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Old 09-01-2017, 04:25 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: May 2017
Location: victoria, bc
Posts: 13
Year: 1959
Coachwork: Western Flyer
Engine: International 450 RED
no metal floor...only wood

so i am just about ready to tear my old 3/4 inch plywood out, and here is the thing man - the plywood is the floor, there is no metal under it, just rails every few feet or so and the frame.

now i think i already know what im going to do, but i would like to hear some suggestions!

keep the old floor? replicate new floor with new ply? skin the bottom with sheet metal? steel? aluminum?

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Old 09-01-2017, 05:32 AM   #2
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so what your saying is, after the ply wood is removed you can see straight to the ground?? as in outside? 0.o
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Old 09-01-2017, 06:15 AM   #3
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Dory has coated plywood only. No rot and no corrosion. Seeing the problems of rust and rot and the very limited advantages of steel under wood in a moisture trapping design.
If it is factory and original then I would be very happy with it.

Later j
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Old 09-01-2017, 09:47 AM   #4
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Interesting!
I like it and it must have been the standard in the 1950's.
Personally, I would replace it either way.
Go with a green treated lumber or something a little heavier.
One inch board or even thicker plywood but, then I am a big guy.
Give it a nice water proofing sealant and rhino liner or something.
What a lot of options and how exciting.
I would have loved to have had the ability to remove the entire floor and start from scratch.
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Old 09-01-2017, 09:56 AM   #5
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Year: 1990
Coachwork: Crown, integral. (With 2kW of tiltable solar)
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Engine: Detroit 6V92TAC, DDEC 2, Jake brake, Allison HT740
Rated Cap: 37,400 lbs GVWR
If the plywood floor is still OK, leave it. Not having steel underneath, unlike most typical school buses, is beneficial - water cannot be trapped there and rot the wood and rust the steel. My bus, like all Crowns, also has no metal sub-floor: it has 1.5" of very dense marine ply laid straight on top of the frame rails and substructure.

Is yours a front-engine bus?

John
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Old 09-01-2017, 09:56 AM   #6
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I would replace the wood exactly as it was. DO NOT use green pressure treated wood. That stuff reacts with metals and causes corrosion, especially aluminum. Its is slightly toxic. And it is not properly dried like regular wood is.
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Old 09-01-2017, 01:44 PM   #7
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Old 09-01-2017, 02:28 PM   #8
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Join Date: May 2017
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John View Post
If the plywood floor is still OK, leave it. Not having steel underneath, unlike most typical school buses, is beneficial - water cannot be trapped there and rot the wood and rust the steel. My bus, like all Crowns, also has no metal sub-floor: it has 1.5" of very dense marine ply laid straight on top of the frame rails and substructure.

Is yours a front-engine bus?

John
this is a front engine bus! ill get some pics once i figure out what the best way to show this. i havent torn the floor out yet.

cheers.
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Old 09-01-2017, 10:12 PM   #9
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My 1999 Gillig Phantom only had a wood floor. (maybe it is a California thing?) It survived living in Ohio and Michigan all this time. I just scrapped it due to many other issues!
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Old 09-01-2017, 10:36 PM   #10
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Rated Cap: 37,400 lbs GVWR
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABdriver View Post
My 1999 Gillig Phantom only had a wood floor. (maybe it is a California thing?) It survived living in Ohio and Michigan all this time. I just scrapped it due to many other issues!
Just out of curiosity, what were those other issues? Did it have frame and body cracking?

John
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Old 09-02-2017, 12:03 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Iceni John View Post
Just out of curiosity, what were those other issues? Did it have frame and body cracking?

John
Body and frame was still nice, what little steel it had holding on the plastic and alum panels was all rotting away badly. Trans was acting funny, a lot of electrical intermittent gremlins, some blow-by on the tired cummins 10.8, trans cooler rusted out. I drove it 4 hours after buying it sight unseen (mistake) but it was more than I wanted to tackle.
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Old 03-14-2020, 07:23 PM   #12
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Wooden Floor with Aluminum Skin

Hello,

I am new so please bear with me. I don't actually have a school bus but a shuttle/church bus. After we pulled the linoleum off and unscrewed the plywood I was dumbfounded as to not see a metal floor. The plywood has aluminum skin underneath. We were going to replace the floor but this floor is in really good shape. My question is, do we put insulation board on top of the plywood and lose a couple inches or can you insulate under the bus with spray foam? I

Thank You,
Lori
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