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Old 05-04-2009, 09:14 PM   #1
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Tailgate Bus

I am Jay "The Tailgate Guy" DiEugenio and after spending the past 4 seasons tailgating full-time in some pretty sweet luxury RV's I have decided this year to pursue my dream of creating my own Radical Rig inspired by the many fan vans and tailgate vehicles I've seen out in the lots over the years. I pulled together a crew of some multi-talented tailgate pals from all across the country, and after months of planning, arguing and dreaming, we're now a week into the conversion process.

These boards have been a great resource for us, and I know they will continue to be. Thanks to all who have posted their insights and experience. So now it's my turn to share...

I'll start with the original conceptual drawings. Things have changed already, but I think you'll get the idea of what we're going for...


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Old 05-04-2009, 10:18 PM   #2
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Re: Tailgate Bus

Here's the original concept for the floorplan. Again, some things have already changed, but the basic idea is the same. Essentially, there will be a "toyhauler" type of door that will drop down out of the passenger side panel, forming a party deck. We've seen this done on a rig in Indianapolis and it rocks the tailgate lot.

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Old 05-04-2009, 11:00 PM   #3
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Raising the Roof

You can follow the full day-to-day, blow-by-blow on Twitter, but I'll post a few pics here, too, so you all can see the really cool parts.
http://twitter.com/thetailgateguy

Basically, after pulling out all the seats and windows (which went MUCH smoother than expected! Some of you had really scared us with your horror stories!) and ripping out the floor, we all stood around for most of an afternoon trying to imagine how we could best support and then raise the roof to our target height of 13'. We decided that would wrap heavy-duty tie-down straps through the window openings and then lift them up with the forks of a rented lift truck.

With those in place, we lifted slightly to create tension and avoid any sudden drops, and then we started cutting. We used a cut-off saw to cut through from the top, and were able to get clean through on most of it. We followed up with some touch up cuts from the inside. Once the roof section was completely separated, we marked and measured cuts through the structural supports that ran between the window frames. (We left the four corners for last.)



Once all the supports were cut through, we gradually lifted the roof with the forks. It did sway slightly, only for a few seconds, and then was steady. We had one guy on the (intact) roof measuring the lift, one guy working the forks, and the rest of us inside quickly placed our new pre-cut 1x2 tube steel supports into the channels of the existing support beams.

It went pretty smooth, although it would have been easier if we had thought ahead to have c-clamps on hand that we could use to hold the tube steel in place until we could weld it. Still, it wasn't bad, and didn't take long before all the new supports were welded in place. For additional stability, we added two lag bolts through the top and bottom of each support.

In all, the roof was cut, raised, and standing tall within 2 hours.


To test the stability, the whole crew climbed on top of the raised section to pop-a-top and toast our ingenuity.
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Old 05-04-2009, 11:48 PM   #4
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Re: Tailgate Bus

man i love it when a plan comes together then we all drink BEER!Have i ever mentioned how much i like BEER? Nice work you guys and thanks for postin it here!13 feet Wow!
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Old 07-29-2009, 12:27 AM   #5
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Re: Tailgate Bus

Well, the bus is done -- or, done for now! Hit the road today and so far so good. We'll be heading up to Seattle this week, then across the country stopping at Sturgis, the Hall of Fame game, and Buffalo for a pre-season Bills game before heading back home for some tuning and touching up.

Anyway, wanted to share with you all a few pics. We're really thrilled with how it came out, and with the reactions we've been getting from neighbors passing by...


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Old 07-29-2009, 12:39 AM   #6
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Re: Tailgate Bus

One more, showing the drop-down door in action on one of our last nights of construction. Skirting isn't on the deck yet, but you get the picture...

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Old 07-29-2009, 06:49 PM   #7
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Re: Tailgate Bus

Quote:
Originally Posted by mightybus
http://twitpic.com/bggld

Ok who do I talk to about getting a 'wrap'? This stokes me.
trojan
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Old 08-19-2009, 05:17 PM   #8
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Re: Tailgate Bus

Thanks guys. I'd like to extend an invitation to any/all to come meet me at any of my stadium stops for that cold one! I might even be able to scare up some nachos for ya! You can find my schedule on http://www.thetailgateguy.com.

And, be sure to catch the first episode of Tailgate Warriors with Guy Fieri on Food Network October 17th. This bus served as the centerpiece for the judging portion of the show!

As for the wrap -- we used buswraps.com, which is a national chain of franchises. But they are pretty steep. Call around to your local guys and you can probably find someone who can do it cheaper. Just google "vehicle wraps". They're pretty common now...
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Old 08-19-2009, 05:21 PM   #9
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Re: Tailgate Bus

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Old 08-20-2009, 08:47 AM   #10
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Re: Tailgate Bus

all i can say is Holy Crap.....Looks great.. What does it cost to wrap a bus......?
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