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Old 02-25-2008, 12:22 PM   #21
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

I have to ask.... why NOT a vw microbus on top?

Okay - it looks funny..... but what if you had some sheet metal "mad skillz"????


Take TWO vw buses.... slice one 2/3rd of the way from the left side from front to back, and the other 2/3rds of the way from the right.... put together with a seam down the middle and you have a WIDEBODY vw microbus on the roof, that is the exact same width as your bus. You could frame around the hole and create a reinforced floor (that serves to make up for some of the strength you lost in cutting the roof bows) and make a nice little loft - get enough windows and you can have a greenhouse up there!

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Old 02-25-2008, 01:06 PM   #22
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof


Quote:
why NOT a vw microbus on top?
Here's why not, Kevin: http://www.discountaircraftsalvage.com/

At your local Deer Park Aerodrome. You may be able to WALK to this place from your spread!
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Old 02-25-2008, 01:19 PM   #23
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sikor...em330214741311
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Old 02-25-2008, 06:59 PM   #24
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess
Seems like something that heavy-duty would be a little too top-heavy on a bus...
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Old 02-25-2008, 08:13 PM   #25
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof


Actually, the Sikorsky would not be suitable, since the shape is all wrong. But I wanted to illustrate a dead aircraft of roughly correct width, as shown by its relationship to the trailer it is sitting on.

I guess we are waiting for Kevin and his tape measure to get back from Discount Aircraft Salvage at Deer Park Airport, which is right in his back yard!

I just cannot pass up a good brain storm!
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Old 02-25-2008, 08:24 PM   #26
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

Quote:
Originally Posted by Elliot Naess

Actually, the Sikorsky would not be suitable, since the shape is all wrong. But I wanted to illustrate a dead aircraft of roughly correct width, as shown by its relationship to the trailer it is sitting on.

I guess we are waiting for Kevin and his tape measure to get back from Discount Aircraft Salvage at Deer Park Airport, which is right in his back yard!

I just cannot pass up a good brain storm!
I don't know Elliot, if you chop the bottom part of the Sikorsky, it will probably fit. All you have to do is chop it at about the width of the bus. I think it would look kind of cool.

The only problem is cost. If you look at the asking price of the Sikorsky (about $22,000), you could buy a scenic cruiser and almost change everything inside.
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Old 02-26-2008, 05:11 PM   #27
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

I guess I will be home late this evening..... since I work about 3/4 mile from there!

BTW, Elliot. Keep up giving me these evil ideas my wife will either bake you a pie or point a shotgun at you if you come visit..... (which depends on how much she likes the ideas). She thinks you are a "bad influence".... which is her way of saying "welcome any time".

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Old 02-26-2008, 07:59 PM   #28
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

Update on the aircraft salvage in Deer Park, WA..... No joy there for us. The guy I talked to there said the biggest hull they had was a twin Cessna - not large enough to make it worthwhile. The last time that they DID have an airframe of a size big enough somebody from Hollywood bought it for a movie and they threw it off a cliff.

Hmmm..... back to the drawing boards - where (at least in virtual reality land on my computer) Elliot's bus only has a little lift....
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Old 02-26-2008, 08:33 PM   #29
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof


I have learned that even the DeHaviland Twin Otter that I talked about once, is too narrow.
Apparently, there just are not all that many airplanes in "bus width".

But there sure are fourtyeleven gazillion little Cessnas and such.

And then it dawned on me that a small plane might work better than any, by WIDENING THE ROOF of the plane, sort'a like we extend bus walls to raise the roof. We'd split the Cessna lengthwise, install the two halves along the edges of the bus, and then fill in the long pie-shaped gap in the roof.

On a flat nose bus, the placement of the plane would pretty much give itself.

But on a conventional bus, the plane could protrude over the hood, AND THE HOOD AND GRILLE COULD BE REPLACED WITH A BIG JET ENGINE COWLING.

I love brainstorming.

But now I have a Lions Club meeting to go to....

... Say, Kevin... What was the Airplane salvage man's attitude about oddball projects like this?
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Old 02-27-2008, 10:09 AM   #30
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

What was the response? Wry amusement, and then common sense (don't you hate it when that intrudes?). A decent (as in not totally bent to smithereens) hull is still a costly item - even if just for the aluminum. Also noted is that there are a LOT of sharp pokey bits that will need to be covered in order to protect the lunatics inside. Final word is that it is aluminum - so you can not just weld it on - you have to fabricate mounts and bolt it to the steel (but that is not insurmountable).

Oh, and my wife said she is NOT living in a bus with an airplane on the roof.... (I'll have to wait until I have a "spare" bus for Burningman and KSR races, etc - before I try that. I still like the idea of removing the entire body, and mounting a airplane hull IN PLACE OF the bus body - but that is not a "raised roof" - so I am guilty of major thread drift.

Drifting back on topic a bit - I'll put the question back to the group. How tall is too tall? Not legal limits, but sanity limits. I'm looking at pushing up to the state limit of 14 feet (4 foot lift).... and I think I will have to find ways to be cautious about overturning from high winds when parked. Anybody else have some input?
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Old 02-27-2008, 02:31 PM   #31
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

well kevin, i suppose the maximum sane height would depend on how you raise it, what materials are used, and of course what, if anything do you plan to mount closer to the roofline or put into upper your cabinets. My godfather built a bus similar to the "azalea" bus, but his was framed like a house, very heavy too. His bus was about the same as my dad's (now the azalea bus) which is 12.5". he would always make comments about how if he ever had his tip, all he would have to do is get it back on all four and fix the siding. well, a cloverleaf in near the bronx proved him wrong some years ago. his bus was, we put it, "toothpicks". I can also say that my dad's (once again 12.5" tall) was built with cedar, redwood, & aluminum wall studs. i know it's not exactly sturdy material for a bus, but it easily holds up to everything unless it rolls over. as far as being top heavy, unless someone was sleeping one of the lofts it was amazingly lightweight. you wouldn't believe how far i've seen it tilt to one side then just come right back up. anyways, point of the story is that height is not as much of an issue as top-heaviness. anyone care to perform some not-so scientific tests to find our "sweet spot" for raised roofs? lol!
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Old 02-27-2008, 03:16 PM   #32
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Re: Questions about Raising the Roof

I'm probably doing the lift and resultant structure in the "Millicent" school of lifting. Steel bars, diagonal cross bracing, and the original curved bus roof becomes the new roof structure. More for open space than for high cupboards and storage up there.

The question then, about how high is too high - is where do I end up falling over in a big wind, and could it even drive down the road without it flopping over in a crosswind. It is a mostly stationary home with "escape pod" capability.


BTW - the program is Google Sketch up - good (free) tool if anybody wants to work with 3d images. Helps with showing your spouse what it might look like!

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