A Bus Named Eternity

[T-Bolt]

I has been a while since I posted any updates but I really haven't done anything last winter but install the new subfloor.

The last couple week I have been hitting it pretty hard.

We built the front seating that is a little different from others that I have seen. The passenger side has a an 8 foot bench with seatbelts. The driver side has a 38 inch dinette plus a 38 inch front facing seat all with seatbelts.

Built a queen bed in the rear "master bedroom"

We insulates the walls and ceiling and covered them with plywood and a beadboard insert in the ceiling.

[Native]

Nice that you left your windows in the living room.

[JackE]

Originally Posted by T-Bolt

Say good bye to the rear wheel wells!!

Can you elaborate on how they determined the amount of clearance needed to account for chassis roll? Was it simply measuring the distance from axle to bump stop, or adding a certain amount to that measurement? My fender deterioration is much the same as yours and I am determined to remove what I can in well height. I measured the bump stop distance and added 1" to account for roll. I believe that will be enough. Your wells are very nicely done. I would love to do the same to the front, but the floor is in good shape and I think I would only gain about 2 inches so it's not worth the effort. It looks like the back will be a gain of about 6 inches, and since the work is needed anyway, why not.

[Native]

WHen I did my wheelhouse shortening, I made a jig I set on the wheels with the air springs deflated. I then mounted the wheelhouse by setting it on the jig. This provided 3 inches of space when the wheel is at the closest to the wheelhouse.

[JackE]

Originally Posted by Native

WHen I did my wheelhouse shortening, I made a jig I set on the wheels with the air springs deflated. I then mounted the wheelhouse by setting it on the jig. This provided 3 inches of space when the wheel is at the closest to the wheelhouse.

Excellent idea....if I had air bags! That does give me the idea for making the same type jig with the height of the bump stop space built into it. Now I just have to get busy with cutting out the existing wells so I become fully committed to the modification!

[Native]

I know I posted pictures of my process SOMEWHERE in these forums!

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Native

I know I posted pictures of my process SOMEWHERE in these forums!

BUILD THREAD, MAN!!!

Not that I can easily find anything in my own, lol.

[T-Bolt]

Originally Posted by JackE

Can you elaborate on how they determined the amount of clearance needed to account for chassis roll? Was it simply measuring the distance from axle to bump stop, or adding a certain amount to that measurement? My fender deterioration is much the same as yours and I am determined to remove what I can in well height. I measured the bump stop distance and added 1" to account for roll. I believe that will be enough. Your wells are very nicely done. I would love to do the same to the front, but the floor is in good shape and I think I would only gain about 2 inches so it's not worth the effort. It looks like the back will be a gain of about 6 inches, and since the work is needed anyway, why not.

Unfortunately, I do not know the details of how they came up with the data for the roll. I did add a little to what they suggested to be on the safe side. Give as much space as you can for the tire and use heavy-gauge steel all welded. I used 1/4" angle iron and 10 gauge plate.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by JackE

Excellent idea....if I had air bags! That does give me the idea for making the same type jig with the height of the bump stop space built into it. Now I just have to get busy with cutting out the existing wells so I become fully committed to the modification!

If you've got access to some big jacks you could put the front end of the bus in the air high enough to get a floor jack under one side and lift that wheel until the shock on the other side bottoms out. Should get you close enough.

[JackE]

Originally Posted by Oscar1

If you've got access to some big jacks you could put the front end of the bus in the air high enough to get a floor jack under one side and lift that wheel until the shock on the other side bottoms out. Should get you close enough.

After pulling out of my driveway a few times, I realized the angle of transition from my sloped driveway to the road put about as much flex on the bus as anything I will experience in real world driving. My wife was sitting in the new seat right next to me and she said she felt like she was going to fall out of the seat due to the amount of lean created when pulling out to the right. It definitely has that 'feel' like it's tipping. I stopped and took a few pics and measured the space from tire to well. I fully expected to see the typical scene of one tire stuffed up into the wheel well and the opposite corner tire stretched out of the wheel well to the max. The rear both looked exactly the same as if sitting on level ground, the right front tire was up in the well, but not very far, and the left front was dropped about two inched farther than normal. Lesson learned = even at 40' long, these things have very little flex in frame and body! Rear wells are getting chopped down to almost nothing, and now I'm contemplating chopping off the top of the fronts to make a flat top for a bit deeper storage box.

[Native]

Bear in mind thhat the lean-to you created is a static loading ... and equilibrium. There may be situations that cause large momentary forces that could go beyond the static loading you applied. For example, you did not slowdown enough going into your drive at the same angle as you have it in your test. We have MANY miles on the interstates and know that the interstate designers seem to like to make little bumps in the road ... especially entering and leaving a bridge. We FEEL them regularly up through our teeth. I doubt these bumps exercise the suspension in a manor similar to the loading you put on the suspension in you driveway, but I could imagine that there are places/situations where it might happen and thus provide a lot more loading than the static load in your driveway case.

[JackE]

Originally Posted by Native

Bear in mind thhat the lean-to you created is a static loading ... and equilibrium. There may be situations that cause large momentary forces that could go beyond the static loading you applied. For example, you did not slowdown enough going into your drive at the same angle as you have it in your test. We have MANY miles on the interstates and know that the interstate designers seem to like to make little bumps in the road ... especially entering and leaving a bridge. We FEEL them regularly up through our teeth. I doubt these bumps exercise the suspension in a manor similar to the loading you put on the suspension in you driveway, but I could imagine that there are places/situations where it might happen and thus provide a lot more loading than the static load in your driveway case.

That's a very good thought, thanks for pointing that out. Combining my driveway data and your interstate experience, which I have also experienced with heavy loads, I think I will still be ok chopping some of both axle wheel wells out. I won't go too low, don't want to have to re-do any of my work.

[Native]

I thik you will be good too.

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by JackE

After pulling out of my driveway a few times, I realized the angle of transition from my sloped driveway to the road put about as much flex on the bus as anything I will experience in real world driving. My wife was sitting in the new seat right next to me and she said she felt like she was going to fall out of the seat due to the amount of lean created when pulling out to the right. It definitely has that 'feel' like it's tipping. I stopped and took a few pics and measured the space from tire to well. I fully expected to see the typical scene of one tire stuffed up into the wheel well and the opposite corner tire stretched out of the wheel well to the max. The rear both looked exactly the same as if sitting on level ground, the right front tire was up in the well, but not very far, and the left front was dropped about two inched farther than normal. Lesson learned = even at 40' long, these things have very little flex in frame and body! Rear wells are getting chopped down to almost nothing, and now I'm contemplating chopping off the top of the fronts to make a flat top for a bit deeper storage box.

Looks like you'll do just fine with that.
I had 3" clearance on the front bump stop and almost 13" from top of tire to the wheel arch. Needed to lower the front to frame a mount for passenger seat and keep the line of sight in the windshield so took 4.5" off

[JackE]

Originally Posted by Oscar1

Looks like you'll do just fine with that.
I had 3" clearance on the front bump stop and almost 13" from top of tire to the wheel arch. Needed to lower the front to frame a mount for passenger seat and keep the line of sight in the windshield so took 4.5" off Attachment 45912

Did you shrink the whole thing, or just kinda chop the top off and make it a flat top?

[musigenesis]

I think it's funny that you guys are lopping off the tops of your wheel wells, when at one point the tops of the wheel wells were all that was left of my floor.

[Native]

That's what we call perspective!

[T-Bolt]

We have been progressing quickly on the bus so far this week. Walls are "primed". I say primed because after it was painted we decided it was much darker than we wanted so painting it again tomorrow.

The first 2 cabinets are built and setting in place. These will be the kids closets with each kid having a custom crate and a shared hanging space.

You can see on the side are a couple of shelf supports. These will be for the adjustable triple bunks. I found some shelf brackets that are rated at 450 pounds a pair so with a pair at each end the bunks will be able to support 900 pounds(ish).

Behind the plywood on the wall is a steel channel that will get a track mounted on it for seatbelts. Then we will be able to lower the bunk to make 2 couches facing each other with seatbelts.

There will not be any 'framed' walls in the bus because we don't want to loose valuable space. Instead the spaces will be defined by cabinets like the ones here that now define the rear bedroom.

[Oscar1]

That's some top notch work you got going on there.
Great looking bus!

[Oscar1]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I think it's funny that you guys are lopping off the tops of your wheel wells, when at one point the tops of the wheel wells were all that was left of my floor.

Attachment 45913

That's a very ambitious undertaking, double thumbs up for persevering thru that.