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Old 01-31-2010, 11:37 AM   #1
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Athens, Georgia
Posts: 30
Year: 1989
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC 2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
Raising the Floor

I'm a newbie here. I've recently bought a 1989 Blue Bird TC2000 front engine bus.
It's equipped with the Cummins 5.9 and Allison AT545 transmission.
It's rated for a capacity of 72 (12 window bus).

I've read all the posts about raising the roof, but I am considering raising the floor and the roof.
I would like to build a subframe on top of the chassis frame rails to raise the floor approximately 9-10 inches.
By doing so, I could clear the wheel wells and have a totally flat floor to work with.

I would then do the traditional roof raise for headroom.

Has anyone considered doing this? or better yet, have done this that could give advice and pictures?

I realize this would raise the center of gravity, but do you think it would make the bus too unstable?

Your input is welcome.

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Old 01-31-2010, 12:33 PM   #2
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Re: Raising the Floor

I think that while what you propose is certainly doable, that it will take a lot of time, effort, and money to do it right.

I'm planning a roof raise (this spring I hope), and plan to eliminate the wheel hump problem by building a secondary floor inside, higher than the wheel humps, with steps down to the drivers area. I will keep my tanks between the two floors, with them kept inside the thermal envelope. I will also use that area for extra storage, etc. I don't know yet exactly how much that floor will be above the existing floor, but I'm thinking somewhere between 12" and 24" up.

The basement area under the original floor will have fuel tanks, propane, battery banks, generator(s), and some exterior accessible storage.

My goal is to have plenty of headroom, and also keep my center of gravity as close to the ground as possible. I also want maximum comfort.

I also plan to have an extreme amount of insulation. But that's a story for a different thread.

Good luck with your conversion,
jim
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Old 01-31-2010, 12:35 PM   #3
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Re: Raising the Floor

Wow that would be allot of work. basically you would need to remove the body and install the new sub-frame then reinstall the body. All that work to just get rid of the wheel humps. your better off raising the roof a little more than planned and installing a 9-10 inch tall floor from behind the drivers area back.
Personally I don't find that the wheel humps will cause a problem. Just have to build a floor plan around them.

Just my 2 cents

Chris
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Old 01-31-2010, 12:48 PM   #4
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Location: Roswell, NM
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Year: 1986
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
Re: Raising the Floor

Quote:
Originally Posted by thesaltydog24
... Personally I don't find that the wheel humps will cause a problem. Just have to build a floor plan around them...
We have planned our floor plan around the wheel humps.

Driver's side has an old Fireplace mantle with blue flame LP heater being built over it. The top of the wheel hump will be the hearth. Curb side will have a couch built over it. The rear humps will be in the bedroom area. A closet will be built over each hump.
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Old 01-31-2010, 02:44 PM   #5
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Location: Northeast CT
Posts: 201
Year: 1999
Coachwork: AmTran RE
Chassis: International
Engine: T444E
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Raising the Floor

It shouldn't make the bus too unstable - many handicap buses have a raised "flat floor" option from the factory (usually in combination with a slight suspension raise and low-profile tires). Just don't go flying around curves.

Maybe it would be easier to just build a new floor over the old floor? That way, you'd have the flat space, but wouldn't need to modify the body structure. Careful planning could make use of the extra space underneath (flat tanks, batteries, etc).
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Old 01-31-2010, 05:45 PM   #6
Ob1
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Re: Raising the Floor

Why not raise only the rear half of the bus. You would end up with a Greyhound Vista Cruiser look. You could even mount some glass to complete the look.
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Old 01-31-2010, 08:39 PM   #7
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Year: 1989
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC 2000 FE
Engine: Cummins 5.9
Rated Cap: 72
Re: Raising the Floor

Thanks for the replies.

I thought about just building a second floor, but that would put the windows about a foot lower.
I guess it would be less work to move the windows I plan to keep and sheet over the ones I don't.

What is a realistic limit to a roof raise? I bought Galey's Bus Conversion Bible and he recommends only raising the roof 6-9 inches. I realize he is working with coach type buses that probably have more headroom to start.

I may be getting off topic, but am also considering a slide-out.

Anymore thoughts?
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Old 01-31-2010, 09:22 PM   #8
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Re: Raising the Floor

Quote:
Originally Posted by reb336
I may be getting off topic, but am also considering a slide-out.
I thought about a slide out then realized how much work will be involved. You would have to build support rails for the roof bows, support brackets for the slide, the slide, and have to build a seal system for both open and close. then the electrics for the motor. here is one with the slide in the rear http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Skoolies/reprobate/. if you can snag a slide out from a donor rv that would help. if not you would have to build it from scrap. I've looked around the net to see how they are made and couldn't find out much info. I'm sure it is all doable just depends on how much work and money you want to invest.

I just found a guy in the gallery that did a side slide here is a link http://www.skoolie.net/gallery2/v/Skoolies/BoogieBus/

Quote:
Originally Posted by reb336
I thought about just building a second floor, but that would put the windows about a foot lower.
I guess it would be less work to move the windows I plan to keep and sheet over the ones I don't.
If your raising the roof then why keep the old windows? it would seem like allot of work to keep them because you would have to build a top frame support for each window. why not sheet the whole thing and install RV windows. They are far better quality than the standard windows on a skoolie. And If you wanted to you could spend the extra $ and get double pane RV windows but I hear they are expensive.

as far as how high to go with a roof raise the sky is the limit... well ok the overpass is the limit . Check out The Millicent Chronicles Elliot did a 2 foot raise. http://www.skoolie.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1709

Chris
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Old 02-01-2010, 06:01 AM   #9
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Re: Raising the Floor

Do what I did, make two folders. Name one Likes and one Dislikes. Go through the gallery and swipe all the pictures that you think fit into those two categories as reminds of what to add and what to avoid.

Mine turned into a folder called Bus Pics and has grown to 650mb. But then again, it has spread sheets and text docs of info, pictures of appliances, and even a few shortcuts to sites of information or products that I am considering. Browsing the gallery is only a start. Then you start checking other sites for things you might want to use, and who sells them...
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Old 02-01-2010, 08:48 PM   #10
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Year: 1989
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC 2000 FE
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Rated Cap: 72
Re: Raising the Floor

Mighty,

How would you keep the interior floor dry with the hinged wheel wells?
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Old 02-01-2010, 10:10 PM   #11
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Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: 40 ft All American FE
Engine: 8.2LTA Fuel Pincher DD V8
Rated Cap: 89
Re: Raising the Floor

Quote:
Originally Posted by reb336
... I bought Galey's Bus Conversion Bible and he recommends only raising the roof 6-9 inches. I realize he is working with coach type buses that probably have more headroom to start.

I may be getting off topic, but am also considering a slide-out. ?
I have Galey's book. We had an Eagle bus that we were going to convert. And I spent several years reading & posting on the coach forums. There is a lot of stuff that I do not agree with in his book (like using cabinet drawer slides for a slideout... he is wrong... drawer slide load rates are based on a maximum width). Unless you do some heavy duty re-enforcing, only an Eagle/Prevost have frames that you can easily insert a slide out. Prevost bought the last 2 Eagles off the factory floor when Eagle shut down. Prevost then started manufacturing Prevosts using much of the Eagle technology including their frames. Eagle was recently reopened and is back manufacturing Eagle Coaches (entertainers, etc). And Eagle sidewall frame is made up of 2X2 steel tubing. The diagonals make this framework extremely strong and stable.
http://home.ptd.net/~menear/image/busfram13.jpg


I do not think any of the skoolies have the diagonal cross bracing. I would not think that a slideout is worth the expense and money when you consider you are only gaining 18" to 24". Slideouts also are prone to problems. Not worth it to me.
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The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. Zeno (335BC-264BC)
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Old 02-02-2010, 07:37 AM   #12
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Re: Raising the Floor

Put in a balcony?

I had this idea before I found out that one Coach company was putting them in their coaches.
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