CUTTING BUS

[enduro74]

What is the easy way to cut the body on a bus.

[the_experience03]

That would depend on how clean of a cut you need. A plasma torch would be about the best way I can think of. I don't personally own one, but have used one a bunch of times and as Wayne Cambell (Wayne's World) said, "She will be mine....oh yes....she WILL be mine"

Otherwise I think you're pretty much stuck with a Sawzall (buy the expensive blades....they make a difference) or a grinder (thin cutting wheels are MUCH faster).

Why exactly are you hacking it up anyway?

[Firearm]

I thought the same thing about the plasma cutter, but for most the only affordable and clean method is probably a sawz-all. The thin cutting disks last about one cut each which brings the cost up and the thick ones take out a lot of material. Sawz-all blades can be had fairly cheap for off brand and an economy brand saw can be had for less than $60.

[soused moose]

I took a good sized portion of the roof off our second bus to add on a second story with a cheap jig-saw and a hammer & chisel….
http://www.mobilehomestead.com/home/bus ... cs/b11.jpg

It was pretty much a stupid and hard way to go about things …but I just didn’t know any better.
On our latest Bus… I got smart and bought good tools .
I’m using a dewalt sawzall , grinder and framing saw with metal cutting blades to whack off sections of Latcho Drom…
http://www.mobilehomestead.com/home/lat ... cut345.JPG

http://www.mobilehomestead.com/home/lat ... 0220km.jpg

Having the good tools for this job made it much easier to cut through the multiple layers of steel on the bus….but it can be a bit scary.
I found that when you’re cutting through the steel sections on the roof …they tend to spread apart making kickbacks a nasty reality.

[phillbus914]

This probably goes without saying but make sure you dont cut any wire harnesses. On most busses (mine at least) there is a harness that runs along the left side where the roof and wall meet.

Also I got a cheap sawzall from harbor freight for $20 and its held up well. Plus its that quilty orange color so you know its a good one.

[enduro74]

well im going to make a rv/toy hauler out of it. i was thinking about a concrete saw with a metal blade to cut it. if i drill all the rivets out will it come apart?

[lapeer20m]

I have cut a 9 foot by ~ 3 foot hole in the side of one bus, and i cut off and entire 12 feet of roof section from anothe bus.

The sawzall works well, but going in a staright line is a little difficult. My prefered method is using a circular saw with an abrasive blade. The built in jig on the circular saw helps to make sure everythign stays square.

You'll want ear plugs! and obviously safety glasses too.

[captainkf]

The circular saw is the fastest I've used out of a grinder, sawzall and jigsaw. However I found that as the blades wore down it would only cut only layer of the roof at a time versus the sawzal that would cut both at all times. If possible have a few tools around. Each one will be useful for a portion of the job. Always buy more blades and wheels than you think you will need. Things always shift (or whatever) and I find I go through more than I think I will use. Nothing worse than having 3/4's of a whole and you use the last blade or grinding wheel and having to go to the hardware store.

-Richard

[soused moose]

Lappers right on the money….sawzalls are a pain in the butt when it comes to cutting a straight line.
Especially when you’re making a roof cut inside the bus.

Luckily all the cutting I have left to do is whacking whats left of the body up into smaller pieces that I can take to the dump , so it doesn’t matter if I make a straight cut or not.
But if I was to do this again …
I’d use my framing saw with a metal cutting blade to cut through the inside ceiling panels …then get up on the roof and use it to cut trough the roof panels….this would leave all the cross member framing exposed , which I would cut using the sawzall.
I love my framing saw for this sort of thing. I picked it up because I needed a tool the would cut through the plywood flooring and sheet metal underside in a straight line…without hitting the frame rails … Worked perfectly for this.

Amen Richard….get a lot of extra blades and abrasive discs and blades . It never fails , you get the majority of a cut done…and the blades too dull to work. Reach into your toolbox for another and there isn’t one.