Roof raise question

[johnsmithx1974]

Is it safe and possible to do a roof raise and not weld it up, but maybe using steel tubs and bolts?

 

[mmoore6856]

we considered this and decided no

 

[musigenesis]

I think it can be done safely that way (and some people have done it that way). An even more sensible way would be to do the initial roof raise with bolts as you suggest, then if you're not a welder, hire/beg one to come along and weld the extender tubes to the cut ribs. @inhof009 did his raise this way and it worked out well (I don't think he actually begged a welder, just asked one).

A remote welder (with a genny-powered welding machine) is probably going to charge something like $100/hr with a four-hour-minimum charge to come out to your site; the welding for this would just take a couple of hours. You could get it done cheaper if you were able to drive the bus to a welder's, which you would be able to do since it would already be bolted up.

I would be happy to weld this for you if you were in my area, although since my welding abilities are on full display here, you might not want that.

Also, welcome to the site. If you click on User CP in the upper left you can fill out your profile details, and then everybody will know where you are and what kind of bus you have.

 

[leadsled01-SKO]

I think nat-ster did a bolt on style roof raise. He got kicked off the sight. do a search to find his old posts.

 

[musigenesis]

I think nat-ster did a bolt on style roof raise. He got kicked off the sight. do a search to find his old posts.

He got kicked off for using bolts?

 

[EastCoastCB]

He got kicked off for using bolts?

No- for being a full on douche. The king of douche as they call him on "pirate 4x4".

 

[ewo1]

Is it safe and possible to do a roof raise and not weld it up, but maybe using steel tubs and bolts?

I would just go out and buy a mig welder and learn. It is not hard to do and after a really short time you will get the hang of it. It is NOT difficult.
After a day or two, with some guidance (you tube) you will realize how easy it really can be.

My welds are ugly as **** still but I get the job done. As long as you clean the metal and get good penetration who cares if you have nice smooth weld beads!

I just did my entire floor repair using a wire feed welder, ugly, ugly welds but a grinder made them look much better!

 

[ol trunt]

Weld it. If you weld at a professional level do it yourself. If not, practice until you do and then weld it yourself--or hire a fully trained and licensed welder to do it for you.

With all due respect to my fellow do-it-yourselfers, if your welds aren't smooth as surgical sutures but look like chicken dab and require lots of grinding to make them smooth you are not a welder yet and your welds will not stand up to destructive testing. Dabbing grinding and re dabbing etc will not improve the quality of the weld. Be safe, get more training and do more practicing. To produce a safe structural weld it is necessary to know the metallurgy of both the original part, the patch part and the wire and adjust the welding accordingly. It ain't rocket science I know but----
Jack

 

[leadsled01-SKO]

Absolutely the King of Douche. But he did a bolt style roof raise if my memory is correct. Anyone remember that?

 

[BlackJohn]

^^^^ Jack knows! great post.


Some people are born to weld, others, not so much.


John

 

[EastCoastCB]

Absolutely the King of Douche. But he did a bolt style roof raise if my memory is correct. Anyone remember that?

Yeah, he used bolts. Douchey ones lol.

 

[ol trunt]

Good to have a laugh! Thanks ECCB. Jack

 

[Native-SKO]

^^^^ Jack knows! great post.


Some people are born to weld, others, not so much.


John

You are so correct! When I weld, I almost feel the weld. Since I use a torch, it talks to me as well.

 

[ewo1]

Weld it. If you weld at a professional level do it yourself. If not, practice until you do and then weld it yourself--or hire a fully trained and licensed welder to do it for you.

With all due respect to my fellow do-it-yourselfers, if your welds aren't smooth as surgical sutures but look like chicken dab and require lots of grinding to make them smooth you are not a welder yet and your welds will not stand up to destructive testing. Dabbing grinding and re dabbing etc will not improve the quality of the weld. Be safe, get more training and do more practicing. To produce a safe structural weld it is necessary to know the metallurgy of both the original part, the patch part and the wire and adjust the welding accordingly. It ain't rocket science I know but----
Jack

I agree with what was said here... Structural welds are indeed critical. Welding patch panels on the floor not so critical and IMO a great place to start learning!

Here is a video, Mig welding 101 for beginners that will help you understand the very basics.
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...=/videos/search?q=mig+welding+101&FORM=HDRSC3

From there it is practice, training and more practice!

Like he said, it ain't rocket science!

 

[family wagon]

It depends on what material you're using to create the lift. Custom-formed hat channel? Solid rivets work fine. Bolts could too. It's when you get into doing the lift with square tube and flat bar that welding becomes more essential.

 

[GWRider-SKO]

I would just go out and buy a mig welder and learn. It is not hard to do and after a really short time you will get the hang of it. It is NOT difficult.
After a day or two, with some guidance (you tube) you will realize how easy it really can be.

My welds are ugly as **** still but I get the job done. As long as you clean the metal and get good penetration who cares if you have nice smooth weld beads!

I just did my entire floor repair using a wire feed welder, ugly, ugly welds but a grinder made them look much better!

Agree for the most part. I raised the roof on my Crown by myself with no prior welding skills or knowledge other than some basic stick welding I did in High School shop class. My background is primarily IT (although I worked in an RV mfg plant back in the 80's).

I purchased my Crown early last year and needed to raise the roof. I had an older Miller MIG which I wanted to learn how to use anyway but never seemed to find time. I decided to teach myself using online instructional videos. The MIG concepts are fairly straightforward but it does take some practice dialing things in and laying down decent welds with proper penetration. I did a few small projects like making the jacks used to raise the roof before tackling the structural welds for the roof raise.

 

[desparado]

rivets

Is it safe and possible to do a roof raise and not weld it up, but maybe using steel tubs and bolts?

air plane skin are put on with silicon and rivets .ships and big buildings were put together with rivets

 

[Elliot Naess]

I raised Millicent's roof by welding, and it turned out fine.
Now I am planning to raise the roof of my second bus, and I will do it by bolting.

Besides the basic convenience of not needing welding skill and equipment, with bolting I will be able to easily make changes, be it during the process or at a later date.

When running a bolt thru a piece of tubing in a "serious" application like this, the trick is to install an Anti Crush Tube (Insert) inside the tubing. This is standard procedure on race cars and industrial equipment. I bet the exercise machine in your rec-room has them.

Mostly, the inserts are welded in, either flush or not. A second way, if you can access the inside of the piece, is to slip the insert into place when you install the bolt.

I plan to do it a third way: slip it in with a tight fit until it is firmly lodged in the correct location. The inserts will all be in the extensions, so I can drive them into position on the work bench, with access from both ends of the extension.
I intend to fabricate a V-shaped tool for steering the insert down the center of the tubing.

I expect to use 3/8" bolts of grade 5 (not unmarked hardware store bolts) with split lock washers and ny-lock nuts. And many or them.

The first photo shows a loose anti crush tube, and the second shows a welded one. (Photos found online.)

 

[johnsmithx1974]

This is great!

 

[Elliot Naess]

air plane skin are put on with silicon and rivets .ships and big buildings were put together with rivets

Oh, my, yes... rivets rivets rivets, with countersunk heads sanded perfectly smooth. Miles of them.
And tiny bolts with nylock nuts on the removable parts.