Roof Raise Advice?

[msandoval728]

I'm in the middle of a roof raise on a Thomas 1997 School Bus. Totally new to this so I may have made some mistakes.

The hat channel extensions I ordered do not fit snug on the original hat channels. They are the same size as the original ones which I think is what most people do and it's not that the extensions should be larger.

When I clamp them on, one side or both flange out and the outer part of the hat channel does not align with the outer part of the old hat channel. I'm concerned I won't be able to drill the holes or rivet the sheet metal on as a result.

I'm using 3/4"long and 1/4" thick bolts, flat washers, lock washers and regular nuts. Should I be using lock nuts or are regular nuts okay?

Any help or advice would mean the world to me as as I'm doing this on my own.

[musigenesis]

Maybe some more pics would help? It's a little hard to tell what's going on from just that one pic.

You're aware (I assume) that the walls of a Thomas slope inward slightly starting at the bottom of the windows? This will make any kind of alignment with the extenders problematic.

There's some evidence that (split) lock washers not only do not lock the nut but actually tend to loosen them over time. Loctite red thread locker is what you want - just squirt a bit over the end of the bolt and thread the nut on.