Roll your own

[LincolnEcho]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Thanks!
I'm sure there will be some chills and spills, and folks with actual cameras to document the madness.
I still feel like its gona be a miracle if we pull this off.

miracle complete... Nice work!! cant wait to see more!

[5speedhouse]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

Sure it does. Its a hobart Handler 140... Lil Fokker did amazing. A welder is nothing to cheap out on!

Oh another question! does the hobart unit have "infinite" control over your output amperage, or is it just positions 1 through 6? Basically, can you fine tune your output or are you stuck with the options the machine gives you?

[Njsurf73]

Finally got home and wifi. Cool vids. Time lapse makes it seem so fast! Lol.

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[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by 5speedhouse

WOOOOOORRDDDDD... i was looking at that unit recently, thats about the most power you can get out of a standard household outlet and it beats the heck out of similar miller or lincoln machines.

Yup, I was specifically wanting a 110/115 machine with decent internals and 1/4" capability. According to the machine, its good for 5/16, even.
Hard to go wrong with a Miller, but I didn't want a 240v machine.
The lil Hobart was like $500, probably less. It was on sale at Rural King, IIRC.
I've only ever used really nice high end welding machines, but the Hobart is perfect for what it is and what its meant to do.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by 5speedhouse

Oh another question! does the hobart unit have "infinite" control over your output amperage, or is it just positions 1 through 6? Basically, can you fine tune your output or are you stuck with the options the machine gives you?

Just 1-5, but it works really well.
Its so far done well with 18ga and 14ga, and even a little bit of 1/4".

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by LincolnEcho

miracle complete... Nice work!! cant wait to see more!

Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, all!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiLMjKXTKqU

[pepperinacan]

Hello . Did you get a temporary Ins policy ? I have seen some great buses in GA, but I am concern with the drive home since I live in South Florida.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by pepperinacan

Hello . Did you get a temporary Ins policy ? I have seen some great buses in GA, but I am concern with the drive home since I live in South Florida.

Nope, just got a regular, commercial policy.
What I couldn't get for EITHER bus was a temp tag. No biggie, though.

I'd be real careful buying from GA, they beat the hell out of their buses normally. Same way FL does.

[tobeamiss]

Great to see the videos! I know this is a huge load of your back. And look at all the extra square footage you have now oh the options.....
All in all, how many hours did it take?

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[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by tobeamiss

Great to see the videos! I know this is a huge load of your back. And look at all the extra square footage you have now oh the options.....
All in all, how many hours did it take?

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Hard to say, but nowhere near the amount of work/hours one would think.
The actual raise only took maybe 45 mins lol.
Spent the most time on the front cap/transition part.
If you're handy it will take a long weekend or two. The actual raise etc is mostly a lot of preparation. Once you get all the supplies and stuff lined up, it all goes together pretty well.
Having AWESOME friends can really be a HUGE help.

[tobeamiss]

Prepping always takes the fun out of it too lol. Seems that's all i ever do is get things all lined up and ready to get to the task! Then the fun starts I actually enjoy the work itself.

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[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by tobeamiss

Prepping always takes the fun out of it too lol. Seems that's all i ever do is get things all lined up and ready to get to the task! Then the fun starts I actually enjoy the work itself.

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The prep IS the work with raising the roof.
The actual raise could be done by ANYONE with a wrench and 45 minutes.
The welding is a good bit of the work. But its not a horrible amount of welding. A day or two tops.

[EastCoastCB]

No pics, but me and Hippie Chris got the bare metal on RYO with Ospho. About a third of a gallon was MORE than enough to liberally treat all bare metal and rusty spots. Did a bunch of the floor for the hell of it.
Gonna do a whole second application tomorrow, I think.
Then maybe spray some primer on it monday or tuesday.

[sojourner]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

No pics, but me and Hippie Chris got the bare metal on RYO with Ospho. About a third of a gallon was MORE than enough to liberally treat all bare metal and rusty spots. Did a bunch of the floor for the hell of it.
Gonna do a whole second application tomorrow, I think.
Then maybe spray some primer on it monday or tuesday.

Can't wait to see the pics!!

[mysty]

Quick question as I prepare for my own roof raise this weekend and my welder, Grant, is super cautious - we have four 2.5 ton scissor jacks + two rv leveling blocks to help level the bus in our driveway. We have two compact trolley jacks (like the sort you'd use to change a tire in a regular car) that we plan to put in the front and back of the bus with 4x4s on top of them as pillars to support most of the weight of the roof. We have four 3/4" threaded bars with nuts and pipes that will be attached to the hat channel on the 4 corners of the bus (well, a little in from the corners to keep the center from sagging any). Do you think this will be sufficient to pull off the raise? Grant is concerned we might need more than 4 threaded rods, or that maybe they should be thicker. I said I would ask someone who has successfully done a raise if what we have is enough, or if we need additional support. It's a 12 window/71 passenger bus. What are your thoughts?

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mysty

Quick question as I prepare for my own roof raise this weekend and my welder, Grant, is super cautious - we have four 2.5 ton scissor jacks + two rv leveling blocks to help level the bus in our driveway. We have two compact trolley jacks (like the sort you'd use to change a tire in a regular car) that we plan to put in the front and back of the bus with 4x4s on top of them as pillars to support most of the weight of the roof. We have four 3/4" threaded bars with nuts and pipes that will be attached to the hat channel on the 4 corners of the bus (well, a little in from the corners to keep the center from sagging any). Do you think this will be sufficient to pull off the raise? Grant is concerned we might need more than 4 threaded rods, or that maybe they should be thicker. I said I would ask someone who has successfully done a raise if what we have is enough, or if we need additional support. It's a 12 window/71 passenger bus. What are your thoughts?

All you need is the all thread rods. It won't sag, just put the rods in about a row or two from the front and the rear, instead of the corners. The roof isn't nearly heavy as it would seem. The four threaded rods will do just fine, without anything else. YOu can have all that other stuff on hand if needed, like I did. But I didn't need anyting but the all thread and a few friends to help turn the four nuts.
How high are you planning to go?

[mysty]

Somewhere between 18"-24" - I think I want to actually stand inside the bus to get a feel for the space before we commit to the final height.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by mysty

Somewhere between 18"-24" - I think I want to actually stand inside the bus to get a feel for the space before we commit to the final height.

Thats a good bit higher than I went. Having the extra bracing stuff on hand may be a good idea, can't hurt.
Still won't need it, IMO.
Just get it all level and go to town on it!

[dredman]

just now catching the vids, good to see the crew in action

[cadillackid]

I was REALLY amazed at how the 10" we went on RYO Opened that bus up.. having been inside that bus before , during , and after the raise.. its really a transformation.. and looking at the bus, that raise amount doesnt make the bus cumbersome or "top-heavy".. I wouldnt want to go more than 18".. though there are many here that have gone 24-36" even with success. so literally the sky is the limit..

seems to me the way EC did it was the way to go... started with 8".. then he walked around the bus and felt it out... then we turned the screws another 2" and walked around the bus and felt it out..

I think at some point, you also reach that spot where it just feels right.. you turn the screws, stop, and feel, then go another 2".. etc.. I LOVE his approach to it..

-Christopher