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Old 01-27-2019, 10:28 PM   #1
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Dawsonville, Ga.
Posts: 10,482
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Genesis
Chassis: International
Engine: DT466/3060
Rated Cap: 77
Preferred Body Skin Attachment

What are your preferences for securing body skins on. My bus a a gazillion buck rivets, but then quite a few pop rivets and some screws. I can't replace the buck rivets. On the back I used a square drive self tapping screw of the same size, but don't like the look of the square/Phillips hole in them. I've ordered closed end rivets for the side panels with the same diameter head as the buck rivets that came out.
What do you people use?

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Old 01-27-2019, 10:30 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
I used SS Pan head sheet metal screws I found at ACE Hardware
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Old 01-28-2019, 05:02 AM   #3
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
I bought a couple thousand rivets on clearance and got a harbor freight riveter. I got closed end but there are open end rivets available that seal also. Not all open end rivets will, though. Certain ones will.
Screws will work as well.
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Old 01-28-2019, 06:11 AM   #4
Bus Nut
 
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Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Brevard County, FL
Posts: 911
Year: 1990
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: Ford
Engine: 6.6 New Holland Diesel
Rated Cap: 60 kids, 10 window
Oh, and add a heap of auto see sealer in there too
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Old 01-28-2019, 09:23 AM   #5
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Houston, Texas
Posts: 8,462
Year: 1946
Coachwork: Chevrolet/Wayne
Chassis: 1- 1/2 ton
Engine: Cummins 4BT
Rated Cap: 15
I used closed, 1/4" pop style steel rivets on my old BB.
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Old 01-28-2019, 09:35 AM   #6
Bus Geek
 
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Eastern WA
Posts: 6,401
Year: 2002
Coachwork: Bluebird
Chassis: All American RE (A3RE)
Engine: Cummins ISC (8.3)
Rated Cap: 72
Stainless closed end rivets.
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:36 AM   #7
Skoolie
 
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Join Date: Jul 2018
Location: Just south of Dallas.
Posts: 172
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: 40' MVP-ER
Engine: Cat 3126
POP RIVETS!!!

Did half my bus with sheet metal screws.

Tried pop rivets from Jay-cee’s rivet.com

1000 for about $ 70 delivered in 3 days (ups ground)

Great place for rivets.

The rivets work beautifully.

Faster and better clamp up.

Use sikkens for pookie. Works great.
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Old 01-29-2019, 09:51 AM   #8
Bus Geek
 
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Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Eustis FLORIDA
Posts: 23,764
Year: 1999
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: Freighliner FS65
Engine: Cat 3126
Rated Cap: 15
Quote:
Originally Posted by shaymcquaid View Post
POP RIVETS!!!

Did half my bus with sheet metal screws.

Tried pop rivets from Jay-cee’s rivet.com

1000 for about $ 70 delivered in 3 days (ups ground)

Great place for rivets.

The rivets work beautifully.

Faster and better clamp up.

Use sikkens for pookie. Works great.
I've got a thousand or so from them and always recommend them.
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Old 01-29-2019, 12:20 PM   #9
Bus Crazy
 
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: south east BC, close to the Canadian/US border
Posts: 2,265
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: 8 window
Engine: 454 LS7
Rated Cap: 24,500
roof raise, new skin

I've been watching videos and reading about roof raises - I notice that some raise their bus roof by going straight up, making in effect a big wind catching sail, while others have a transitional slope, but have to use thinner metal to get the bends right and once it's painted with gloss paint, the waves and wobbles show up - a number of years ago I set a camper on the deck of my flat deck 1 ton truck and tucked my load under and beside it - on a trip, with that blunt camper sitting way up in the air catching the wind, I got 4 miles per gallon - before I went on another trip I made a concave scoop for the front of the camper and achieved 7 MPG the next time I went somewhere with the same load almost doubling the mileage, so if I do do a roof raise, I'll definitely have a sloped transition just because of the difference in fuel costs ( and as a bonus, the items stored on top of the camper didn't collect road grime ) - on the matter of material and forming the curves, in my travels via the internet, I found that bus bodies, not on frames or wheels, are being advertised for $100 - $300 for storage containers - my thought was to buy a matching body to my bus, cut a section of roof out to use as the transition on my roof raise - it would already have the bracing, be made out of the right gauge, and take no time trying to get it to conform to the proper shape - it's one of those ideas that came to me as I woke up in the middle of the night and could be impractical, so I'd like to hear ( read ) some critiques
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Old 01-29-2019, 02:45 PM   #10
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 18
I’m new to this site and have not started my roof raise yet. Plan on early spring start date. Your idea to buy a bus body and cut out part of the roof for your transition will not work IMO because your changing the geometry by angling the roof section. The only thing you get is same gauge metal. Good luck!
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Old 01-29-2019, 03:02 PM   #11
Bus Crazy
 
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Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: south east BC, close to the Canadian/US border
Posts: 2,265
Year: 1975
Coachwork: Chevy
Chassis: 8 window
Engine: 454 LS7
Rated Cap: 24,500
roof raise, new skin

Quote:
Originally Posted by Shotgun Navigation View Post
I’m new to this site and have not started my roof raise yet. Plan on early spring start date. Your idea to buy a bus body and cut out part of the roof for your transition will not work IMO because your changing the geometry by angling the roof section. The only thing you get is same gauge metal. Good luck!
I'd do a mockup first of course - in my mind, cutting the replacement roof on the necessary angle should work - it only has to butt up to the existing roof, not overlap it
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