a bunch of JB weld in there before stuffing the tubes into the hat channels. Lol.

It will hold about the same.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Or just smear a bunch of JB weld in there before stuffing the tubes into the hat channels. Lol.

It will hold about the same.

Nat

You're being VERY dishonest now.

[Intalleyvision]

Well what if I weld it? Is that gap ok?

[Tango]

The whole idea behind a proper, tight, well secured fit is to transfer any loading.

Air does not transfer loads well.

[nat_ster]

Tubing is just the wrong material, no matter how you secure it.

You should have got the hat channel made.

Mine cost around $400.

Nat

[family wagon]

In my own relatively uneducated opinion, I would go a little easier on the square tube than nat_ster does. His use of custom hat channel was the first time I'd heard the idea. Square tube was the only method I'd heard of up to that point, and plenty of successful raises have been done with it.

However... I don't recall reading of a raise that involved bolted square tube. I only recall it being done with welds. For me that's the biggest concern here and it's because of the possibility of the tube crushing and losing its strength.

On my Blue Bird I've found a few places where connections are done with bolts. Most of them aren't truly structural though. There are a few that apparently are; the rear-most rib of the bus which is part of the body cantilever over the rear engine (the body is not supported by the frame out back) has this interesting clip piece inside the rib/hat channel.


With all that said: I agree with nat_ster that hat channel is superior to square tube. It's been several months now, but from memory I think the sheet metal shop charged me US$27 each for 10 foot lengths of 14 gauge galvanized steel hat channel made to my specification. I took them a sample of the Blue Bird channel and asked them to make a new channel to fit on top. We got the first pieces riveted into place Saturday, and it's beautiful. That shop did a great job on the channel. I show it here fastened with four 1/4" solid rivets; I haven't decided yet whether to do any more than that.

[aaronsb]

If you are in aa situation where you can't weld, I'd like to second nat's suggestion to get hat channel that conforms to the existing ribs.

You can solid rivet the pieces together if you have enough overlap to make a solid spar. Consider you really need to attach the sheet metal to the rib too, in order to give it shear and load transfer strength.

Originally Posted by nat_ster

You will not be able to use bolts with tubing.

There are no flanges to bolt through.

If you use tubing, your stuck to welding them in.

You also can't use adhesive with tubing. The new and old pieces must match to use adhesive.

Hat channel is the way to go.

Nat

[CaptainInsaneo]

90 Amp-AC, 120 Volt, Flux Cored Welder
This is good enough to do what you want it to do. You will also need a mask $40, preferably a slag hammer but a regular one will work, a wire brush and a grinder, and some clamps you can never have too many clamps.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by CaptainInsaneo

90 Amp-AC, 120 Volt, Flux Cored Welder
This is good enough to do what you want it to do. You will also need a mask $40, preferably a slag hammer but a regular one will work, a wire brush and a grinder, and some clamps you can never have too many clamps.

Or some see me and use my new Hobart for free!

[Intalleyvision]

Could I squeeze a Shim into the little space between the bars, then weld? I'm being told be some people that could work no problem, just want yall's opinion!

[CaptainInsaneo]

Post some IRL pics of the tubes and channels in question, with out that it is all just guessing.

[mickslife]

I am too raising the roof on my bus. I am welding 1.25 x 1/8 inch thick wall square tubing. I am only raising the roof 12". I think welding would be the best for strength, Especially as high as you are going.

[nat_ster]

The more layer, shims ect, the less strength you will have.

Mickslife.

Please look around this site before thinking welding thin, galvanized metal is stronger than other methods. We have covered this repeatedly. Long story short, a armature welding outside with substandard welding equipment, with minimal experience leaves a massive margin for crappy welds that can and will break.

You also risk damaging the original hat channel supports beyond repair.

Riveting is the way the bus was made for the same reasons airplanes are. Armature DIY people can set good rivets and bolts in almost any environment without failure.

Welding needs to be done right to be strong. Done wrong, it's asking for a disaster.

We don't need to make skoolies even harder to insure. So please guys, lets do these roof raises the best way we can.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mickslife

I am too raising the roof on my bus. I am welding 1.25 x 1/8 inch thick wall square tubing. I am only raising the roof 12". I think welding would be the best for strength, Especially as high as you are going.

Yeah, welding is definitely best, unless you're scared of weders!

[nat_ster]

I weld a fair bit. No fear of welding here.

I just know when to weld, and when not to.

Armatures should not be welding structural components.

Nat

[EastCoastCB]

Who said he or she's an "armature"?