Shuttle Bus Wall Construction

[electricwitness]

Hi new to this bus conversion game, not new to mechanical and automotive stuff.

I have a 1991 Ford e350 Terra Transit/Turtle Top shuttle bus. I am going to have to replace the entire floor including the braces, not cool. I did a very poor inspection on this purchase so now I am dealing with it.

My question at this time is in regards to the construction of the walls. I have removed one wall covering and had a lot of plywood fragments fall out. All of the glue has disintegrated from between the plyes. It looks like there was a thin layer of plywood glued to the fiberglass or aluminum sheet of the wall. Does any one know if that layer is structural or if I can replace it with rigid insulation? I have searched but not been able to locate the info i need.

Lots of good info here!

Thank you

 

[electricwitness]

anybody? this is a bump

 

[Rusty-SKO]

I used to have a shuttle bus, but didn't do much to it.

The fiberglass is glued to the luan plywood to stiffen it. If you use the dense 250 foam board and glue it to the fiberglass, it seems like it would have same effect, but just my opinion.

read this post

 

[Twigg-SKO]

Many RV and Travel Trailer walls are made exactly that way.

An outer skin of aluminum or fiberglass is bonded to foam sheet with an inner layer of thin ply also bonded. This makes for a very stiff wall and any cut-outs are lined with wood to screw appliances and furniture to.

They are warm and higly water resistant. Where they lose out is that the stiffness is not a substitute for the strength of a steel frame, so they don't take well to being crashed.

Your bus is likely to have panels like that bonded, or screwed to a steel structure, but you'd have to check.

 

[electricwitness]

Thank you both for the replies.

Rusty, that post was helpful thank you.

Twigg, It does have a steel frame under the fiberglass body which I am happy about.

Thanks again