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Old 04-18-2015, 10:07 PM   #461
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Florida
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Year: 1988
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Exclamation

That's why tasks like this are left for the wife.

I'd be on the sideline with a cold drink and a chair watching with a camera just in case. Hey, I don't want to leave just the easy stuff for her. I'd never hear the end of that.

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Old 04-18-2015, 11:13 PM   #462
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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Year: 1998
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Criticisim taken, but Idunno - it seemed pretty safe and stable to me. Its not like I was going to drive it like that ;)

The longer guide rod is 1.25" square x .25" wall DOM tubing, and the upper flange (two lower, and upper) are through bolted, not welded, to the bus ribs.

I feel that the somewhat sketchy part of the whole lift was probably the threaded rod. If my welding is questionable, then I'm probably screwed considering how much is fab work has been done so far.

Considering how stiff that DOM tube is, I imagine if the roof came crashing down via timed explosive bolts severing the threaded rod, it would just rest on the ends of those tubes.

I think I'll leave the explosive bolts in over Kerbal Space Program


Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Sorry man, but that looks scarey as hell.

You have no safety measures in place to keep that roof from crushing you.

The entire roofs weight is being held by the few small welds where the lifters attach to the ribs.

Even a simple 2x4 frame would have been better than nothing.

Remember fellow skoolies, even when we get excited, we still need to keep working safely.

Nat
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Old 04-19-2015, 12:30 AM   #463
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Maple Ridge BC Canada
Posts: 200
Year: 1998
Coachwork: Blue Bird
Chassis: TC2000 Rear engine
Engine: Cummins 8.3; MD3060
Rated Cap: 84
I did it almost the same way. I used 4 tube in tube guides. The only difference was I added 6"x6" fir pieces across in the front and in the back and used farm jacks that were pushing 6x6 pieces up.

I think it was safe enough, the one thing must be obeyed for sure NO WIND.

Everyone is taking some degree of risk when trying to work with tools. If you feel unsafe just add temp wood scaffolding inside the bus and keep raising it up.
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Old 04-19-2015, 09:03 AM   #464
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I mean no ignorance by my post, only caution.

I may not be able to see everything going on in the pics.

Now just a few more thoughts.

If using threaded rod as a lifter, choose the largest you can to increase the surface area of the threads taking the load.

Use nuts that are longer than standard. Coupling nuts are around three times the length of a standard nut. This gives three times the threads to take the load of the roof.

Lube the threads. This will prevent premature wear on the threads that could lead to thread failure on the soft grade 5 threaded rod / nuts.

Use grade 8 nuts if you can. This will put the thread wear on the threaded rod vs the threads inside of the nut failing.

Pay attention to how hard the nuts are to turn. if they are overloaded, or binding, they will get harder to turn.

Have no fear people, I'm so glad more of you are raising your bus roofs.

Coupling nuts.
https://www.boltdepot.com/Coupling_nuts.aspx

Nat
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Old 04-20-2015, 11:49 AM   #465
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Maple Ridge BC Canada
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
I mean no ignorance by my post, only caution.

I may not be able to see everything going on in the pics.

Now just a few more thoughts.

If using threaded rod as a lifter, choose the largest you can to increase the surface area of the threads taking the load.

Use nuts that are longer than standard. Coupling nuts are around three times the length of a standard nut. This gives three times the threads to take the load of the roof.

Lube the threads. This will prevent premature wear on the threads that could lead to thread failure on the soft grade 5 threaded rod / nuts.

Use grade 8 nuts if you can. This will put the thread wear on the threaded rod vs the threads inside of the nut failing.

Pay attention to how hard the nuts are to turn. if they are overloaded, or binding, they will get harder to turn.

Have no fear people, I'm so glad more of you are raising your bus roofs.

Coupling nuts.
https://www.boltdepot.com/Coupling_nuts.aspx

Nat
These are all good points. I didn't even think about using threaded road to raise the roof. This is the most economical way unless you already have farm jacks or can borrow them.

Home depot sells coupling hunts. They are about 1.5" high. If you keep rods greased they will last even to raise few roofs.....
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Old 04-20-2015, 01:22 PM   #466
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Quote:
Originally Posted by taskswap View Post
I'm a little surprised I don't see more fiberglass used. Is it because of the difficulty in working with it, cost, or something else? Fiberglass would never oil-can or buckle in this way.

Another option would be to take a lesson out of the RV industry's book: a layered sheet. An 1/8" or 1/4" sheet of H45 or H100 would add a huge amount of rigidity to a sheet of aluminum or galv. and you can just bond them together with adhesives. They're both reasonably cheap, you can still attach with rivets (just need a longer one, and use normal break rivets, not high-strength), and you get an unexpected but maybe cool advantage: it's a lot harder to dent. It's also a thermal break.

It's not free but the thinnest sheets might only add a couple hundred bucks. I'm seriously considering this route myself - if I do, I'll report back here on the results.
For my part, disuse of fiberglass is because of ignorance. I'm so unfamiliar with it I don't know where to begin as far as deciding whether it's appropriate for a job or how to build up an assembly. If you felt inspired to write anything about how fiberglass might be advantageous especially in the external wall or in the shower enclosure, I'd definitely read it!
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Old 04-20-2015, 02:24 PM   #467
Bus Nut
 
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OK cool, I'll definitely do that. I have a 50-yard roll of BID left over from a previous project and the bus seems like the perfect place for it. It does take a bit of practice, but so does anything else..

I'll post some YouTube videos once we get started. We're shopping for the right bus now, hoping to get started in the next month or two.
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Old 04-20-2015, 06:30 PM   #468
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Originally Posted by taskswap View Post
OK cool, I'll definitely do that. I have a 50-yard roll of BID left over from a previous project and the bus seems like the perfect place for it. It does take a bit of practice, but so does anything else..

I'll post some YouTube videos once we get started. We're shopping for the right bus now, hoping to get started in the next month or two.
I used fiberglass between my 2 roof levels , If I were to do it again I would have a sheetmetal shop build a cap for me
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Old 04-21-2015, 12:51 AM   #469
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Quote:
Originally Posted by allwthrrider View Post
I used fiberglass between my 2 roof levels , If I were to do it again I would have a sheetmetal shop build a cap for me
Any pictures??? Any concerns??? Leaks???? Cracks????

I think the problem with fibreglass is when you use it on a boat built from it already it works great, but when the entire bus is built from steel and you add some fibreglass panels they will expend/contract differently, it is harder to rivet them without cracking.

It was much easier to me just weld steel panels in roof slope.
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Old 04-21-2015, 08:31 AM   #470
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Specifically, it hardly expands/contracts at all. It is an extremely rigid material. When doing things like skins over metal you just need to elongate the holes a tiny bit. Metals expand/contract "a lot" - but only relative to not moving at all. They don't grow inches. You only need to make a round hole 1/16" or so longer to allow for it, depending on what you're doing. There are some side benefits, though, like no galvanic corrosion, it's waterproof, can never rust, etc.

This only applies to exterior skins - which may not be the best use, anyway. It's almost never a problem with smaller things. Fiberglass does take some work, and the work is directly proportional to the piece size. It's REALLY good for doing things like trim work, making ducts, supports, mounting brackets, etc. It's SUPER good when making odd shapes, things you'd need a bending brake and some experience to make out of metal. You guys that are good at welding probably wouldn't get as much mileage out of this, but it's amazing what you can make.

I'll post some videos of this soon when we finally get to work on ours.
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Old 04-21-2015, 11:10 AM   #471
Skoolie
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by taskswap View Post
Specifically, it hardly expands/contracts at all. It is an extremely rigid material. When doing things like skins over metal you just need to elongate the holes a tiny bit. Metals expand/contract "a lot" - but only relative to not moving at all. They don't grow inches. You only need to make a round hole 1/16" or so longer to allow for it, depending on what you're doing. There are some side benefits, though, like no galvanic corrosion, it's waterproof, can never rust, etc.

This only applies to exterior skins - which may not be the best use, anyway. It's almost never a problem with smaller things. Fiberglass does take some work, and the work is directly proportional to the piece size. It's REALLY good for doing things like trim work, making ducts, supports, mounting brackets, etc. It's SUPER good when making odd shapes, things you'd need a bending brake and some experience to make out of metal. You guys that are good at welding probably wouldn't get as much mileage out of this, but it's amazing what you can make.

I'll post some videos of this soon when we finally get to work on ours.
Three years ago I bought a project boat and completely rebuilt it. I gutted it all out, floor, stringers, everything right to outer shell. I used to build a copy/replica boats when I was kid, but it was all on a small scale. From my experience rebuilding my boat I can say it wasn't so straight forward.

There are many little things you need to know how and why and why not.... when it comes to fibreglass.

Most people don't even know the difference between epoxy and polyester. Using fibreglass is easy when you know what you are doing and it is easy to screw everything up.

Most of us used or tried to use Bondo car putty but not many know that Bondo is a polyester resin with filler and small tube that comes with it is a MEK catalyst. Here is a very good article about it:

What Exactly is Body Filler?

Most people have no idea that you can use epoxy over polyester but can't do it vice versa....

Most people have no idea that epoxy "welds" to wood but polyester doesn't bond too good to wood, hence many boats have delaminations here and there...

Most people don't know that strong epoxy is very sensitive to UV but weaker polyester holds UV much better.

The whole polyester/epoxy industry is very complicated. People mix up terminology, call things wrong way, creating even more confusion....
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Old 04-27-2015, 11:23 AM   #472
Bus Nut
 
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Master bed

Some photos of the folding full bed.

Unfolded:


Folded:
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Old 04-27-2015, 12:58 PM   #473
Skoolie
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
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Rated Cap: 84
I came across this cool video, might be useful in building convertible spaces:

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Old 04-27-2015, 01:11 PM   #474
Bus Nut
 
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That is pretty neat!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad View Post
I came across this cool video, might be useful in building convertible spaces:

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Old 05-28-2015, 04:55 PM   #475
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Hi all,

HOW is the Broccoli Bus doing?

Any updates?

Cheers,

thjakits
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Old 05-30-2015, 04:34 PM   #476
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
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It's doing ok, but I have had some other priorities forced on me lately. I've been working a little bit here and there on the kitchen cabinets, and we're awaiting the arrival of our fridge.

I have been concentrating on our house, to list it on the market this summer. I'm terrible at task switching so it's a week or two of one then the other.

Here are some photos from a week or two ago. My wife wanted to try out the flooring material to see what it would look like. The metal shavings and crap from building stuff finally got cleaned out for the first real time, so the kids came in to play.

You can see me mocking up the drawer dividers for the kitchen. I am building a bunch of drawers that utilize food service pans. So basically, the drawers are open frames capable of supporting weight, then you drop the pans into the frame.

I attached a combination of pan sizes to give you an idea.








Quote:
Originally Posted by thjakits View Post
Hi all,

HOW is the Broccoli Bus doing?

Any updates?

Cheers,

thjakits
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Old 05-30-2015, 10:00 PM   #477
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 271
You said that 6th gear is locked out. I have the same transmission- when I bought the truck it was a 5 speed. so after warranty period was up my allison dealer gave me the 6th gear with the plug in of a computer. Id check it out- for a couple of Franklins you can get some better gearing. I always use the shift pad to negotiate the short hills- it seems easier on the unit- CLUNKING is BAD for the allisons.
Jack
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Old 05-31-2015, 02:18 AM   #478
Bus Nut
 
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I agree- clunking any large spinny heavy metal thing is bad.

You don't happen to have a recommendation in the seattle are where I can donte a couple franklins to a shop to reflash the computer do you?

I figure I could just bring the computer itself, nothing else necessary.


Obligatory clunking of a spinny thing:

https://youtu.be/vROdVsU_K80?t=15
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dirtdoctor View Post
You said that 6th gear is locked out. I have the same transmission- when I bought the truck it was a 5 speed. so after warranty period was up my allison dealer gave me the 6th gear with the plug in of a computer. Id check it out- for a couple of Franklins you can get some better gearing. I always use the shift pad to negotiate the short hills- it seems easier on the unit- CLUNKING is BAD for the allisons.
Jack
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Old 05-31-2015, 05:25 AM   #479
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Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Maple Ridge BC Canada
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Engine: Cummins 8.3; MD3060
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aaronsb View Post
I agree- clunking any large spinny heavy metal thing is bad.

You don't happen to have a recommendation in the seattle are where I can donte a couple franklins to a shop to reflash the computer do you?

I figure I could just bring the computer itself, nothing else necessary.


Obligatory clunking of a spinny thing:

https://youtu.be/vROdVsU_K80?t=15
I tried to call local Allison dealer in Langley BC. I explained them that the bus is not going to be a commercial vehicle but an RV and I want to have 6 gear unlocked.

They told me they need to get a letter from bus manufacture, which will say it is safe to do so. They explained me that it can potentially increase max speed and they need to make sure brake system will be able to handle the speed blah blah blah.

I tried to explain I need 6 gear for fuel economy and not for high speed, but they didn't listen to me....

To me this is a pure BS, this is my vehicle and my responsibility to follow speed limits, etc...

So, please keep us updated....

I do have plan "B" making my own Arduino box, which will control when and how to shift to 6 gear... but why to reinvent the wheel?
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Old 05-31-2015, 06:06 AM   #480
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlad View Post
I tried to call local Allison dealer in Langley BC. I explained them that the bus is not going to be a commercial vehicle but an RV and I want to have 6 gear unlocked.

They told me they need to get a letter from bus manufacture, which will say it is safe to do so. They explained me that it can potentially increase max speed and they need to make sure brake system will be able to handle the speed blah blah blah.
Its because of liability laws, Vlad. Why not just email Blue Bird and get the letter? PCS was able to do that with his Thomas, and there are probably several others who have as well.
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