Bluebird owners beware

[somewhereinusa]

I've got another question, this time about skinning the windows
This picture should be good for at least 500 words


Did you do all that I have suggested, or am I overlooking some really simple method. I don't want to replace individual windows. I want to cover all with one big piece.

[lornaschinske]

All the stuff you pointed out does nothing but cover the frame. If you pulled one or two (side-by-side) of your windows from the inside, you will find square tubing. That is your frame. David spent months drilling out the steel rivets on the Eagle. He said he won't drill out any more steel rivets. I think the bluebird has more rivets than the Eagle did!

Depends on what you want it to look like. We are incorporating the little "eyebrows" above the windows into our design. They will shield the vents, exterior lights, etc. We are also skinning individual windows. But that is just us. We are getting lazy in our old age. Perhaps one of the others that has skinned smooth will add their two cents.

[Diesel Dan]

Yup, skinning them smooth means lots of rivet removal/grinding. And even then, you still have those eyebrows that define where each window was, so you still wouldn't get a real smooth look unless you ground off all the eyebrows and then filled in or covered those spaces. That would be a lot of work.

[bus-bro]

I built blanks to go into selected window openings, and that was a bit of work. Removing the rub rails below the windows scared me off the exterior skin option.

Overall, I would think that removing the rivets and doing an exterior skin would be best. It's not that hard to drill out a rivet, and you only got to do several hundred. Plan your widows and cut the pillars, frame, then skin.

Someone on this site cut their eyebrows off with a plasma torch a few years ago.

[lornaschinske]

Originally Posted by bus-bro

...Someone on this site cut their eyebrows off with a plasma torch a few years ago...

That must have hurt!

Couldn't resist!

[zim]

Originally Posted by Diesel Dan

Yup, skinning them smooth means lots of rivet removal/grinding.

What he said.

[dirtygoat]

I HATE RIVETS!!!

That being said, I found it a lot easier on the skins between the windows to remove the window and use a cut off wheel on the backside of the rivet... Then you use a punch and they pop right out...

My Genesis had a metric sh!t ton of rivets... The skins on the inside under the windows were also riveted...

There will end up being a few techniques that you'll end up using for different areas of your bus... They suck, but when it's done, it's done... Good luck...

[sportyrick]

I did my windows individually after seeing another bus that did their cover up in one long sheet. The long sheet problem is when the bus is stressed by weight and twisting the long continuous sheet buckles and rolls, it's ugly and opens up leaks at each individual window frame between eye brows (especially a BB problem). Bus companies would side buses in long sheets if they could, it doesn't work so they don't. Look at your enclosed 24' trailers, they are all bubbly in the hot sun or when loaded heavily. sportyrick