Ideas for rebuilding shuttle bus walls/roof?

[polomasta]

As you can see, I ended up taking the shell down to the frame, due to mold and rust.

I'll soon be diving into the rebuild. Thought I would put it out to the incredible pool of knowledge here to see if anyone has any recommendations/ideas/advice for redoing the walls and roof?

Thanks in advance! [emoji106][emoji120][emoji869]

[CaptSquid]

ACK! It's NEKKID!

[roach711]

What was the original body made of?


Were you able to save any of it?

[Mr4btTahoe]

Skin it with sheetmetal or aluminum. Do the sides first and then wrap the roof overlapping the wall edges.


Glue in 1" foam board in between the steel frame... skin the inside.


Going to take a bit... but wont be too difficult. Just work from the bottom up on both sides so each higher piece will overlap the lower decreasing the potential for leaks. You can use rivets but be sure to seal them up. I believe the skins are just glued on from the manufacturer. Also be sure that what ever adhesive you use is rated for the foam and what ever skin material you use. The foam is very dense and will add strength to the skin once the adhesive cures.

[polomasta]

Originally Posted by roach711

What was the original body made of?


Were you able to save any of it?

It was a combo of thin wood/fiber board , a few pieces of aluminum and foam insulation, all glued together with a crazy strong adhesive.

Saved the top corner pieces of aluminum but the rest is gone.

[polomasta]

Originally Posted by Mr4btTahoe

Skin it with sheetmetal or aluminum. Do the sides first and then wrap the roof overlapping the wall edges.


Glue in 1" foam board in between the steel frame... skin the inside.


Going to take a bit... but wont be too difficult. Just work from the bottom up on both sides so each higher piece will overlap the lower decreasing the potential for leaks. You can use rivets but be sure to seal them up. I believe the skins are just glued on from the manufacturer. Also be sure that what ever adhesive you use is rated for the foam and what ever skin material you use. The foam is very dense and will add strength to the skin once the adhesive cures.

That's basically how it was built originally so probably a decent plan.

I plan on raptor lining the entire bus, so I was wondering if I could skip the aluminum and just use a perhaps slightly thicker wood than the manufacturer used underneath the aluminum.

[Mr4btTahoe]

Its possible... but I doubt it'll last. Moisture in the air will eventually get to it and with the outside raptor lined, it'll hold moisture.


Your cheapest bet would be sheet metal.


Could always go fiberglass... such as those 4x8 sheets used for lining bath stalls with. Relatively cheap and fairly robust.


If you go wood.. you'd want to epoxy the whole thing and paint it.