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08-26-2019, 02:17 PM
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#1
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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Roof Rack/Desk side or top mount
Getting ready to mount panels to my roof via a large rectangular frame with legs on it.
I have really been struggling with the decision of attaching the legs to the side of the bus between the windows. or the top of the bus with brackets on the ribs.
I really like the idea of the top. I think it would be more sturdy, use less material and look better, but am not excited about introducing an avenue for water to get in.
Who has experience with this, Do you like the way it ended up, or do you wish you would have gone one way or the other?
Thanks,
dave
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08-26-2019, 03:21 PM
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#2
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Before you do that you should make sure you can get insurance for you bus after you do the deck.
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08-26-2019, 03:29 PM
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#3
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Philadelpiha Pennsylvania
Posts: 397
Year: 2007
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: FE Bus
Engine: DT-466 7.6L Turbo Diesel
Rated Cap: 77
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08-26-2019, 03:47 PM
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#4
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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This is not a deck. Just a frame to attach solar panels to
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08-26-2019, 03:50 PM
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#5
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
This is not a deck. Just a frame to attach solar panels to
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That’s perfect. I want to know too.
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08-26-2019, 04:11 PM
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#6
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Philadelpiha Pennsylvania
Posts: 397
Year: 2007
Coachwork: IC
Chassis: FE Bus
Engine: DT-466 7.6L Turbo Diesel
Rated Cap: 77
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Rivet nuts are perfect for attaching anything to the roof of the bus including solar panels. Just drill a hole insert the nut, pop the rivet and insert bolt. Presto!
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08-26-2019, 04:32 PM
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#7
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMORGANSKOOL
Rivet nuts are perfect for attaching anything to the roof of the bus including solar panels. Just drill a hole insert the nut, pop the rivet and insert bolt. Presto!
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This is the tool and rivnut bought of Amazon for around $60 . Indeed, a wonderful tool. Access panels, hard points, removable anything and so much nicer than a tek drive. Using it right now to attach custom clearance lites on my roof.
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08-26-2019, 05:27 PM
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#8
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Sep 2018
Posts: 2,831
Year: 2007
Coachwork: Thomas Built
Chassis: Minotour
Engine: Chevy Express 3500 6.6l
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rivetboy
This is the tool and rivnut bought of Amazon for around $60 . Indeed, a wonderful tool. Access panels, hard points, removable anything and so much nicer than a tek drive. Using it right now to attach custom clearance lites on my roof.
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Are they waterproof?
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08-26-2019, 06:15 PM
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#9
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Danjo
Are they waterproof?
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The rivnut to both sides of your substrate, installed correctly, yes. But remember it has a whole in the center with threads so a little sealant on the bolt will help make it very water resistant. My original clearance markers were sheet metal scews right into the roof and they never leaked but the holes were corroded. Rivnuts are a much better installation practice.
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08-26-2019, 07:17 PM
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#10
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Grayson County, VA
Posts: 1,428
Year: 1996
Coachwork: Amtran
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466
Rated Cap: 65
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We used Blind Bolts https://www.blindbolt.com/ to attach heavy duty L brackets through the ribs, then angle iron bolted to the L brackets, and panels bolted to the angle iron. Lots of Dicor lap sealant smothered on each penetration. No special tools are required to install the blind bolts.
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08-26-2019, 09:14 PM
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#11
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Bus Crazy
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: N.C.
Posts: 1,136
Year: 1997
Coachwork: Bluebird
Engine: DT466E
Rated Cap: 34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
Getting ready to mount panels to my roof via a large rectangular frame with legs on it.
I have really been struggling with the decision of attaching the legs to the side of the bus between the windows. or the top of the bus with brackets on the ribs.
I really like the idea of the top. I think it would be more sturdy, use less material and look better, but am not excited about introducing an avenue for water to get in.
Who has experience with this, Do you like the way it ended up, or do you wish you would have gone one way or the other?
Thanks,
dave
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I bolted L brackets to the roof flanges, using copious amounts of sealant. Been almost a year with no leaks.
Any of these methods others have mentioned will work fine for what you're planning. Side pillar vs. roof mounting points are more an aesthetic preference than anything.....I doubt if one or the other is particularly stronger than the other (since both methods are using the same rib construction), nor more prone to leaks (if sealed correctly).
My only caveats would be using bolts instead of tek screws, and bolting through the flanges instead of the unsupported skin.
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08-26-2019, 09:50 PM
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#12
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Philadelphia
Posts: 7,000
Year: 2003
Coachwork: International
Chassis: CE 300
Engine: DT466e
Rated Cap: 65C-43A
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CMORGANSKOOL
Rivet nuts are perfect for attaching anything to the roof of the bus including solar panels. Just drill a hole insert the nut, pop the rivet and insert bolt. Presto!
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You run these just through the sheet metal, or you drill the hole through the flange of the hat channel?
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08-27-2019, 03:36 AM
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#13
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
Getting ready to mount panels to my roof via a large rectangular frame with legs on it.
I have really been struggling with the decision of attaching the legs to the side of the bus between the windows. or the top of the bus with brackets on the ribs.
I really like the idea of the top. I think it would be more sturdy, use less material and look better, but am not excited about introducing an avenue for water to get in.
Who has experience with this, Do you like the way it ended up, or do you wish you would have gone one way or the other?
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Dave, I agree with your reasons for wanting to top mount. Strength, low profile, and appearance were all considerations. I drilled a lot of holes in the roof...
I bolted the racks into the tubular steel frame cross members in the roof of my bus. I used a number of products to seal all the holes including: butyl rubber tape, Geocel Proflex RV sealant, and Dicor lap sealant (both self and non-leveling), and as a final line of defense against water intrusion, from the inside I filled the metal crossmembers with closed cell foam after installing and torquing the bolts...
It was a lot of work but I am very confident that my roof is (and will remain) weather/water tight. Time will tell...
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08-27-2019, 08:53 AM
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#14
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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Looks great
I think my system will be a little different but will go roof mount. As far as attachment. I may do a combination of thru bolts thru the ribs. And blind bolts. Just tough for me to trust the blind bolts only thru 2 layers of sheet metal
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08-27-2019, 11:23 AM
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#15
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Bus Nut
Join Date: May 2018
Location: the Missouri Ozarks
Posts: 258
Year: 1997
Coachwork: BlueBird
Chassis: International 3800
Engine: 466e
Rated Cap: its Yuge
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That looks great btw. Is there tropicool on it? If so was there any issue with dicor or butyl tape sticking?
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08-27-2019, 11:32 AM
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#16
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
Looks great
I think my system will be a little different but will go roof mount. As far as attachment. I may do a combination of thru bolts thru the ribs. And blind bolts. Just tough for me to trust the blind bolts only thru 2 layers of sheet metal
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Here is some specs on rivnuts. To each there own which is one of the great reasons for building your own anything.. Now some people might consider me biased to rivnuts because of my screen name... and it's true.
http://www.rivet-nut.com/assets/rivn...properties.pdf
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08-27-2019, 11:41 AM
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#17
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
I think my system will be a little different but will go roof mount. As far as attachment. I may do a combination of thru bolts thru the ribs. And blind bolts. Just tough for me to trust the blind bolts only thru 2 layers of sheet metal
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Dave, I appreciate (and share) your concerns about blind nuts and securing only thru the sheet metal. With securing only thru the sheet metal I was more concerned about flexing and the potential for leaks. Do you not have cross members that you could use as mounting points?
Below is an older pic of the Gillig.
I drilled smaller (bolt size) holes thru the roof and the top of the tubes, and then larger holes in the bottom of the tubes. This enabled me to get the washers and nuts up inside the tubes (and a socket to tighten them). Then from the inside, I filled the holes and part of the tubes with foam. Not sure if that makes sense...
I didn't take any pics specifically of the process, but in the pic below, the wood strip is screwed into one of those cross members, and that hole in the wood is where I drilled the larger hole in the tube to get washer/nut/socket up in there. I was also concerned with losing valuable headroom.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MambaJack
That looks great btw. Is there tropicool on it? If so was there any issue with dicor or butyl tape sticking?
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Thank you for the kind words. I did not use Tropicool; I used Richard's Rust Shield rust inhibiting enamel gloss white from a local paint store (glorified Rustoleum?) I will be doing one more coat before the panels go up. I had heard mixed reviews about elasto... roof coatings on buses. And regardless, almost the entire roof will be covered with solar panels/decking.
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08-27-2019, 11:51 AM
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#18
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 505
Year: 1986
Coachwork: Gillig
Chassis: Phantom
Engine: CAT 3208
Rated Cap: 87, says Gillig...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rivetboy
Here is some specs on rivnuts. To each there own which is one of the great reasons for building your own anything.. Now some people might consider me biased to rivnuts because of my screen name... and it's true.
http://www.rivet-nut.com/assets/rivn...properties.pdf
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Those Rivnuts are some nice fasteners. Where were you when I needed you? They could have saved me some serious time and effort...
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08-27-2019, 11:52 AM
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#19
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Bus Geek
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ComfortEagle
Dave, I agree with your reasons for wanting to top mount. Strength, low profile, and appearance were all considerations. I drilled a lot of holes in the roof...
I bolted the racks into the tubular steel frame cross members in the roof of my bus.
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Are your ribs tubular, or channnel like most of us have?
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08-27-2019, 12:18 PM
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#20
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Bus Nut
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Huntington Beach CA.
Posts: 939
Year: 1991
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: T/C 2000 28 foot Handy Bus
Engine: Cummins 5.9 Mechanical
Rated Cap: 2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ComfortEagle
Those Rivnuts are some nice fasteners. Where were you when I needed you? They could have saved me some serious time and effort...
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Hiding in plain site. More than likely down at my shop or riding my bike or out at the river. Retirement is good.
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