My first bus. A tiny house on wheels...

[audioscience10]

Ok well some roof raise prep today... We are doing this on a budget and with the tools I have to work with. My lifting device of choice is my engine cherry picker.

I'm improvising in effort to make my cuts square and limit them to 1 per post.


Tested it out on the pillars that the front supports will go on.


Well I'm sure you guys can see how this is going to work...

[audioscience10]

Well so much for no rain. It started sprinkling on me yesterday while I was cutting. I got almost all my uprights cut (except 1 in each corner) but there was no way I was crawling up on the roof, to make the cut I have to make up there, while it was wet. Today I should have clear skies to finish.

[Tango]

Good luck and blues skies.

[audioscience10]

Well it's a crappy pic because the reflective lettering washed it out, but I'm too excited to care. We have lift off!


So I decided to stagger my cuts in an attempt to retain as much strength as possible. I'll shoot some better pics tomorrow and hopefully take it up to height.

[Tango]

Good idea on the stagger. No weak line that way.

[gobygoby]

I like your idea of multiple bolt holes on each wood stud. Are you raising each stud one at a time, or do you raise the whole roof all at once?

[audioscience10]

Originally Posted by gobygoby

I like your idea of multiple bolt holes on each wood stud. Are you raising each stud one at a time, or do you raise the whole roof all at once?

I will be doing one end at a time and alternating between the front and the back in 6 inch increments (which is how far apart the holes in the 2x4s are.) I'll post a pic of my rig tonight when I get home from work.

[dirtyHippie]

Cant wait to see how your lift goes.

[nat_ster]

Cutting the support hat channels like that weakened your roof raise. Now you don't have enough rib to get a good overlap with your new metal.

Cutting in a strait line will not cause a weak spot. The weak spot would be at the top, or bottom of your splice pieces.

Dividing the distance equally would have given you a much stronger splice.

What will you be using to splice the support hat channels? I used custom formed pieces that match the original channels, made to fit over them. I had them made from one gauge thicker than the originals.

Nat

[audioscience10]

Originally Posted by nat_ster

Cutting the support hat channels like that weakened your roof raise. Now you don't have enough rib to get a good overlap with your new metal.

Cutting in a strait line will not cause a weak spot. The weak spot would be at the top, or bottom of your splice pieces.

Dividing the distance equally would have given you a much stronger splice.

What will you be using to splice the support hat channels? I used custom formed pieces that match the original channels, made to fit over them. I had them made from one gauge thicker than the originals.

Nat

The plan is rectangular tube inserted into the old support and welded in with a 6" overlap. I disagree with staggering the cut making it weaker. Even like you say the weak point will be at the end of the splice true but if the end of that splice is at the same level all the way across that makes a weak point in a straight line all the way down the side of the bus. With them staggered the weak points won't be on an even plain.

[charles_m]

Second what Nat said. I also had new hat channel pressed for my raise--it keeps the stock integrity and leaves you with the flange for riveting the new steel to. Well well worth the cost to get this bit right, imo.

If you do it right, the weld should not be a weak point--its usually stronger than the steel around it.

Plenty of folks have gotten away with doing things less than perfect--but thats because of the awesome redundancy and strength inherent in a skoolie.

I wanted to maintain that strength though, not rely on it to make up for my bad engineering

Best of luck out there, you're in balls deep now!

[Timelord]

I can understand the whole weak point idea, but I have come to the same conclusion as Nat.

[charles_m]

I would say that in a good design, you don't add any 'weak points'

[nat_ster]

How will you attach the new sheet steel to the tubing?

Do you have a plan to keep the new sheet steel from becoming a wrinkled mess from the uneven height of the support ribs from the old to the new tubing splices?

Just remember, we are trying to help you avoid mistakes. We have a great deal of experience to share.

Nat

[audioscience10]

Ok well I ran into a few snags. I definitely messed up and didn't have the roof braced from front to back as I lifted and had a mishap. Well I have recovered and the roof is now in place. The tubing is the same thickness as the window frames. I forgot to take a pic of how I modified the end of the tube but it has a lip that the window frames are resting on, they sit flush to each other.


Gotta break out the welder tomorrow to make it permanent...

[dirtyHippie]

Looks awesome, what did you use to left it?

[audioscience10]

Originally Posted by dirtyHippie

Looks awesome, what did you use to left it?

I used my engine hoist to lift it.

I did make some progress today. All the wood supports came out and the uprights are all welded in. I need to get some more steel tubing. I'm going to use some to shape the front taper and in the rear corners.

[Meachamr]

Who are you using in Michigan for Insurance, we bought an already converted bus and not having good luck finding coverage?

[audioscience10]

Well not a ton of progress lately. Life getting in the way and what not. And the stupid time change really sucks. I did finally get a piece of skin installed last night. Now that I think I have a method I think I can the bulk of that done this weekend since...

[nat_ster]

Amazing how much bigger a bus looks once you raise the roof.

A big hell ya to one more raised.

Nat