Hello everybody

[Artor]

Hi folks. I just bought a 39' 2004 International with the Thomas body on it. It's 6'6" from the floor to the ceiling now, but I'll be insulating both of those, and I have a 6'5" son who will visit me, so I have to raise the roof. Browsing recently, I saw someone making pre-built risers of regular sizes to clamp in place and weld, but I can't find where I came across them. Can someone clue me in and send me a link? I'm only looking for about an 8" rise, so I can maximize the space in my sleeping loft.

[Sleddgracer]

raising the roof

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SaWO5gaG6Q

[EastCoastCB]

So what's your plan for skinning with the step on the sides of the 6 degree Thomas slant?

[Artor]

Originally Posted by EastCoastCB

So what's your plan for skinning with the step on the sides of the 6 degree Thomas slant?

Aha! My eyes weren't deceiving me! I hadn't gotten to taking accurate measurements, but I was noticing the verticals didn't seem parallel. No worries, I was planning on skinning with plywood painted with EPDM, and cedar shingles for my surface.

On the subject of shingles, does anyone have experience with solar shingles on a skoolie?

[EastCoastCB]

Yeah, thomas has a 6 degree inward slant on the sides from the top rub rail to the roof.You'll need to bend the top half and/or bottom of the rib to match it to make the skins sit flat.
Thomas adds a little bit of trickiness to the raise!

[Artor]

I got the seats torn out. Reading on the forum, people were talking about angle grinders and unbolting from below, but I found an easier way. I unbolted the seats from the chair rail, and then simply bent and tore them loose from the floor mounts. I'll be furring up the floor and insulating it, so the jagged remainders aren't a problem for me, and the whole job was done in 3 hrs by myself. I got the whole beast tarped over now so I can strip the windows and prep for a roof raise.

[ermracing]

Originally Posted by Artor

I got the seats torn out. Reading on the forum, people were talking about angle grinders and unbolting from below, but I found an easier way. I unbolted the seats from the chair rail, and then simply bent and tore them loose from the floor mounts. I'll be furring up the floor and insulating it, so the jagged remainders aren't a problem for me, and the whole job was done in 3 hrs by myself. I got the whole beast tarped over now so I can strip the windows and prep for a roof raise.

Sounds like you are leaving the old flooring in place the insulation on top of it? If that's the case, there may be (usually is) rust under the plywood that should be addressed.

[Tango]

It is a really good idea to see what is under any old ply flooring. Sometimes OK...sometimes serious rust through. Can't really tell from above but I can assure you all Skoolies leak and I have never seen one that did not have some level of rust to deal with on the metal floor. Remember...this will be your foundation for everything else. You want it as stable & secure as possible.

[Artor]

Originally Posted by Tango

It is a really good idea to see what is under any old ply flooring. Sometimes OK...sometimes serious rust through. Can't really tell from above but I can assure you all Skoolies leak and I have never seen one that did not have some level of rust to deal with on the metal floor. Remember...this will be your foundation for everything else. You want it as stable & secure as possible.

If I thought there was a chance of rust, I would totally do that, but this bus has been parked in a garage when not being driven, and rust is not something we see on vehicles around here. I live in a no-salt zone, and there's not a speck to be seen anywhere on the beast. I was able to identify the school my bus serviced, and I can see their garage from above on Google Maps.

[weboughtabus]

Just my $0.02, but I would want to look under the plywood. The black rubber mat they lay on the floor is typically called a "puke mat", for obvious reasons. I've heard plenty of stories about how bus drivers clean up those messes. They park on a hill with the emergency door at the bottom, open the door and run a hose, rinsing everything out the door. Even if that never happened with your bus, windows and emergency hatches have a tendency to leak. I just ripped out my emergency hatch due to a pretty good leak. I have aluminum floors and walls, and I'm still glad I took up the old flooring because I didn't want any old moisture hiding in the plywood.