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Old 11-28-2022, 10:32 AM   #1
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Toledo OH
Posts: 781
Year: 2006
Coachwork: Thomas
Chassis: MVP-EF
Engine: Cat C7 + Allison 3000PTS
Doghouse replacement or cover - who's done it?

My FE transit bus has the standard big plastic cover for the engine, which is fairly broken, but still usable. I did some patching up recently to make it as air tight as possible, so it's not terribly "leaky", but my wife and I would really like to change the cover to create a little seating space on the lower side when parked, and add cupholders to the upper part for the driver.

Originally, I had envisioned building a wooden cover over the plastic doghouse cover, which would come in two pieces so you could lift off the lower piece to get to the engine oil dipstick, and remove the upper piece to then remove the entire plastic cover as needed. However, I realized that adding bulk to the front part of the doghouse (the tallest part) on the driver's side would really cramp the driver's space, in particular space to get to the accelerator pedal. This leads me to think that it would be best to just replace the entire cover, but I'm leery of building a new doghouse cover out of, say, wood, when it's covering a very hot part of the vehicle. I had considered covering the inside with metal flashing and automotive engine compartment insulation, but that still doesn't seem perfect.

Anyway, I'm looking for ideas. I didn't find too many older threads with specific solutions for a front engine transit bus cover, which is much larger than the doghouse on a dognose/conventional bus.

dbsoundman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-28-2022, 08:37 PM   #2
Bus Nut
 
Join Date: Feb 2022
Location: Midwest
Posts: 267
You could make one out of fiberglass. Make a wire form, stretch spandex over the frame, slap on some resin, then start adding actual fiberglass over it. You can put the insulation inside of it, make it in more than one piece, integrated cup holders to fit any size cup you want, extra pockets, ect. Nice thing about fiberglass, you can use the existing doghouse for the perimeter.
Veloc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-29-2022, 08:18 AM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Aug 2022
Location: Arkansas - Fort Smith area
Posts: 19
Year: 2005
Coachwork: Bluebird All American
Engine: Cat C7 ACERT
Rated Cap: 54
@Veloc: I like the fiberglass idea.

I don't think there is an easy answer to this question.

dbsoundman, I have a similar situation with my 2005 Bluebird. The driver's area is pretty bare and I have considered a couple of ideas for making it more driver friendly. I don't know the specific layout of your bus, but in my case I think modification of the dashboard will be easier than trying to do something with the doghouse.

I'll watch this tread with interest.
doncobb is offline   Reply With Quote
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